I am a sucker for strays and, over the years, I have taken in quite a few. I don't always keep them, as my oldest sister can attest! I have probably given her three or four dogs, and oh, yeah, two of them were pregnant! But she has always been a good sport about it.
The first dog I gave to her was one I rescued from Gentry High School. I was high school secretary at the time, and this sweet dog showed up one morning at one of the entrances to the school. I looked her over and her feet appeared to be sore. I thought maybe she would go home, but the next morning she was still there. I decided that she must have followed "her people" to a basketball game held in the gym and lost track of them, but who knows where she really came from? I made a lot of phone calls and asked everyone at school if they knew where she might belong but had no luck. So I called my sister who, at the time, didn't have a dog and, as she lives in the country, she had been wanting one. I took the dog to her, and before long she had puppies (the dog, not my sister!) My sister kept these two pups, named "Auggy and Doggy by her granddaughter, for years and, in fact, all three dogs lived out long, comfortable lives.
Then, when I was working in real estate, I had a client who was moving and was going to turn her dog over to the pound. I couldn't stand for that to happen, so I took the dog home with me. And guess what? She was pregnant! But I kept her until the puppies were born, and found them good homes before taking her to my sis! She owes me one for that!
Several years later, my husband drives in one evening with a big, red, long-haired dog sitting in the passenger seat of his truck. She had been hanging around his employer's plant and "they" were threatening to shoot her, so he brought her home. She was very skinny and raggedy looking, but was a very sweet-natured dog. I immediately thought of my sister, who was sans dog, at the moment. I called her and she agreed to take this one, too. I took the dog, which I named "Rosie," to the groomer to rid her of her ticks and fleas before I delivered her to sis. When I went to pick her up, they asked me if I knew she was pregnant? Uh, oh, here we go again! Well, I couldn't keep Rosie, because she refused to stay inside our fence, so I had no choice! I went to my sister's place of work and hid behind a pole! I peeked out when she came by, and she knew by looking at me what was going on! I promised her I would help her give the pups away!
Rosie had five large, fluffy, beautiful puppies a few weeks later. When they were ready, both my sisters and I loaded them up and sat in the parking lot at Walmart. We gave them all away in about three hours. Rosie has been spayed and is still living happily with my sister.
I think I have room for one more rescue story, so here goes. One day driving home from work, I spied an absolutely HUGE, skinny dog trotting beside the highway. I could tell he was a stray, but I didn't stop and went on home. I felt so guilty when I got there, that I threw some dog food and a leash in the car, called a friend of mine and asked if she was up for a rescue! She said yes, so we were off! When we got back to the spot where I had seen the dog, another motorist had pulled over and had the dog caught. I was hopeful that they were going to take him, but they said they couldn't, they were just trying to keep him from getting hit by a car! Now, this guy (the dog) hadn't eaten in a while, but he was so very friendly! He bailed right in my back seat, and all the way home, I'm trying to think of how I'm going to break the news to my husband! I met him at the door, saying "He's not staying! Well, maybe just for a little while!"
I knew we couldn't afford to keep this dog (we had two of our own), and I figured my sister would kill me if I brought another one to her. So I called the local pound and, lo and behold, they said they had been trying to catch that dog for days! And they knew of someone who wanted him! It seems that a lady driving through town had seen him trotting into town, and knew immediately that she wanted him for her dad. She enlisted the local animal control office, but the dog managed to evade them for days. I contacted her and, a few days later, she came and took this beast to his forever home. He had a healthy appetite and had gained quite a bit in the few days I had him.
I really hope that is the last dog I have to rescue! I encourage all of you who have the time to share with an animal, to visit your local pounds, look into all of those big brown eyes and fall in love! Make some memories of your own with a furry friend! There are so many who need forever homes. Oh, and just be glad you don't have a sister like me!
Tamela Weeks is a freelance writer in the Gentry area. She may be reached by email at tamela.weeks@ gmail.com. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 02/18/2015