Adoption Day

"Yesterday was an adoption day.  I came home mentally and physically beat.  I was way too exhausted to write, but I have discovered that this is a great way for me to vent at the end of the day. So there is a dilemma… I can stay up and write into the wee hours and get all the emotions out, or I can fall into bed, toss and turn, and stay up all night replaying all the events of the day.

My day started with Emma, one of our rescue dogs, jumping the fence and taking off.  Harry left to set up for the adoption, and I kept calling her to get her home before I had to leave.  I could hear her barking relentlessly through the woods, and I was concerned that she had fallen into the ravine and couldn't get out. I called my neighbor and asked her to check outside to see if she could spot her.  She was there all right.  She had their cat trapped under their deck!  They chased her off, and she came home, but she made up her mind she wasn't coming inside.  Exasperated, I left for the adoption.

We had a little puppy at the adoption that we called Foxy. I knew I had to get her placed because the foster mom had company and couldn't take her back.   We also had Merlin, a wonderful big guy that has been shoved around way too much.  It's been a  mystery to me why he is still waiting for a home.  He's a beautiful boy, and so well trained.  We had Petey come back as well, to my dismay.  He is a darling Pit Bull, and he just hasn't found the right family.  We were so sure that the foster family would adopt him, but I guess their young Boxer got on his nerves, and Petey put him in his place.  That ended that!  We also took out a very sweet and depressed boy named Mac from animal control.  He's a four year old Boxer/Lab mix.  My heart went out to him.  He was turned in by his owner, and I could see the grief in his eyes.

It's so nerve racking to do these adoptions.  These animals need a home, and animal control fills up too quickly.  The pressure is on us every week to save them.  Passers by have no idea what we are really feeling out there.  They have no idea the pressure we are under to find these animals good loving homes.

All the comments are well intended, but they drive us crazy!

"I'd take everyone home if I could."  We hear that over and over.  My response to that... "We're not asking you to take every one home, but saving one life would be wonderful."

"Good luck!  I hope you get rid of all of them."  We're not trying to "get rid of them."  Their owners did that.  We're trying to save their lives!

They look at tiny puppies and ask, "Are they housebroken?"  That's like asking if  a newborn baby is potty trained!  "What are you thinking?"  I want to respond, but I bite my lip!

"Do they shed?  I don't want dog hair in my house."   My response... Get a poodle or a stuffed animal.

"Do they have to come inside?  We don't want a dog inside."  I want to say, "No, of course not!  Just leave them outside alone to freeze. They don't need to see people anyway.  Just throw the dog some food and forget it."  But I don't say that.  I simply reply, "Yes, they have to be allowed to come inside."

One thing that really gets to me is this one; "Oh, I could never foster.  I just couldn't take one home and have to bring it back."  My answer to that is simple.  "It's not about you;  it's about them.  It's about being unselfish and putting yourself out there to save a life.  Without foster homes they die."

You can see how frustrating this can be as we stand out there twice a week for at least 6 hours a day trying to save these animals.  No one knows the anxiety and stress we experience unless they've done this themselves.  A very nice lady came by yesterday and told us how much she appreciated us.  "I did this for a few years back home, but I burned out," she said.  I knew just what she was talking about.  I reason with myself on a daily basis why I need to quit doing this after seven long stressful years, but then I think of the animals in those cages over there waiting for someone to come and save them.  I just can't walk away from them.

About noon we  had a couple come by, and they fell in love with Petey.  They had a dog that passed away recently, and they had another older dog at home.  We felt that Petey would be fine with their older dog.  They signed the foster to adopt papers and walked away proudly  parading Petey through the foyer of the mall as people commented on what a fine dog he is.   His tail was wagging wildly, and he seemed to know that he was going home. Hopefully this time it will happen for him.

Then a young girl came by and decided that she wanted little Foxy.  She had been looking for a puppy, but we suggested that she take the puppy home to foster for a week just to make sure that she is up for such a commitment.  I hope she is!

Another couple met Mac, and it seemed to be a perfect match.  I was almost in tears watching them. He had his big head in the lady's lap, and she just sat there stroking his head for at least an hour. She walked with a cane, so they wanted to make sure they got a gentle dog that wouldn't pull her down.  He seemed great with other dogs out there at the adoption, and his previous owner said that he had been with other dogs, so we felt good about him being with their Beagle.

