Man and Dog share more than a need to be accepted

By Tyler Kechely, LCHS Development Coordinator

It’s happened to us all, the right thing finally came by; where patience pays off. We see this often with the adoptions that occur at the Lewis & Clark Humane Society, but it was with one special adoption that a unique dog was finally taken home by a very special couple.

Huss Huss was brought to us in June of 2007 and he came to the LCHS incomplete. His rear leg was injured while his chain wrapped around his leg, but this injury eventually lead to the loss of his back leg. This K-9 amputee was welcomed with open arms to the LCHS.

After becoming one of the longest residents, Huss was featured as the pet of the week for several weeks, but he went month after month and was overlooked by adopters and their families. With time, Huss began to mentally decline showing poor kennel behaviors and appearance, the staff really began to wonder what family would be willing to take a three legged dog with some behavioral problems.

It wasn’t until July of 2008, when Huss’s patience paid off.

Many months earlier, Mary Parker first noticed Huss in the Pet of the week article. For the next 6 months she would check the LCHS website to see if he had been adopted, always having Huss in her heart and the back of her mind. This slowly became a personal venture for Mary, but yet never sharing her curiosity with her husband Charlie. As much as she would try to move on from the thoughts of Huss, it was one week particular that coincidence gave Huss another chance. Mary first ran into a friend who randomly began talking about a three legged dog he owned, and then later that week she ran into a three legged dog at a local store. She couldn’t help but deny the coincidence.

It wasn’t until weeks later that Mary finally met Huss, and introduced Charlie to the heartache she had felt for quite some time. It was during this first visit, in which they were adopting two of the shelters cats, that they would both have an immediate bond with Huss. Mary and Charlie admit that Huss wasn’t friendly at first, but there was an understanding of Huss that would soon put smiles on everyone’s face.

Charlie’s first instinct was to come down to Huss’s level, and did exactly that. In a slow and methodical way, Charlie sat down on the kennel floor and an understanding between man and dog began to mold.

It wasn’t until weeks later that the Parkers came back to finish the paperwork on their newly adopted cats. Mary asked once again the status of Huss, and Gina Clouse, one of the LCHS adoption counselors, informed the Parkers that no one was interested in adopting Huss. “I couldn’t believe that no one had adopted him yet,” Mary said, “I was shocked!”

Charlie and Mary took Huss for a walk outside on this particular visit, as their interest grew from curiosity to considering taking their three legged friend home. “He was a completely different dog when we took him out of the kennel environment,” Mary said. After some quality time, and all parties involved began falling in love, they walked Huss back in before they left for their Townsend home. As they were passing the front desk, shelter manager Christine Stipich asked why they were interested in Huss.

And so the story unfolds, it was in this moment that Charlie Parker revealed the common bond that he and Huss shared. Charlie bent down and unzipped his lower pant and revealed his prosthetic leg. This Vietnam Vet shared with Huss more than the love between a human and a canine, he shared a loss of limb with his canine pal.

Huss and family Charlie had an understanding of Huss from the moment he saw him. “I knew from the moment I first saw him, and how aggressive he was being towards us, that I knew why he was being that way,” Charlie said. “It was because he felt like he was unable to protect himself, and when you feel that way, you’re going to be more aggressive because it’s easy to put up walls out of protection, until trust is built.”

With that understanding, Charlie was not above sitting on a kennel floor of an animal shelter, because he too has experienced that being an amputee is not easy. “I know what it’s like to be rejected, just because I wasn’t like everyone else.”

So July, 2008 became the beginning of a new life for Huss. Gina Clouse was the one fortunate enough to take Huss in her car as they followed the Parkers to their Townsend home. It is standard protocol for every family who is considering adoption to receive a home check, to make sure that the animal is being placed in a safe environment, and this was especially true for a dog with special needs.

“The minute we pulled up to their home, there was no question that this was the place for Huss,” said Gina. After proper introductions to Kodi and Grizzly, the Parkers other two dogs, Huss was let loose on the 3 acre fenced property and it was the first time that Huss had run free in years.

“Most people would Huss as damaged goods,” Charlie said, “After working with military vets for 40 years, I’ve come to know that you don’t always get what you see at first, you have to get past what you see and pull out what is left of the soul.”