Don't Wish Me A Happy Birthday ...

... because that's in January!

Ha roo, pups and cool cats, it's me, Zim!  Today is NOT my birthday, but it is Adopt-a-Zim Day!!!  My Zimaversary!  My Gotcha Day!  Yep!  Eleven years ago today, Mom and Dad sprang me from the shelter and I came home!

Here's what I looked like:

Me.  Zim.  18 July 2001.

Here's the story of me, as we know it.  I had been chained to a tree for a year and a half, not much food, not much water.  No social interaction, no walks, no house, no car rides.  Someone tried to shave me (please see this post for more info on shaving) and I made my escape about half-way through.

I'm not sure how long I had been on the road when a "Good Samaritan" found me.  He was a neighbor of Mom and Dad's and a day or two after he found me, we ran into Dad and my sisters.  Dad told the guy that I was a "beautiful Siberian Husky"; the guy didn't know much about us Siberians.  Mom and Dad made a point of running into that guy a couple times over the course of the next few days, encouraging him and telling him if he needed ANYTHING at all to please call them.  I had been with him for a week or so, when he gave up on me and dumped me at the shelter.  Mom and Dad ran into him just after he got back.  "Oh, no!" they said.  "We would have taken him in!" and off they flew to try to spring me.

Since I wasn't that guy's pup to begin with, the rules of the shelter were I had to stay there for 5 days in case my "owners" wanted to claim me.  Mom and Dad weren't happy, but they understood completely. Me?  I didn't care.  I'm sorry to say that I really didn't care about anything.  I had given up.

Mom came to see me every day and read to me from a book called Starship Troopers.  There was a cool Drill Sergeant in the book who saved the universe from the evil bugs and was a real hero.  His name was ... Zim.

She also came in with my sisters' smells all over her - and brought some of their fuzzies so I could get familiar with their scents.  I just laid there, taking it all in.

18 July 2001 came - and Mom and Dad came and got me and took me home.  I still didn't care about much - yet here were these bipeds being nice to me!  They were patient and calm and gentle.  And there were the two Siberian girls who were the most remarkable pups I had ever met!

Stormy taught me the rules of the house.  I had never been in one.  I had to learn that the dining room table is different from a hill (who knew?) and that lifting your leg on the centerpiece on said table is not a good idea.  I was REALLY shy of people, and Mom was trying to build the trust between us - so she didn't want to do too much discipline.  Stormy could do it in her own way, though - and in a way I understood.  Stormy taught me some rules - then Mom "redirected" me.  It didn't take long for me to learn at all!

Amber, my sweet sister Ammy, taught me about love and trust and that there is good in the world.  I was clinically anorexic when I got there (according to my vets); my tummy was so tiny it was a major accomplishment for me to eat 5 pieces of kibble.  As much as Ammy loved her food, what did she do?  She took food out of her own bowl during dinner and brought it over to me to eat.  She stuck by me all the time, comforting me and helping me trust my new environment and people.

Here's a pic of us from a day or two later:

Notice how Ammy is watching over me, making sure I'm OK?  I'm still umbilical corded, as you can see by the leash in dad's hand, but I was starting to relax a little.  And there's Stormy.  Doesn't she look happy?!?  And proud?  She treated Ammy and I like we were her very own puppies!

So - those were the early days!  All of that sad/bad stuff is over and done with.  Today, I am a happy-go-lucky guy who loves to explore, loves to play, and loves all of God's creatures (though I'm still wary of some bipeds...).

"Ha roo, world!"

So - who's up to help celebrate my Zimaversary with me?!?  Meet me at Sonic for Happy Hour - the Cherry-Limeades are on me!

I really don't have red eyeshadow on; it must be the reflection off the cup!

Let's get this party started!

Play bows,

Zim