  He would put his foot on her husband's foot just for the comfort of touching someone.  The lady was deeply touched by all the affection that he was giving to them,  and they made up their mind to take him home with a foster to adopt.  They walked away proudly with Mac, and they headed to Walmart for toys, and doggie things.  We all waved good-bye as they headed off.  Mac was in the back seat with his big head resting on the man's shoulder. "I am so happy for Mac," I said to my friend, Kelly.  We all had tears in our eyes just watching them drive way.  I even got a picture text of him in the truck that said, "We love Mac."

A guy came by and spent some time looking at Merlin.  He introduced him to his dog, and he said he thought he might foster him.  He's a nice person, and a real dog lover.  His other dog died recently, and I could tell that he was struggling with the idea of bringing Merlin home.  Another young man was also interested in Merlin and promised to call back, but we hadn't heard from him.

"I really need to get him in a safe foster home," I told the man.  "Please consider taking him for a week , so he doesn't have to go back to animal control."   He decided he would take him home to foster him, and Merlin seemed very happy to jump in the car with his other dog and head down the road.

We were all rejoicing that all of the dogs were safe.  There were still kitties that had to go back to their foster homes, but no one had to go back to animal control.  It had been a good day. We had some work to do on our website, so three of us headed to Panera to do a few things on the computer.  It was about 5 PM and we were beat. We just got settled, and the phone rang.  It was Helen, the lady that took Mac.

"Penny, I'm so upset. I just hate to call you, but we're going to have to bring Mac back." she sounded like she was in tears, and my heart just froze.

"Why?" I asked feeling totally shocked

"He growled at our beagle, and the hair stood up on his back.  He jumped up on the bed where our beagle was, and I don't think he will get along with our dog."

"But you just got home! " I reasoned.  "This takes time.  He is not dog aggressive.  He is probably wanting you to himself, and he has to learn that there is another canine friend there for him.  Can't you give this a little time?"

"No, I just don't think it will work," she said

"I have no where to put him at this hour, " I said, feeling panic set in. "The gates are locked at 6 PM at animal control.  I don't see how you will make it back here, so we can get him there in time. I just hate this for him," I said as my friends looked on in disbelief.

"We'll hurry," she said.

We all sat there numb.  We just couldn't believe it.  "Poor Mac," Kelly said.  Pat looked ill as she shook her head.  "Poor Mac," was  all we could say as the mood changed abruptly.

Within minutes the phone rang again.  I was hoping it was Helen telling me that they had changed their minds.  It was Mark, the man that took Merlin.

"I may have acted too quickly taking Merlin.  We just got home, and he's pacing around the house," he said.  I had been standing, but I sunk into the chair.  Everyone's eyes were on me waiting to hear who was on the phone.

"You must have just walked in the door!" I said  feeling sick to my stomach.  "He's great in the house," I continued on.  "He's been in a foster home, and everyone loves him!  The other young man that wanted him just stopped by,  and I told him that you were fostering Merlin and he left!.  Maybe I can call him and see if he will take him," I said as everyone at the table looked absolutely stunned.

"Well, he's playing with my dog now," he said.  "I can come and get a crate from you  otherwise, but if you can get a hold of the other guy it might be good."

I called the young man, but I got his voicemail.   'I give up!" I said.

Just then Helen and her husband showed up with Mac.  She was very upset.  It was 5:50, and we would have to race to animal control to get Mac back in time. I asked Kelly to make some calls to get Merlin safe, and Harry and I took off to animal control.

"Hurry up," the guy at the gate told us.  "I need to get out of here."

We raced up to the building, and Harry got poor confused Mac out of the back of the SUV.  I was in tears at the sight of that dear soul going back into that cage after seeing the transformation in him with that couple.

 "Don't worry, Mac,"I  called out  the window as Harry whisked him away.  "We'll get you a wonderful home. I promise!"  "We'll be back in a few days!"

Harry came back and hurried through the gate so we wouldn't inconvenience the poor guy who was  ready to go home.  "

"I feel so sad for him,"I said wiping tears.  "If I didn't have to leave town I would never have brought him back here."

"He's a great dog," Harry reassured me.  "You will find him a good home.   He's safe for now. He'll be fine."

We got back to the mall, and the group was there waiting for us.   Kelly had things under control with Merlin.  The new foster dad had come and had taken him home.  "Everything is OK, " Kelly said.  "Let's go see Nikie."

