A Destined Match
Staff Stories: Whitney Drake, Adoption Program Manager
The animals that come full circle through Blue Ridge Humane have a little extra space in our hearts. Maybe it’s the fact that we’ve gotten to be a part of their story in more than one way, or that they and their people are just meant to be and we get to be a part of that. For our pre-Thanksgiving Staff Story, we are sharing the story of Whitney and Eli. Whitney is front and center as our hardworking and passionate Adoption Program Manager.
In 2011, I was graduating high school and REAALLLLLYYYY wanted a dog. I would always frequent BRHS as just a “fun” thing to do on the weekends. I was here so much, a few staff members just assumed I was a volunteer. One day I was visiting and saw a dog with her puppy and I started swooning over the pair, mainly because they were Rottweilers which are my favorite dog breed. I spent time with the puppy and although my heart was telling me yes, my head knew that my mom would not be a happy camper if I brought home a puppy that would turn into a large dog. I ended up not adopting the puppy and getting a small breed dog elsewhere (whom I still have today).
Around two years later, I was back to the same shenanigans of visiting BRHS and walking dogs and I went into one of the kennel sections to see the most handsome Rottweiler in a kennel. I rushed to the front desk to see if I could spend time with him, they let me know his name was Eli and he was around 2 years old. Once I met him, he was the biggest mush ever and was such a silly guy. I let the staff know I loved him and wanted to pursue adopting him but they wanted to make sure I knew why he had been surrendered. Eli was surrendered after being adopted out as a puppy because he started having seizures. When I realized he was here as a puppy two years ago, I asked the staff if he was here with his mom and sure enough, he was! Eli was the SAME puppy I wanted to adopt two years ago. To me, this was all a sign and it was destiny bringing Eli back into my life but for good this time.
I adopted Eli a week later and he was nothing less than amazing with my other dog, Meekoe (a 10lb Pomeranian who was also 2 years old at this point). Eli was also fabulous with our cats in the home and let them run the show. But, unfortunately for my Eli, he was officially diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy within the first month of me owning him. Through the years we had tried so many medications and combinations of therapies but he consistently had his episodes, which I called “the monster” and they never went away but we were able to at least make them happen less. It was one of the most challenging things that I have ever been put through but we got into a great routine and my life revolved around Eli and making sure he got his medications on time and making sure I was around in case he had cluster seizures and needed emergency medication or a vet visit. Despite all of the chaos that came from his epilepsy, he was such an important part of my life and was the happiest dog I have ever met. He eventually helped me when I fostered kittens and became almost a surrogate mother to them.
The good days with Eli definitely outweighed the bad and I was so thankful that I got to give him a home and call him mine. Throughout his life with me, I eventually rescued other dogs and cats to create our motley crew of animals. Eli lived with me another 6 years before eventually passing away unexpectedly. I still miss him to this day. I feel fortunate enough to have had so long with him and to have had him be a part of not only my engagement photos but even a part of my wedding day. I owe it to Eli for allowing me to “grow up” and into the person I am today. He is the reason that I wanted to work for BRHS and created my driving force behind my career. I wanted to not only be Eli’s voice but a voice for all the animals in need of homes that may be getting overlooked. I will always miss my Eli but every day that I come into work I think of him and all of our memories.
