Look for the special legacy video at the end and see it posted to our socials today too! Thank you for submitting your rescues!

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This is Girl Person.

Today is a special day. It’s not a day that you throw parties on. It’s not a day you celebrate with gifts or parades or cake. Although I’m sure Peanut Butter Brickle would have loved an excuse to enjoy some peanut butter frosting. That does sound good!

Today marks two years since we said goodbye to Peanut Butter Brickle on this earth. I say “this earth” because I truly believe his life was more than fifteen short years of being my dog. In my heart, he lives on for all eternity. And he’s with me every single day.

Many of you loved Peanut Butter Brickle too, and you truly got to know him as your own dog. After all, every single day of his life from the age of one and a half years old was shared with you. Just like Digby Pancake. You knew all his supposed faults, his mischievous ways, and his love of all things peanut butter and matzo crackers. He truly was one of a kind, just like all animals are. But in his case, his whole life was used as the face of what a rescue dog could do. His whole life was used as an example for others that when you rescue a dog, not only are you saving a life, but you can live your best life too.

In 2009, we adopted Brickle from the Humane Society of Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida. He was six months old, was depressed, and had been shipped there from a small shelter in Alabama with his brother and sister to give them another opportunity at being adopted. Staff told us no one had ever even asked to take Brickle out of his cage. His brindle coloring, his solemn demeanor, and his lack of interest in anyone other than cats turned people away.

But when our dogs Skanky and Mr. Scotty passed away, we wanted another dog. It never had occurred to us to go to a shelter. But when a friend of mine adopted her dog from there, I thought maybe I would look too. I saw a fluffy dog online, but when I went to ask about him, he had already been adopted. I decided maybe I would just wait. I wanted a small dog.

But Boy Person had other plans.

He saw Brickle’s picture online. The shelter had named him Ernie, and his picture showed him with his head in his water bowl. Nate thought he looked the saddest, and totally out of character, he went to the shelter and asked to see him. Staff couldn’t believe someone was actually asking about him. And when Nate took him on a walk, Brickle refused to even look at him. He only wanted to see the cats.

And Nate said, “Okay. He’s mine.”

Honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered what Brickle did. Nate would have adopted him anyway.

I was at a bridal shower and had no idea that when I got home there would be a dog waiting for me. And he was waiting for me. He knew I was his person before he ever saw me. And from that day on, and to this day, he’s part of me. I’m part of him. We are each other.

You saw Brickle and Digby move from Florida to California and back. You saw their adventures to every state in the contiguous United States and their shelter visits. But you also saw the real-life stories every day—the misadventures, Brickle’s dislike of children, his protective nature around men, and how he would scare people just for fun.

You saw him chew shoes as a puppy and growl at Digby to move over. You saw it all, and you still loved him.

He showed that a dog—or a person—doesn’t have to be perfect to deserve love or to deserve another chance at life. And he continues to show others that it’s okay to stand for something you believe in.

Make Rescues The Breed Of Choice!

So today, on the two-year anniversary of his passing, I ask you not to remember his sickness or his last days. Instead, I ask you to remember his life and his goal during those last months—to get me to my next chapter. He dropped me off in this Italy place to show the world that even a senior rescue dog can change people’s views about rescue dogs. And I will forever continue his legacy and honor. I know you will too.

I love you, Peanut Butter Brickle.

Don’t you worry. Wherever we go, wherever we roam, you’re with me. You’re my guiding light and my greatest force. We have a lot more to accomplish together. It’s time for our next chapter.

Now, let’s go.

Rachael

P.S. Today, if Brickle’s story ever made you smile, encouraged you to adopt, comforted you during a hard time, or simply reminded you that rescue dogs deserve a chance, would you consider making a donation in his honor? It would be the most meaningful way to celebrate his life. Every gift helps us continue the work that Brickle dedicated his entire life to—helping rescue animals and showing the world what they are capable of. Your kindness provides groceries, necessities, veterinary care for Fruitycake, and allows us to keep sharing the message that Brickle believed in every single day. Thank you for helping us keep his legacy alive.

www.tinyurl.com/2tdnecessities

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Zelle rachael@2travelingdogs.com