Should we go now or after dinner?" I asked Harry.

"Let's go see the guy now," He said.

Nikie was happy to hear our voices. He got up and leaned into me, and greeted everyone. He's so thin, but he is eating now. In time he will recover from all of this horror he has lived through. The emotional scars of what ever happened at the house is another story.

We went to see Hope, the parvo puppy.  She looked pretty sick, but they were still optimistic that she would make it.  The poor little thing broke my heart alone in that cage curled up on her little blanket.

" I don't know who will take care of her when she leaves here,"I said.  "Somehow we'll figure it out.  she needs love and care."

Our eyes all went to a poor old dog that had been brutally attacked by another dog.  I found out the night before when I saw her at the vet office that she was 15 years old.  She had been stapled up all around her back down to her stomach. there were staples all over her body.  I just couldn't believe she survived at that age.  I had been told that her owner had cancer and was going through chemo. It was a terribly sad story.

As I walked down the hall, Harry called me to come to meet a man standing with him. The man looked very worn out.

"This is the gentleman that owns the poor old dog that was attacked.  He just got out of the hospital today.  He's been getting Chemo treatments.  That's his wife over at the desk.  They are very upset.  He will be spending a lot of time in the hospital off the mountain. He's having surgery in a week in Winston Salem. They are looking for help for Lucky. They were asking the staff about a rescue for her just now. I told them that you run a rescue."

The poor man had tears in his eyes. "I don't know what we'll do with her after all this.  She needs care, and we won't be here."

"Don't worry about her,"I said.  "She will be taken care of.  This is God's timing. He knew you needed help, and we just happened to show up while you were here."

"Thank you! Thank you! "He said as he hugged me. I hugged him back with a prayer on my lips for him. As he and Harry continued to talk, I walked up to the desk.

"This is Penny Muller,"  the girl at the desk told the woman. She has Friends For Life Animal Rescue. She is the lady I was telling you about."

The poor woman looked exhausted. The poor pathetic dog just laid on the floor and never moved, and I couldn't help to wonder why they did all of this to a 15 year old dog.  How would she ever recover from such injuries?

"We were gone when it happened. I  hadn't seen her until now," she said.  My neighbor brought her in. It's really bad. We have to go back to the hospital. I don't know what to do with Lucky.  I have no more money to keep her here."

She was writing two post dated checks to cover the $500.00 balance of a $2,000.00 bill on her 15 year old dog.  It made me sick to see the stress on her face. I was upset that the remainder of the bill was even being discussed with this poor woman at this time. How much more could this couple take?

I knew that I was there for a reason...  actually for two reasons.  One, to help care for Lucky, and two, to be a blessing to them with that bill.  Sometimes we just have to pay it forward.  God puts us to the test to see if we really are what we proclaim to be.  They don't need all this financial stress over vet bills on top of the cancer treatment!  There is still part of a bill that needs to be taken care of, but I pray that we can get that taken care of somehow.

This couple hugged us again and thanked us over and over. We knew that this was a "God thing." I told them I would be back in town to pick up Lucky before they had to go back to the hospital.  How are Harry and I going to add a poor old dog full of staples to all the rest of the chaos?   I don't know, but God never gives you more than you can handle.  Maybe someone will step forward to help with her.  If not, we will see to it that Lucky is safe and loved.

I'm drained just writing this, and you have probably heard all you want to hear about my Saturday!  Pray for Lucky, Hope, and Nikie.  Pray for this lovely couple going through the trials of cancer.  Be a light in someone's darkness!

Thanks for coming today!

Bagels, Parvo, and Notebooks

I guess I woke up sleep deprived, and still mad about my bagels, so I really didn't want any phone calls at 7:30 AM. Sleep deprived, because I am up half the night writing my posts on this blog.  As you have already seen, my life is insane, so there is no time to write during the day.  And my bagels... well that's a real sore spot for me, even tonight.

After a grueling day yesterday, Harry and I decided to stop at Panera for some soup and a sandwich.  On my way out, I decided to pick up a cinnamon crunch bagel and, one of my favorites, a chocolate chip bagel.   When I got home I threw my bags on the kitchen table before I  had to run downstairs as fast as I could to let Ellie and Cookie out of the TV room before Cookie could tear the door down.  You see, Cookie has separation anxiety, so we have to put her in the TV room with Ellie when we leave, so she doesn't destroy the house when we're gone.  This is a dog that went through a glass window when she was in a foster home, so it could be a problem if we just left her to do her thing.

