It’s Okay to Walk in the Rain
Binky was found terribly starved, with matted hair, dragging a leash in the streets of New Rochelle in 2012. He was taken to the Humane Society of Westchester (then named the New Rochelle Humane Society) which is a no-kill shelter. They felt that he would not make it as he was so thin, and he contracted kennel cough as well. However, he loved to sit on everyone’s lap, and so they named him Binky! They thought him to be about 2 years old, and also to be a terrier mix.
I was volunteering at that time on a very limited basis, and several months later, I saw him in the shelter and knew that I wanted him to adopt us! I can recall that he was very reluctant to leave the shelter as he was so well taken care of, but Binky came home to us (Mark, A.J. and Brett – my son, and Sidney my husband, Valentine and Gracie – our 2 cats!) , and we have loved him ever since. (Well, perhaps not the cats so much!). The shelter employees had told us that he barked at people. However, when he came to our home, he was so very quiet and well behaved. So quiet, that we thought it would be fun to go away for a weekend and watch our younger son play baseball. Ha! Binky promptly barked at everyone he saw. No more hotel visits for a long while!
Binky would also bark at any man in the park who came near to me while we were out walking, and it really took a few years for him to start trusting strangers a little. We have no idea what he went through, and how he had suffered but it certainly has had a lasting effect on him. He was originally 16 lbs., and he is now around 22 lbs. No more a lap dog although he tries his best!
The one key point that was evident was how he hated to walk in the rain. Not for him! SO much so, that I one morning last Christmas, I put pen to paper and created this little children’s book. It was so much fun to write, and Milan has been the greatest illustrator!
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did creating it!
It’s Okay to Walk in the Rain by Gay E. Rosen | Bookshop | BookBaby Bookshop
