Rousy and the River | Chandra

When we started this blog, the plan was for Ron and I to walk dogs and for Chloe to film and edit videos to help them get adopted. It's turned out that Chloe mostly loves hanging out with Shannon Skalisky and helping get great photos of all the dogs each week instead. So Ron and I have been using my iphone to take video on our walks at the river, and then I come home and edit. I like editing and feel like I do a pretty decent job for an amateur. I focus on telling the story of each particular dog the best I can, and put the clips together in a way that hopefully showcases the dogs well and gives people a chance to see them as we do.

But I'm always trying to get Chloe to help me edit because she's so darn good at it. Where I start with the video clips by putting them in story order, she starts with the music and edits to that. Dropping in the music is the very last step for me, and it's the very first for her. I think it's pretty cool how different our approaches are and how different the finished products turn out with the same source material.

Today, I got lucky and Chloe wanted to edit. We ended up with a very cool, quick edit video for Rousy that I think perfectly captures her boundless happiness. All the dogs we take out love the trip...some like sniffing things and chasing after quick moving critters in the bushes, some like watching the bikes and runners go by, some just like to sit on the bench with us and get petted. But Rousy, Rousy is a river dog.

She leapt, she ran, she dived, she swam, she chased feathers and caught them in her mouth, she chased tennis balls, she paddled, she watched a beautiful heron fly from one side of her horizon to the other, mesmerized. Ron and I both waded out far into the river with her on the shallow sand bars and our grins couldn't have been any wider just basking in her joy.

I stood in water up to my thighs, my shorts rolled up, my bare feet in the sand, and thought, honestly, life doesn't get any better. It's been a long week and it was a little tough to get to the shelter this morning...but then, as always, it was so worth it. I got to have an absolutely magical morning with Ron and with Rousy and with the river. Such a gift.

Rousy got to meet two other dogs near the water, and she did just great with them. A little sniffing and then they all ignored each other. She also met the young boy who belonged to the dogs and proceeded to smother his face with big sloppy kisses. When he came up for air, he said "I love dogs." Future PB Soc volunteer there, I believe.

I hope you enjoy Chloe's video of Rousy and that someone sees it and takes this wonderful girl home. And then takes her on many, many trips back to the water that she loves so dearly.

                   (If you cannot see the video below, please view it HERE.)

Update: Rousy has been adopted! But lots of amazing dogs are waiting. Please visit PBSOC for more info.

xx

Chandra