When I came upstairs to feed the barking mob I noticed something on the floor by the large dog bed.  "Now, what have you gotten into?" I asked, reaching to pick up what looked like part of a paper bag.  The letters era were on what was once a paper bag.  "OK, Maddie, what happened to the Pan? I see the era, but you ate the Pan part of the bag, and you scarfed down the contents of the bag! You ate my cinnamon crunch bagel AND my chocolate chip bagel!  You vulture!  How does any living thing scarf down two hard bagels in a matter of minutes?  You're crazy!  How do I put up with you?"  I ranted.

Out of all the dogs, how did I know it was Maddie, you ask?  Oh, that's simple.  This is the dog that ate my daughter Jenny's prize winning apple pie a couple Christmas's ago!  This is the dog that grabbed the $20 filet mignon steak off the counter just before it was to go on the grill and finished it off in seconds!  This is the dog that has eaten my entire dinner  right off my plate in 10 seconds while I got up to get the salt!   Oh, it was Maddie all right!  The rest of the crew jumped on the big bed and shuddered while I went off on my tirade.

When I got up this morning my mouth was watering at the thought of those bagels that I would not be eating over a period of the next two mornings. So, I decided that I would just select a Butter Toffee Kureig cup to pop in my coffee maker and pass on breakfast. Then the phone rang.

"Who calls here at 7:30 in the morning?" I muttered.  "No one in their right mind, that's for sure... no one except Anita, that is."  That annoying computer chick in my phone was telling me something I didn't already know: "Call from animal control.  Call from animal control."
"Yeah, tell me something I don't  already know," I said smirking, as I picked up the phone before it told me one more time that Anita was calling me at 7:30 AM before I had one sip of my toffee coffee!

"Hello Anita," I said, rolling my eyes, dreading what her news was already this morning.

"We've got to get these puppies out of here as soon as possible.  They're going to get sick here.  Do you know of any foster homes?  They've been here too long, and we're supposed to transport them to NY, and if they get sick it's over.  Can you make some calls?  Not only that, but Anastasia has mange or something.  Crap!  She's losing her hair and looks terrible!  I don't know, but it looks like sarcoptic mange to me.  That's contagious you know!   I guess I can scrape her and have Nancy take it over to Dr. Roten and see what the blankety blank is wrong with her!  Can you believe those people? As if the dog hasn't gone through enough... "

  My head was spinning. I don't think she took a breath!  I considered pouring the coffee down the drain, and just losing the 50 cents it costs me to drink that cup of Kuerig every morning.  It was tempting to just go for the Moscato wine.  I put my head in my hands and said emphatically, "I have tried, but they all ignore me.  They hate to see my number come up on their caller ID. They, whoever "they" are, do not want to help us, so I don't know what do Anita.  As for Anastasia... I don't even know how to comment. I could seriously hurt those people!  Yes, I would have Nancy take the scraping to Cara, and we'll go from there. (Anastasia is another story... another post coming up soon.)  Who are we going to get to foster her if she has scabies?  No one with another dog, that's for sure!" I said  totally exasperated.

I promised Anita that I would continue to be a nuisance to anyone who would listen to my pleas for help for the dogs, and I would try to get the puppies out of animal control, but I wasn't optimistic. I was sick over Anastasia. I was livid, in fact. I slammed the phone down and went off again with no one but the dogs to listen me.


A few minutes later the phone rang again,  "Call from animal control.  Call from..."   "I know!" I said as I picked up the receiver.   "Well, it's scabies all right.  We'll put her on Revolution and hope someone will get the poor thing out of here.  "Oh, man," I murmured.  "What next?"

"One of those little puppies threw up.  It's poop doesn't look good. Maybe I should get it to the vet," she went on.

"Yup, I think so.   Good idea. Let me know what you find out.  The last thing we need is parvo!" I said shaking my head and sipping my  now cold coffee.  "You know, Anita, one day a funny looking vehicle will pull up to my house, and a couple of men wearing white coats will come through my door and take me away somewhere where there are no phones or sick dogs and all of this crazy stuff.  After they get me... they'll be coming for you!  See ya!"

" Call Ya back," she said.   Click.

