And then there were four...

Until recent, my life has been very calm, quiet, and organized. I live with my husband of 9 months and our approximately 6-year-old male, neutered, Kelpie X, Buster (better known as our 4-legged son), in the beautiful little town of Creston, BC.
We haven't always lived in Creston. Actually, the move to Creston essentially was the first blow to the once 'solid' foundation I call my life. After that, things just started to crumble.
Let's back track a bit....
I am a Registered Animal Health Technician (RAHT). I graudated from Thompson Rivers University in 2008 and have been as an RAHT ever since. I love my career. I met my husband, Chris, in University, where he was finishing his Bachelor of Business Administration. He moved up to Fort St John, BC (and no, I will not judge you if you need to look it up on a map, because trust me, I did too) during my second and final year of University, and I moved up to live with him shortly after graduation. Buster is our rescue dog that we adopted from the University. We love him to death and it shows; from his Canucks collar with matching jersey, to his multiple plush Costco dog beds that are strewn about the house (because God forbid the poor dog has to lie on the carpet or something obscene like that...)
Chris works for a private highway maintenance company, and in July of 2010 they offered him a promotion, and a transfer to Creston. Embarassingly enough, I had to pull out the map to locate Creston too.
After much deliberation, Chris and I decided the move would be a good thing for us, and he accepted the position. We moved into our new house in Creston October 11th, 2010. I got a job at the lone vet clinic in town the following month and life was neat and tidy again.
In April of 2011 we got married - naturally, the best day of both of our lives.
In August of 2011 I quit my job. After 10 extremely difficult, I had endured just about enough. I was, for the first time since age 14, unemployed. And I was a mess. I had no idea who I was anymore, or what I wanted from my life. I questioned my career, and whether I was really cut out for it. I questioned myself, and was ashamed of the 'quitter' I'd become. Without my husband Chris, I don't think I could have come back from that dark period of my life. But I did.
In September of 2011 I travelled to Fort St John to do some locum work at my old veterinary clinic. I travelled up twice, for a couple weeks at a time. Very shortly after that, I travelled to Langley, BC to do locum at a veterinary clinic there. That locum lasted 2 months. And that was when I met Hunter....

Hunter was born March 20th, 2011. He is a male German Shepered, who was bred and born to become a Vancouver Police Dog. Lord knows, he was built for it. A big, beautiful, sable coloured pup, with a large head we were certain was full of intelligence. You could tell just by looking at him that Hunter would be a successful police dog. He reeked of confidence, and had a drive that was unmatchable.
Hunter went to live with my Dad, who is a Vancouver Police Department (VPD) dog handler, at 8 weeks old. Him and his brother 'Scout' were the VPD's two newest recruit puppies.
In September of 2011, when Hunter was 6 months old, he started limping. A subtle enough limp, but it was consistent. He went into the vets for a workup and some radiographs. We figured it was a soft tissue injury, or he was just growing too fast. We were wrong.
The radiographs of Hunter's right elbow showed that the growth plate at his anconeal process had not closed. This is what is called an "ununited anconeal process" and it is a form of elbow dysplasia. This is bad news for any dog, and more so for a dog destined to work for a living. Hunter needed immediate surgical intervention to fix his elbow, and even then, the chances were slim.
I don't mean to brag, but my family and friends are probably some of the best. When the word got out about Hunter's situation (and the price tag that went along with it) everyone wanted to know how they could help. My little sister's boyfriend Andrew (who is probably Hunter's #1 fan) set out to fundraise for Hunter's surgery, and in a little less than two days we'd successfully raised almost $4,000 for Hunter's operation.
Hunter went to Canada West Veterinary Specialiaty Hospital for a surgical consultation and recieved surgery very shortly after. A screw was introduced to attach the lose anconeal process appropriately, and his ulna bone  was shortened and pinned. The surgery was given a 50/50 success rate, and Hunter's chances of being a police dog were abolished.
My Dad and Mom decided to adopt Hunter. The VPD no longer had any use for him, as he was now tarnished goods, and who knows what the breeder would have down with him had he been returned. This was all fine and dandy, as Hunter and Dad loved eachother. There was the issue of Ace, my Dad's newly retired German Sheperd, who is 10-years-old and quite ornery. And Mom had her little Pomeranian Chloe, but she doesn't really count. But then came along "Wrex"....Hunter's replacement. As you can imagine, two German Sheperds in one house is a handful. But three, with two under a year of age? Now that is monkey business. And absolute chaos to boot. So, Hunter had to go.


 This is where our two stories combine. Where Hunter's story of failure, meets my life of disarray.
When I met Hunter, I had very little hope to hold on to. Trust me, I know I am blessed. With an amazing husband and a supportive family, I am truly a lucky person. Yet I was in this rut in my life, struggling to identify myself. Scrambling to hold on to my career, but still try and be with my family. Trying to build an unstable bridge between two very distant worlds.
And then there's Hunter. Before he was even born, we expected great things of him, and great things he promised. But just like that, in a heartbeat, his future was shattered and now appears empty. Unwanted by the police, and unable to work, Hunter's future was not looking good.
I guess I took pity on him. Perhaps, I could identify with his situation. Sure, my legs work fine, but the future that I once that I knew had been distorted before my eyes, and now, who knows what is in store for me?
So here we are, Hunter and I. Two lost souls, hunting for success....