Mrs. Balfour (lovingly known as “Balf”) has been teaching for 35 years, she has spent 27 of those years here at Hollis Brookline High School. She is a teacher during the day but a dog lover when she leaves this building. Balf has rescued five senior dogs. Her love for rescuing was passed down from her parents, which set her on the path to rescue her first animal before she even graduated! 

Balf was surrounded by animals throughout her childhood. “My dad was a farmer, we had cows, we had rabbits, we had chickens, and of course we had dogs”. Growing up alongside many different animals fostered a deep affection for them. 

You may be wondering why she chose to be a teacher and not a veterinarian? She admitted she still couldn’t work in animal rescue or volunteer at a shelter today because she’d end up taking in every single one of them. Although her son works at the humane society in Nashua, he is careful to not send her too many photos.

 Ironically, what started Balf on her career path was her fifth grade teacher. The teacher told her she would make a great teacher one day because of her neat handwriting. “Though I know now that has nothing to do with it”. Balf explained that it was the idea that a role model that she looked up to believed in her. 

Despite not becoming a veterinarian, her love of animals continued to thrive throughout high school. Balf rescued her first animal on the way home from her job as a bookkeeper, her senior year of high school. She found him in the bottom of a garbage can, and of course Balf wasn’t having it. She took him from the trash can and brought him home and cared for him. When she realized she couldn’t house the kitty herself she persuaded her boyfriend, now husband’s, parents to take the cat in themselves. Years later she adopted her first dog, Bella, a Yorkie Terrier that lived 19 years. 

Balf’s love for rescues continued even through the hardships of the rescue. She rescued one family of dogs that came from an owner who was forced to give them up because of the abusive situation she was in. As a result of this, the dogs suffered the burden, specifically, Charlie Brown, the chihuahua. 

Balf said “ I was actually scared of him when we first got him.” He was very reactive, so much so that she was scared that he would bite her. When Charlie Brown paid his first visit to the vet, the doctor turned to Balf and said, “ This is a good dog that has just been with some really bad people,” and that was enough for Balf to believe it herself. 

She reminded herself of that when she dealt with his traumas, which was the hardest part. “Knowing the past of these dogs I love so much can be so hard.” That same visit they had found his collar had been embedded into his neck, which was causing him extreme pain. Learning to deal with his experiences and learn what he does and doesn’t like led him to do a complete 360. They learned that he was “all bark no bite.” Although she could still tell he had been traumatized, she and her family have given him his best life these past four years. 

When rescuing that same family of dogs, she learned some of the old habits that they had picked up. “Their owner would just put down one big bowl of food for all of them, so it would be like, ‘you better get in there and get your food and you didn’t get it’”. It took a while for the pack to all trust each other again and realize they weren’t fighting for their food anymore. Even after four years, they still react to this. Charlie Brown, still to this day, it’s been four years… if I give him a snack he’ll come and hide it in his bed”. 

After a while they had learned to adjust and soon enough they became “The Three Amigos”; they are a true pack.

Most people can be reluctant to rescue because they are looking for that immediate connection with a dog, which with rescues isn’t guaranteed. As Balf has shared, it can take time, but sometimes it can be just an instant connection.

 “With Bella, I went in and sat down at the shelter; she crawled up in my lap and just looked at me, and that was it, and we were Head Over Heels for each other.” Along with Daisy, her “velcro dog.” Daisy is an absolute attention seeker, “I’ve had her in a backpack and cooked dinner with her on my back because she is just so wanting to be with me.” Dogs love unconditionally, and for Balf, that is the most rewarding part. She explained that when she gets home after a long day, the first thing she does is sit down and just give them the attention they have been waiting for all day. 

Her best advice to someone who is looking to rescue is to know your resources. Talk to people who have rescues, or the humane society. Lean on the experts when you need a source for advice. Having a rescue dog requires patience. Knowing you might not get that immediate jjclick with your puppy doesn’t mean it won’t develop. Learning to adjust to them is the best advice she could give. 

Through patience and unconditional care, Balf has proven that not every shelter dog is just lost and broken. Rescuing five lives that were once defined by abuse and given them a new start and a happy new chapter. She reminds us that every dog deserves a second chance, that not all shelter dogs are just a lost cause.