"Yes, I know you will, Anita" I said under my breath as I hung up the phone. It wasn't much more than a half hour, and the phone starting it's annoying warning that Anita from animal control was calling again!

"What now?" I said as I picked up the receiver.

It's parvo!  Sh..!  Can you believe it?  Now what?  We have four more in this litter.  I don't know what to do now."

"Well, I guess all we can do is wait and see how the puppy does.  You know, and I know, that the rest may not get sick, or they could all come down with it.  Just hold off until we know."

"I guess so, " she said.

It was still morning, and I felt like I had been through a war.  I needed a phone number for a possible foster, and I looked in my huge purse to find my little note book, but it wasn't there.  Things disappear in that purse all the time.  Its like a sink hole or something.  I tore through the kitchen drawer, and I looked in the car, but no note book. " Have you seen my blue note book?" I asked Harry as he walked through the kitchen carrying two bird feeders full of seed.  "No,  I don't think so," he said heading for the back door.
" All my information is in that note book... all my phone numbers and information!" I exclaimed.
"I'll bet someone shoved it in a bag or something after the adoption on Saturday! If that's gone I'm doomed," I said, heading fore the stairs.

As if things weren't bad enough, now my note book was gone!  I needed to go in to town, and just as I was getting things together when the phone rang again.  This time it was a foster mom that had a litter of puppies.

" I have this darling litter of puppies," she said.  "They're so cute," but I think they have parvo or something.  They have bad diarrhea, and one threw up."

 La la la la la.  My mind was shutting down. I didn't want to hear anymore. Block it out now. Overload!

"Ok, take a sample to the vet , and see what he says," I said, numb by now.

"They don't act sick," she said.  "I don't get it."

"I don't get it either,"I thought as I hung up.  "I don't get why I do this!  There is something wrong with me!"

This time I called Anita.  "You want the bad news, or the bad news?"  I said as she picked up.

"What?" she said in a "I think I'd like to kill myself "voice.

"Joanne called. The puppies are sick. She's worried about parvo."

"Sh..!"

Harry and I went in to town. I didn't have anything good to say, and I was still fuming over my lost note book.  We bought tons of dog food as we usually do every week and finished our errands, and then we headed for the emergency vet to see Nikie and the parvo puppy.

I was happy to see Nikie, and he was happy to greet me and Harry.  He got right up and started wagging his tail.  As I looked down on him, all I saw was fur on bones.  When you run your hand down his back it is like touching a skeleton.  Harry looked up at me and shook his head.  "It's pitiful," He said. "I know. I've never seen anything like it. He's a Husky.  Can you even believe it?  I don't think he weighs 30 pounds!"

He is blind from the cataracts, but he sure knows that people are there for him.  I think he knows that he is finally safe. I read an article tonight in the paper that said his owners were probably dead a week or more before they were found, and he was tied outside in the terrible cold waiting to die himself.  They think it was a suicide pack, or a murder suicide. It sends chills down my spine just to think of what he went through.  He can leave the vet once they get his insulin regulated, but right now I have no one to take him.  I'm going out of town, so needless to say, I am very concerned about who will step up and care for him until I get back.  My friend Jackie said she will take him when she gets back in town, but we have a week to worry about.  More stress.

I went in to see the puppy. She was looking pretty punk, but the vet thinks she will pull through.  He thinks we caught the parvo early. I am calling her Hope.  She is a beautiful little girl that needs someone to take her home and care for her.  I have to believe that someone will come forward to help these precious creatures.  I just have to!

I have been getting some great feed back on my blog.  My vet was teasing me about posting some happy stories. I told him that I'm certain that they will come.  We have had some great things happen over the past 7 years. I reminded him that this is a diary of a rescuer.  The past few days have been not too good, but we wait for the good times.  Surely they will come.   I hope sooner than later.

I still haven't found my notebook!  I'm still ticked about that, but tomorrow is the adoption. Maybe it will show up.  It's 1AM.   I'm signing off.  Keep coming back!  Let me know you're here.

Nikie's Plight

 Tonight I am beat after a very long day of helping my daughter, Lisa, stock our little boutique in Blowing Rock, NC.  Yes, that's right, we are opening a boutique in the middle of a recession.  After all, what else do I have to do? Besides, I love a challenge!  I am also exhausted from the stress that today has brought.

