10th Americanniversary Pupdate!

🎉 SPECIAL PUPDATE!🎉 10 years ago today I boarded a plane to the USA! My "Americanniversary" story began Dec. 19, 2014 - a cold, snowy night in Sarajevo, Bosnia... ❄️

I was sleeping atop stacked shipping containers that were turned into offices outside of a place called Camp Butmir. 🇧🇦 The upper level had decking and stairs that led to the ground, so I would strategically position myself at the very center to hear or see anything that came up either side. Even though my tummy was growling so loudly from hunger, I felt myself about to doze off. Then I heard someone call out, “Puppy…puppy? Here, puppy…!”

When I heard this sweet voice, I looked out from my perch. “Here, puppy puppy..!” She called out again. Her voice was friendly, and it looked like she had food with her. I wasn’t sure if I should come down. I was safe where I was and knew from my past experiences (and stories from my stray friends) that not all strangers were good people. When I saw her start to walk away, I knew I had to take the risk. I desperately needed food.

I took a leap of faith and rushed down to her, the pitter-patter of my overgrown toe nails clanking against the wooden stairs. As soon as she saw me come around the corner, she knelt down and smiled. I knew then I made the right choice in leaving my safe zone. I immediately engaged my secret weapon…the "foot-tuck back-roll," and began whimpering. This always garnered me belly rubs from the friendly people that came to the camp, so I suspected she’d fall for the cuteness underneath my skinny frame and wet, matted hair, just like all the others. But as time would tell, she wasn’t like them at all. In fact, she would prove to be different than any other human I had met.

She would visit me every morning and evening over the next few days, bringing me these things called toys, pillows, blankets...which I always destroyed because I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with them! We spent Christmas Eve on that upper deck together. She spent several hours petting me, crying, telling me she was so sorry about my life, looking at my ear tag that read "384." She promised me that soon enough, I’d have a better life. That she would be my mom. And that this amazing man would be my dad, and he would soon be on his way to take me to this place called “home" in “America” - wherever that was. She kept her promise and on Jan. 12, 2015, she and that man loaded me into a plastic box..with prison bars!! I was scared, but something told me it would all be ok.

I can’t believe that was 10 years ago. Here I am in Virginia, half a world away from Bosnia. While the snow here looks the same as there, I can certainly tell you nothing about my world now is. I’ve swam in the ocean, camped atop mountains, cruised in boats, rode in elevators, and known the love of family. Over the last several years I’ve also experienced the pain that comes with that love - losing my grandmommy and granddaddy (which mommy hasn't shared with you yet), my brother Benji, my sissy Bella, and fellow Bosnian rescue pups.😔 All I can do is comfort my pawrents when they're sad, be grateful for my life, and pawpreciate people like YOU who give homeless animals a chance!

Thank you from the pawttom of my heart, #teamtanzie! And Happy "Americanniversary" to a #proudbosnianrescue like me!

You'll like these other blog posts:

More pics of me in Bosnia https://bit.ly/tanzies_story

Mommy’s version of our love story! https://bit.ly/amatchmadeinbosnia