This moment changed everything for Delaney
By Jennifer Stoeckl, MAT - Dire Wolf Project CEO, April 22, 2024
Early yesterday morning, as she does each morning, sweet mama Dreamer pushed her nose against my toes to tell me she’d like to go outside.
First, the sensation fired up my brain.
Then, my brain told my eyes to open.
My feet swung onto the carpet, and I padded down the hallway to open the front door for Dreamer.
On my way out, I noticed the most precious little face peering above the whelping pen gate.
Little Delaney’s bright blue eyes peeped up at me as her gaze followed me down the stairs to the door.
None of the other puppies were awake.
I was quiet so as not to disturb them.
When I returned, there sat Delaney; her eyes still focused on my every move.
She was sitting in silence near the entrance as the sun’s first rays cast its glow through the kitchen windows.
What a peaceful feeling I felt from her sweet soul.
I wondered what she was thinking.
Instead of going back to bed, as I often do, I sat down as quiet as I could next to her.
To match her calm demeanor, with slow movements, I reached my hand over the gate.
I didn’t touch her, though.
I stopped just shy of her face, my hand willing her to move the last bit into my caress.
This little golden beauty did not disappoint.
Ever so gently, she moved her cheek into my palm.
We embraced there in the stillness, her tiny furry head in my hand while the other puppies slept on.
Prior to this, I hadn’t had a specific moment just with Delaney.
Most of the time, all of the puppies are up at once squawking like baby birds ready for their next meal.
My heart filled with happiness as I made that precious soul-to-soul connection with Delaney.
Delaney is the most vocal pup in the litter.
In fact, she thinks it’s funny to growl at the other puppies while she’s play fighting.
She is such a character.
But from then on, she has made a point to speak to me with her eyes, instead of her voice.
Over the course of the next few weeks, I will help Delaney know that she doesn’t have to use her voice to get attention.
Instead, we can have quiet moments like yesterday morning when she speaks to me with her eyes.
Building a deep, trusting relationship built on mutual respect takes awareness.
When you notice the quiet moments, allow yourself to be still and present in them.
It’s like experiencing the touch of God’s hand on your soul.
And whatever happens throughout the rest of the day, that moment, no matter how brief, can lift you up and carry you onward to face the challenges that inevitably come.
Delaney and her brother, Lucky Charms, are waiting to find their forever homes.
If you have already been approved and think your family might be right, reply to this email and let’s find out.
If you haven’t yet been approved, start here:
https://direwolfdogs.com/dogs-for-sale/puppies/
P.S. Monday’s video is up on our YouTube channel. Here’s the link for you:
Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.