In the middle of going through a ton of products that were just delivered, my cell phone rang.   I was more than a little distracted and overwhelmed with all those boxes that were just unloaded from that freight truck.

"Hello, Penny, My name is Lisa.  I don't know if you read about the double suicide over in Ash County, but I knew that couple, and it is such a sad thing. They had a dog named Nikie," She had suddenly grabbed my attention away from the task surrounding me.

"No, I guess I hadn't heard that news. That's terrible!" I replied as I walked away from all the commotion.

"It was terrible," she went on.  I guess their house went in to foreclosure, and I just don't know what happened, but they found them dead. They had obviously been dead for some time before they were discovered, and Nikie was outside alone, confused, freezing,  and starving to death."

My heart was broken as she went on to tell me that Nikie, the husky mix, had been taken to Ash County Animal Control.  I knew that the euthanasia rate there was horrible, and that dog would not stand a chance. "Nikie will die there!" I exclaimed, as my husband, daughter, and friends paused from their labor and looked towards me.  They know that my life is totally wrapped in heartache after heartache with all these poor animals.  Harry lives with it everyday. He hears all the phone calls and listens to me day after day telling all the terrible stories.  I think he has learned not to say," So, how was your day?"

My kids, on the other hand, don't quite get it.  I'm mom, and Mimi.  They get annoyed at how this has taken over my life.  They don't have that same passion and compassion because they have not been called to this.  You have to be called to do this.  If your not, it will make you an angry cynic.  You will hate people for their cruel deeds, and you will burn the light within you totally out.  You will not be able to help anyone or anything.  Believe me, I have seen it over and over.  I can't believe how many times I have heard rescuers tell me how they hate people.  "I love the dogs, but I just hate people," they tell me.  Well, without good people this world is doomed, so I choose to look for the good in those I meet.  Yes, we meet terrible people in this work; we see horrible cruelty,  and I can see why so many rescuers say the things they do, but it is totally unproductive... it is dangerous.

"We have to get the dog out of Ash County," I told the lady on the phone.

"I know, they said they are going to put him down today or tomorrow, but I have nowhere to put him, " she said.  I could tell that she was very upset, and she was looking for just one person to say they would help her save this dog.

"He's so thin and weak," she continued. "He's about 10 years old, and I think he's blind!  He can't stay there."

"Can you get him out of there today?"I asked.

"I don't know if they'll let me take him. " she said.

"Call my friend Jackie, and tell her this story, and tell her we need her to help us get the dog to the vet. I'm tied up here right now, but Jackie will help us," I said feeling pretty confident that Jackie would jump in.

" Please call animal control ASAP, and tell them that Friends For Life wants to get Nikie to the emergency vet today.  We will take responsibility for the dog."  Can you call them now?  Just tell them you are coming to get him." I said feeling a knot form in my stomach. "That dog will die there if we don't get him out of there today!" I warned.

  I hung up, and my whole afternoon went south.  That poor dog!  He had lived with his family all his life.  He knew that they were dead in that house for days, and he had no one to help them, and certainly no one to rescue him.  He's old, starving, blind, and so alone.  It just isn't fair that he should have to die at animal control after all this. It's just nor fair!

She called back shortly, and she informed me that she was going to get Nikie and get him to the vet. I breathed a sigh of relief.  I was happy the Jackie had stepped in and made arrangements, so I could get a few more things done before I met Nikie at the vet.

Harry and I had some things to buy for the shop, and we stopped for gas on the way to Lowes. I was on my cell phone as usual, trying desperately to get someone to commit to foster this dog once he was well enough to leave the vet.  I heard Harry talking to someone while he was pumping gas, but my mind was on Nikie.  Next thing I knew, I heard a knock on my window.  It was Dave Thompson, one of my favorite vets. I hadn't seen him for months.  He had sold his clinic and retired.  We lost a great vet when he retired.

"I'm so happy to see you!" I exclaimed.

"How are you doing?" He asked.

"Well, I'm trying to get help for a dog.  Maybe you can help, Dave."

  I told him the whole pathetic story, and I knew that it had touched his heart.  He told me he was going over to the clinic, and he would ask the vets if Nikie could stay there if we needed a place for him. I knew that this was one of those God events.  I suddenly felt that somehow this dog would be cared for one way or another. I also asked Dave if he might be interested in getting involved a bit with Friends For Life now that he was retired.  He said he thought he could help out somehow.  Suddenly my spirits were perking up.

