As we all know, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of romance and love. However, us animal lovers also use the holiday to celebrate the powerful human-animal bond, and the love we feel for our furry best friends. Some people are even lucky enough to have found their heart dog, and you could too.
What is a heart dog you ask? The term “heart dog” has become increasingly widespread over the last decade, and it refers to the incredible canine who comes around once in a lifetime (or a couple times if you’re lucky!) who completely has your heart. Like a soul mate, one might say that a heart dog offers companionship and love like no other creature can. They are a part of your emotional existence. You evolve with each other, shaping who you are and who you become. They are not just your best friend, but a piece of you.
Amber Batteiger, from American Humane’s Rescue team, found her own heart dog in April 2014 while volunteering at an animal shelter in South Florida. She found Reeba cowering in her kennel, trembling, emaciated and covered in cigarette burns and scars. The veterinarian said her multiple missing teeth were due to being so hungry that she began eating rocks, trying desperately to survive. She was heartworm positive, terrified and completely heartbroken. The day Reeba was slated for euthanasia due to her condition, Amber made the unexpected decision to adopt her, and that is where their story begins. Despite Reeba’s rough beginning, she trusts Amber with her heart and soul.
“Over the past six years, she has helped raise countless foster kittens, has shown unrelenting patience for bothersome foster puppies, and has never, ever left my side through life’s ups and downs and darkest moments. Nothing will ever reach the deepest parts of my soul like her silent, gentle presence.”
– Amber B.
You too could find your heart dog, or heart cat or heart rabbit! Millions of animals are sitting alone in animal shelters at this very moment, abandoned and broken-hearted. This Valentine’s Day, mend a heart and save a life by adopting an animal in need. You may find your best friend and forever soul mate.
