I am Colin Chappell and was bitten by a German Shepherd at 14, which established a strong dislike of dogs for the next 40 years or so. Then I met a dog lover and we eventually became a couple, but without dogs!
In late 2012, I decided that perhaps I could find a place in my life for a dog and so started talking to our local Humane Society. I decided that yes, I would adopt a dog, and I wanted a large, very self assured, cuddly, openly affectionate and domesticated dog!
However, while I was planning on adopting a dog, there was a dog (Ray) planning on adopting me… and his plans were clearly better than mine as he moved in with us in March 2013!
Ray is a German Shepherd / Rottweiler. He was very insecure; was afraid of anything that moved and would lung and bark to resolve the situation. He did not like to be touched; was very distant, and had no concept of living in a home. He was however quite large at 75lbs!
The following 18 months were a roller coaster of emotions and a huge learning curve for me. Living with Ray has been a joy, and a worry. He has been the cause of laughter, and tears. Most importantly, he has carved for himself a niche in my heart, and I now have one very precious canine as a dear friend.
Those first 18 months are covered in a book Who Said I was up for Adoption?”, and in October 2014, I started a Blog which is heavily focused towards stories about Ray.
Blog – Ray Facebook – Colin Facebook
Amazon:
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog 
Reblogged (hope I did I correctly) on OwningADogWithAnxiety and said, “If you don’t already know them, check out Colin and Ray. For me, it is very comforting to read a success story about a fearful dog – and I consider Ray a huge success!”
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Just saw the re-blog! No problem whatsoever, in fact the additional exposure is appreciated. Many thanks. 🙂
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Wonderful piece. If I wouldn’t have already bought the book, i would have been enticed to buy it after reading this 🙂
Has been a great edition to my library and I hope it can be to many others as well!
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Great post – will be reading this book soon!
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This Rae will definitely get the book and read about your Ray. Your post was a pleasure to read.
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Thank you Rae. Our Ray was rescued at a time when the Humane Society were using musicians as a basis for naming the “unknowns”. Ray was named after Ray Charles! 🙂
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So, you both were actually scared of the other species. Amazing, how you both developed from each other and with each other!
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Hi Erika – I never thought of it quite like that… but you are right! Given that he made the first move towards being friends, I wonder what he “saw”? 🙂
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I think he saw a kindred spirit…
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🙂
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