Harry and I met Nikie on our way home.  He broke my heart when I saw him lying there on that blanket at the vet office.  He is about 20 pounds under weight.  He is so emaciated that they will have to start a very small amount of food, and little by little they can add more. It will take several days at the vet office to introduce food to his body.  Sarah Cooper, our vet, told me that they had just discovered that he is diabetic, and that will add to the problems with his recovery. I was sick about that news.

I opened the kennel, and stooped down to stroke his head."I'm sorry, Nikie. I'm so sorry." I said softly as his tail wagged slowly.  "We're here to help you, and you will be happy again. You're in good hands."  His eyes are gray with cataracts, and you can feel every bone in his body.  His family is gone, and his fragile life has been turned upside down.  I pray that he has the desire to make it through this. I want him to know that he is loved.

Someone out there will take him home and love him when he is able to leave the vet office.  We will find a good foster home.  Someone out there will feel compelled to help this dear soul.  Sarah told me that she thinks surgery could help him to see again, so I believe that someone will come along and help us with that when the time is right.  For now, he has to find the will to live, in spite of all he has endured.  We will visit him and encourage him.

He will have to be on insulin for the rest of his life if he pulls through this.  He will need someone that will cater to him, and love him enough to make up for his terrible heartbreaking loss. Maybe someone will read this and feel called to help this wonderful, sweet boy. I know that I will not abandon him because God has never abandoned me in my darkest hours, and I believe that we must pass such grace on.

I will post his picture on our website soon.  Pray for him. Pray for all of them that are out here with no one to help them.

How did I get into this?

Well, the day started with a horrible, foul smell creeping up the stairs and into my bedroom.   "Oh, no!" I moaned as I crawled out of bed and walked down those teal wooden steps in my old 1860's farm house.  I opened the door where two of my dogs had been sleeping to find a huge pile of diarrhea all over my lovely wood floors and splattered on the pale yellow wall.   Maddie, the Springer Spaniel, darted out of the room and made a bee line for the back door.  Gabe, my big white guy, looked a bit embarrassed and forlorn as he slowly made his way to the door looking rather guilty.   "What did you get in to? " I shrieked,  horrified at the site of such a mess at 6:30 in the morning.  The smell started racing through the house at lightning speed now that I had opened the door.,  I opened the window, in spite of the fact that it was 20 some degrees and snowing;  then and I ran for the room spray.  I grabbed a roll of paper towels and spread newspaper on what ever part of the  floor that wasn't covered with runny poop and began my day.  "Oh, God, how did I get into to this?  How? I ask you! "  The rest of the dogs seemed to be buried under their pillows trying to escape the obnoxious oder..  So welcome to my world!

Later that morning I received a call from a woman that took an adorable puppy to foster a few days ago at our pet adoption.  I had a gut feeling about that arrangement when I let the puppy go to her. When will I learn to listen to that still small voice that many times screams at me, "What the  heck are you thinking?"   Anyway,  she calls me this morning in the middle of a snow storm, and tells me she is on the way to Boone to bring the puppy back.   "The roads are treacherous!" I said, feeling my heart go in to overload already so early in the day.  "Well, I'm on my way to Boone with her.  My son is allergic,"  she said curtly.   I knew that she had other dogs,  so why was her son allergic to this little puppy, but I was not going to argue.  "I will try to get a foster home for the puppy right away.  She is not going back to animal control and sit in a cage alone,"  I said, trying to keep my composure.

 I frantically dialed Lucyna's number. I breathed a sigh of relief when she finally answered.   " I really need your help. I have a puppy coming back, and I have no place for her.  Please tell me you can take her," I pleaded.  

"Well, I'm with some friends, but I will tell them I have to get the puppy," she said a bit reluctantly.  I know that my friends dread to see my number come up on their phones.  They hide from me and purposely lose their phones, or drop them in the toilets.

"Oh, thank you so much! Thank you!  I appreciate you so much,"I said overjoyed.

 Thanks to my psychiatrist friend, Lucyna, the puppy is safe in a warm place tonight.  I hope Lucyna is on stand by because I will need a psychiatrist before long if I keep at this rescue much longer. In fact, there are those who believe that I am long over due!  They are most likely correct.

Next call was from a man on the Tennessee border, not far from my home.

