We just found out my son’s rescue dog is a purebred!
100% American Staffordshire Terrier.
Yes, Gomer is a rescue. He was a stray, possibly left to the streets because of health issues and saved from euthanization.
And he is most definitely the absolute sweetest dog I’ve ever known.
I have lots of superlatives here, but they are accurate.
Have you ever had that happen? You have something or you know someone and it’s all great and then you find out it’s better than you were thinking? Ever find out the back story on a person and marvel at all that is not immediately apparent?
Makayla Weixel of Mansfield is one of our hidden treasures.
Makayla has had a wild short 20 years. She was born to an 18 year old. Her dad was in prison, her mom cycled through abusive relationships and the abuse sifted down to Makayla as well.
She lived with her grandma for a few years, and that brought peace and support at home, but bullying in a private school.
When her grandmother died, she moved in with different aunts and attended Mansfield Senior High. Makayla moved back in with her mom and three younger step-siblings. It wasn’t easy. Between water, heat and electricity, one was always turned off. She got in trouble at school and her mom beat her up for it. Her mom would leave for hours at a time. She cared, but she cared about drugs more.
Makayla started raising her younger siblings at age 15. Children’s services was involved in her family, but her mom wasn’t truthful, so their case fell through the cracks.
Makayla failed both 9th and 10th grade and dropped out of 11th. She made up all the work she had failed or missed and came back her senior year and graduated in 2017. She did all of this with little to no support. Church Requel and Community Life Ministries were there for her in many ways. She got to walk with her class.
She didn’t get to go to counseling. Her mom sold her meds and sent her to the psych ward. She was accepted to Hocking College but couldn’t go because she was caring for her siblings.
Makayla met her future husband, and when they got married, the magistrate said it was time for Makayla to be her own person instead of a mom, so her siblings were sent to foster care. She has heard her mom is clean, but she doesn’t know where she is.
Elizabeth Bocka is an Ohio native and has lived in Richland County for 20 years. She is president of Community Life Ministries and loves food, people, helping and laughing.
According to Makayla, things have turned out for the better. She has survived! She worked at Dollar Tree and was cashier of the week a few times.
Makayla says she’s watched people be bitter and hateful and doesn’t want to be that way herself. She has love to give instead of hate—her grandma, Sandra Brown, taught her that.
She tells herself that everything is going to be OK, and that trains her mind to believe it. When she doesn’t believe it, doubt floods her mind. Then anger tells her to feel sorry for herself and hate fills her heart. And she never wants to stay in that place.
Recently Makayla ran into some trouble. Remember, she had very little guidance to this point in her life. She currently has a misdemeanor and an ankle bracelet.
I was with her as she was looking into applying for a new job. Some places don’t allow an ankle bracelet. Others were open to it, and asked why she had it. It was more of a mishap than anything else and when she explained, the response was laughter.
An exciting update to this story is that she was hired on the spot yesterday! She walked to work for her first day, uphill and in the rain, to start at 7 a.m.
Here’s my point: Makayla makes Mansfield proud. She kept her chin up through the toughest of times. She helped her family. She works hard. She battles her demons. She stayed out of trouble. Well, until now. But she learns from every mistake.
She’s emotionally intelligent. Her new employers are wise to take a chance on her. She has some incredibly valuable strengths that they have yet to benefit from.
Back to the rescue dogs. Besides our gift of a purebred, we found out that Caesar, another one of my son’s rescues is half Great Pyrenees. This breed protects and loves and is elegant and majestic. We knew this. But with the information on who he is, our appreciation and admiration has only increased.
What treasures we have, right here! I’m convinced that there are many more stories like Makayla’s, Gomer’s and Caesar’s and that they are worth the search.
