A Dog Was Rescued Today

Today’s Dog Rescue

There is a local network of dog rescuers within a twenty-mile radius of where I live, and when any of us find out about a dog in need, we keep the wires hot planning how to help it.

Our leader is Pam, who has a small ranch where she keeps rescued dogs, cats, and a few horses. Some she finds homes for, but the problem pets, she keeps. She also has connections with some pet rescue organizations in town.

Three weeks ago a woman moved away taking only her younger dog, and leaving her old dog, Shadow, to fend for himself. She told her next-door neighbor she couldn’t afford his vet bills. Kathryn, the neighbor, had promised her landlord she would never keep a dog, but she thought she would risk a few days, and took Shadow in. She fed him, groomed his thick black fur, and treated his infected ear. After three weeks, she found out about 'Pam the Dog Lady', and called for help. Pam knew of a woman who prefers old dogs, and when contacted, said she would take Shadow. I was elected to move him.

Shadow is a graying, very old black dog with long fur, and as friendly as he can be. With a little help from me he clambered right up in the front seat of my pickup when I invited him to. Kathryn loaded a big bag of food, another bag of his dishes and medicine, and a third with his bedding into the back of the truck. Shadow lay down on the front seat, and put his head in my lap, as if he had always known me. Kathryn said he had been going back to his old house to lie in the driveway waiting for his owner to come back for him. It was heartbreaking!

It was an 18-mile trip to his new home with Karen and her four other old dogs. When we pulled up by the gate to the well-fenced yard, Karen’s dogs started barking. When Shadow heard them, he rose to his feet, looked at them on the screened porch, and acted so eager that he walked over my legs ready to jump out the window. He wasn’t at all nervous and readily went into the house with Karen to wait until all his baggage was unloaded. I told Karen about his infected ear that hurts him so much he gave two yips from pain on the drive over to his new home. She said she knows a vet who will treat him and also get help for Karen to pay for the treatment.

As I turned around and drove away, Karen let him out, and I could see him sniffing all the bushes and adding his sign to let all the other dogs know that he was home.