“We were extremely confused.”
In November 2021, a mystical package got here on the doorstep of Jessica Sattelberger’s home. There was no note explaining who it was from, nor any return address. Inside the Amazon box were 2 chew toys and a bag of chicken and waffle-flavored dog treats.
Sattelberger and her partner, Adam, had actually embraced a dog called Myrtle previously that year, so the package was certainly for her. But … who had sent it?
“We were extremely confused,” Sattelberger informed The Dodo about getting what was simply the very first of numerous plans sent for Myrtle. “If anyone would be sending Myrtle a gift, I would have guessed my sister because she will often send our dogs things.”
But the secret sender was in fact somebody neither Sattelberger nor Adam would have ever thought.
The confidential gifter wound up being the dad of among Adam’s youth pals. “We figured it out after one of his sons had told Adam that their dad had asked for our address,” Sattelberger said.
But the amusing thing is that Adam doesn’t have a relationship with the man they’ve called “Uncle Bill.”
In reality, Uncle Bill had actually just satisfied Adam when (back when Adam remained in high school), and it took some backtracking to find out how Uncle Bill understood about Myrtle in the very first location.
“We officially adopted [Myrtle] in June of 2021, and then we started an Instagram page,” Sattelberger said. “He must have followed it because Adam shared it on his own page and Bill follows Adam as well.”
Soon after the plans began getting here, Uncle Bill then started liking and talking about all of Myrtle’s Instagram posts, verifying that he is, in reality, the secret sender.
Sattelberger said that the circumstance gets back at funnier when they consider that Uncle Bill has his own kids who have their own family pets, and he hardly ever sends his granddogs toys and treats in the mail.
“He’s taken a liking to our dog,” Sattelberger said in a TikTok video explaining the tradition of Uncle Bill. “Eventually he started writing, ‘Love, Uncle Bill’ on [the packages]. The whole thing’s incredible.”
Uncle Bill has actually never ever shared why he sends out Myrtle presents, however Sattelberger and Adam have their theories.
“Part of me wonders if it’s just her story that really touched his heart,” Sattelberger said. “We were making lots of videos about her and just showing how scared she was and how she was making strides, so maybe the gifts were a ‘you’re doing great’ bit of encouragement.”
Myrtle was rescued as part of a cruelty/neglect case in Georgia. And since she remained in such rough shape and had huge trust problems, Myrtle was among the longest homeowners at the Humane Society in Chittenden County.
“She was in HORRIBLE shape upon intake,” Sattelberger said. “We don’t know for sure, but based on her scars all over her face and body, we think she was [used as] a fight dog.”
“Adam kept showing me Myrtle’s photo on the Humane [Society’s] Instagram and being like, ‘She’s still there and no one is going to visit her.’ And so, of course, we decided to go visit her,” Sattelberger included.
Sattelberger and Adam dedicated 2 weeks to going to Myrtle at the Humane Society, offering her treats and making her trust.
“Eventually, she warmed to us a little and they offered to let us foster her for a few weeks to see if it was a fit,” Sattelberger said, confessing that the foster duration was difficult for all of them.
“She was terrified at first,” Sattelberger said. “She would hide in her crate and laundry baskets in the closet. She wouldn’t go on walks either. She would just freeze the second we got her outside.”
But Sattelberger and Adam understood they required to press through.
“We thought, ‘Who else is going to give this dog the time and space she needs to come out of her shell?’” Sattelberger said. “It took her a long time to feel comfortable in our home. Every step forward felt like a milestone.”
With the help of a positive support fitness instructor and a veterinary behaviorist, Myrtle began to bloom into the spunky dog she is today.
“She is a completely different dog now,” Sattelberger said. “She is so comfortable in our house, and more comfortable with people IN our house … She now LOVES to go for walks. She has gotten very vocal, [and she also] LOVES to do training exercises. She is so smart, and since all our training involves food, she can’t wait to participate.”
Sattlelberger and Adam have actually briefly gotten in touch with Uncle Bill through Instagram, sending him thank-you messages after Myrtle opens her presents. But he’s still mainly a good-natured complete stranger who simply likes ruining a dog throughout her 2nd opportunity at life.
“We don’t even think of it as spoiling,” Sattelberger said. “Our entire ethos around dogs is to make their lives as fulfilling as possible … They are sentient beings with their own thoughts and feelings, and they should be treated as such.”
On top of Uncle Bill’s presents, Myrtle’s moms and dads offer her with a range of fresh food and kibble, “spare no expense in getting her treats,” Sattelberger said, and she even has 5 beds (one for each room in your house plus the vehicles).
Though Uncle Bill has actually been a surprise addition to their lives, Sattelberger and Adam enjoy that he’s entered into the family in a manner.
“At the end of the day, we love that a semi-stranger has found a special place in his heart for a pit bull who was abused and neglected,” Sattelberger said.
And thanks to Uncle Bill, Myrtle’s life has actually simply gotten that much sweeter.
