Lars, The Dog From The Streets
I knew right away that he was meant for us
A while back Tamara invited us to a Wine and Wags event that the dog rescue organization she works with was having on a Sunday afternoon at a local wine bar. My husband James was out of town and not able to go, so I took my son Hugh, instead. We both like dogs, although I had no intention of adding another animal to our family. We already have a dog and two cats, and although we’ve talked before about getting a friend for Cooper to play with, we’d decided that going to doggy daycare once a week was the better alternative.
Really, I just wanted to get the chance to hang out with Tamara and do something social. Plus, it would get Hugh out of the house. He’s on the autism spectrum and tends to spend the bulk of his weekend in his room, ensconced in bed with his iPad if I don’t pry him out of there, although I guess a lot of 21-year-olds are like that. A “dog party” was something that interested him though.
It took us a while to find the place, even with GPS, and so the event was already well underway when Hugh and I arrived. The place was filled with people sipping wine and helping themselves to finger foods. We spotted Tamara across the room and made our way over to say hello. A guitarist played music and probably 10 or 12 dogs that were looking for forever homes were there with their foster families, mingling with the crowd.
They were all cute — I think pretty much all dogs are, even the ones who are funny looking, and I always want to know their names. I just like getting to know dogs. They are always so happy to be paid attention to, and although I adore cats as well, cats may or may not want to be met. In a room full of sweet and interesting pups all anxious to be greeted, the one who really caught my eye was the big German shepherd mix who was chilling in the corner. His muzzle was covered with scars, but he had a soulful look on his placid face none-the-less. Many of the dogs there had been rescued from a pack that was living together on the streets and they’d all had pretty challenging lives.
“That’s Lars,” Tamara told me. “Doesn’t he look like a Viking dog?” He did absolutely look like a dog who should be on the set of a movie about Vikings, with his long legs, big chest, and regal profile. He also looked like the kind of dog you would want beside you if you were ever in trouble. I walked over to say hello to him.
Lars was with the woman who was fostering him, Reece, and she and I chatted a bit, as Lars looked on with little interest in me or in any of the goings-on. Reece told me that he was one of the last ones left from the big pack they had rescued the year before, but that he wasn’t formally up for adoption yet. However, if the right family came along, she would consider it. “I want Lars to go to just the right home,” she told me. “He’s one of my very favorite dogs ever, and he’s been through a lot.”
Reece told me how Lars had been completely feral and that it had taken several months to get close to him, and to get him to go into the trap. As hungry as he was, Lars was smart enough to know that the food he was being offered came with contingencies, and he didn’t yet trust people. Once he was trapped, Lars still had to be domesticated, house trained, and leash trained. Reece had done a stupendous job, but he was still a bit reticent around people he didn’t know, although Lars seemed to be doing fine in the big, noisy room. He was perhaps the most laid-back dog I’d ever seen.
I continued to pet Lars, and he continued to largely ignore me, but the more I learned about him, the more I knew that we were that right family — the one who should bring Lars to come and live with us. Because he was used to living in a pack, Lars needed to go to a home that had another dog. Check! He also needed to go to a home where he wouldn’t be left alone for big chunks of time — a place where somebody works from home. Check!
I told Reece that all of our animals had always been strays or rescues and that seemed to sit well with her also. Sometimes animals that have come from tough circumstances need a little extra understanding and TLC as they adjust to their new life in a home, and it was definitely a plus that we already knew that. I texted James to see what he thought.
“I’m so in love with this super chill boy. Maybe you and Coop can meet him later and think about it? 🙏🏻”
James had made it clear to me in the past that he didn’t really want another pet, and had been the main voice against when we talked about getting a playmate for Cooper in the past.
“He looks sweet. Are you still at the event?” James texted back.
“Yes, and Tam says we need this dog 😁! He’s from that big pack that she helped rescue last year — in part with the trap that we had donated.” I have to admit, although I did have an instant attachment to this particular pooch, there was also something about getting more deeply involved with a dog that we had contributed to rescuing, and to a cause that is dear to the heart of someone who is dear to our hearts, that was very appealing.
“We don’t have to get him,” I told James. “Just meet him.”
“You know I’ll want to bring him home if I do,” he replied.
It was another two weeks before we could figure out a mutually agreeable time to get together so that James could meet Lars and we could test how well he got on with Cooper, but I knew it was just a formality. Cooper loves everyone and James was already talking like it was a done deal. I had started telling my friends about the dog that we were almost certainly going to add to our family.
“You seem to have made a very special connection with him,” my friend Annabelle said.
“I have,” I answered, “but not in the way that you might imagine. It’s not because he looked deep into my eyes and I just knew that we belonged together. When I met him, he was pretty indifferent to me, but I felt a strong connection to him anyhow,” I said. Somehow I just knew that he would be good for us and that we would be good for him, and I was right.
Cooper and Lars hit it off immediately and have been fast friends ever since. In fact, Cooper was so excited to be a part of a pack that one of the first things he did when Lars arrived was to instigate a cat chase, much to the chagrin of his feline friend Peaches, who did not appreciate being cast in the role of prey.
Reece was the first human that Lars had ever had a relationship with and he was very distraught the first night at our house without her. I pretty much stayed up all night with him, talking to him and reassuring him. After that, he began to shift his attachment to me and would follow me everywhere, even into the bathroom. If I had to go somewhere, he would bark and whine until I came back. James called him my little duckling since he was so imprinted on me.
We’ve been working with an animal behaviorist and Lars has made big strides forward in his separation anxiety and in general, has settled in very well here. He loves to go for walks, and for rides in the car and sitting in the sun by the back porch with Cooper. They have continued to be fast friends and as predicted, Lars has been a wonderful addition to our family. I can hardly believe that a year ago he was completely feral and living on the streets. Other than still being a little bit wary around new people, you would never know.
Reece and her rescue organization did such an amazing job of training and socializing Lars and showering him with love. We met for lunch one day last month at a dog-friendly restaurant. Lars was happy to see her, but then came back and sat by me.
“That’s what I wanted,” she said. “I wanted him to have a family where he could really feel at home. I miss him, but I’m so glad that we met that day. You were the right people for our sweet boy!”
“I’m so glad that we met too,” I replied. “And you can come visit Lars whenever you want. We didn’t think we wanted another dog, but it’s because we were waiting for this dog, I think.” Lars continues to have some manageable health issues related to his time as a street dog, and he sheds an absurd amount, but despite that, we couldn’t be happier with him! We love you, Big Bear!