Brinkley’s Story
Aka: Brinks, Bubs, Sammich King, Mr. Yummy, Mr. Brilliant, Bubbles
They say: “Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.” But I say, “That one dog you save may end up saving you right back.
Who rescued who? That is the true question. I wanted to help with dogs needing to find their forever homes. I became a volunteer with Mid-Atlantic GSP Rescue of Ohio. We fostered 2 dogs, were able to find them their forever homes. So, they always say the third one is the charm. Well back in July 2012 the third one came to me and I did not change his life, he changed mine.
Brinkley was a GSP that was found in Kentucky, the rescue group pulled him from the kill shelter and placed his precious life in my hands as our third foster dog. This poor creature did not know his name, didn’t know sit, or stay, spun himself in circles until he hurt himself, never slept in a bed or ever felt loved.
He was a lot of work. He was a challenge. He was not adoptable. No one wanted him. I felt like I was stuck with this poor dog. What was I going to do with him?
So, I got my income tax refund check in 2014 and took him to an expert dog trainer almost 700 miles away in Iowa named Susan Barnes and her trusty GSP, Tanner, to try to get this dog under control.
I became a foster failure on February 14th, 2014 and my life changed forever. So did his. He had become Mr. Brilliant. He learned how to be a dog, he learned how to be a companion, and the rest is history.
I found myself in a dark place, I had lost my relationship, my job and my bipolar depression took my life over. I was suicidal, I had taken a bottle of pills and laid down to die on my bedroom floor. Brinks looked at me and laid by my side. He put his paw on my back and I looked into those gorgeous brown eyes and realized I could not leave him. He had entrusted me with his life, and I owed it to him. So, I managed to get help and I got well. But had I not had him by my side I would have fallen asleep and may never had woken up. So, who saved who? He saved me!
So as my life got better, our bond grew and grew. In 2016, I started a new relationship, my wife Danyelle and her son, Grayson had become our whole world. Brinks was right there in the middle of it living his best life with his new best friend Grayson. They were 2 peas in a pod. He was such a goofy, lovable, doofus dog, that made us laugh, made us cry and kept us on our toes.
In 2020, Brinks was diagnosed with Lymphoma. He was never going to get better; he was going to leave us. But we made a pact that he would get whatever he wanted. His biggest pleasure in life besides sleeping on the couch with his kid, was food. So, we had started the sammich bucket list. We even had friends send gift cards to get him sandwiches. That day came when he did not want to eat. We had to make the difficult decision to let him go. It was the hardest thing we ever had to do. The saddest day in my life. My best friend was gone.
Now as I sit at home, I catch myself looking for him, listening for his shuffling feet, going to give him a bite of my food, all to find him gone. I know he is better off, his suffering was over, but now we suffer with the void he left us.
There will never be another Brinks. We miss him so. He was truly our best friend.
Dawn & Danyelle Miller & Grayson Gano