 " I found a Chocolate Lab.  He's a nice little guy, but I can't keep him.  I already have two dogs of my own.  I can't afford to feed another one.  Poor little guy showed up here about a week ago, and I've been keeping him in the barn.  It's so cold, and I just didn't have the heart to let him stay out in the cold.   I put an add in the paper, 'free to a good home,' but no calls. I was hopin' you could help."

   "Well, I'm happy to hear that you haven't had any calls on your add.  Never put a 'free to good home' add in the paper.  There are so many dog fighting rings around here.  They take the dogs and use them for bait dogs.  Also the medical labs take them as well, and that is a horrible fate for any animal," I said.

"I never thought of  the dog fighting rings. I know of cock fighting over here, but I don't know about dog fighting.  I guess I wasn't aware of bait dogs.  This is all news to me.  That's really sad," he said almost apologizing.

 "I'm sure you did what you thought was the best thing to help the dog, but we will help you find this guy a home somehow.  Animal control is full right now, and I have to go out of town next week.  It may be about 10 days or so before I can get him,"  I said holding my breath.

"I can hold on to him for a while.  Like I said, he's a good dog. I didn't want to take him to animal control because I used to work at the landfill there.  We put hundreds of dogs and cats in the landfill that had been put down there.  It was real depressing," he said.

"Well, things are much better there now,"I said.  "We save most of the dogs and a huge number of cats.  We and the Humane Society take the animals out of there every week.  Our euthanasia rate has dropped about 85% for dogs and close to 50% for the cats.  We have the highest adoption rate in the state... probably in the South.  We have good people at our animal control that work hard to save the animals."

I breathed a sigh of relief as I thanked him for holding on to the Lab.  Most people that call me want the dog or cat out of their lives yesterday!  Just throw them away.  Get rid of them like trash.  Where are the hearts in these people?  How can people just dump their animals off and never look back?  It's crazy!  It's a sign of a sick, selfish, me first society.  Ok, I feel better.  I vented...  I got that off my chest.  By the way, anyone looking for a sweet Chocolate Lab?

I received an email today from a girl that wants to adopt Carrie.  Carrie must have been to hell and back in her short life.  She was going to be put down at Catawba County Animal Control.  A sweet officer down there named Jennifer called me an asked me if I could take her and another dog named Cassie.

 "They are on the list to be put down," she said.  

"How long do they have?" I asked.

"Well, we were going to put her and Cassie down tomorrow, or the next day.  They seem like sweet dogs, and I'd love to save them," she said with a bit of a plea in her voice.

"Where the heck am I going to put them?" I was asking myself as she was waiting for my response.
 "Ok, Jennifer, I said, taking a  deep horrifying breath.  " Are you crazy?" I heard that familiar voice that continues to speak in my ear almost every day of my insane life.  "I just lost a dog that we loved after he was treated for heart worm, so you'll need to heart worm check them.  Fynn wound up costing us a couple thousand dollars and a huge hole in my heart.   I can't go through that again."

" I understand," she said.  "I'll do the test, but I'm sure they'll be fine.  They are young dogs."

About an hour later she called back.

"Penny, Carrie is heart worm positive.  I will put her down today. I know that you can't take that on, especially right on the heels of Fynn; but Cassie is fine. "

"I'm sorry, Jennifer.  I can't go through that again.   I'll take Cassie. Get her spayed and ready to go , and we'll pick her up.  I'm sorry about Carrie."

I hung up the phone, and I felt sick over that little dog that I had never met.  She was just one more to die at an animal control.  No one would miss her.  No one would grieve for her except for Jennifer, the animal control officer that did her best to save her."

"I just sealed her fate!" I thought as I shut the vacuum off about an hour later.  "I picked up the phone and dialed as fast as I could.  "Jennifer, tell me you haven't put her down yet, " I said, feeling a panic attack coming on.

"No, I haven't," she said.

"Ok. Ok.  Get her to the vet there, and let's start her treatment. I'll call my friend Anita down there in Hudson and beg her to foster her as she goes through all the treatment.  How much will it cost?  About $700 or so?"  My heart was ponding at what a close call Carrie had again.

" Well, It will be about that I think, but our vets will discount your rescue.  Thank you so much, Penny," she said with a true tone of gratefulness.

 Thanks to my friend Anita, she went through her heart worm treatment and did very well.  That treatment is so harsh, and they can get so sick.  Carried stayed with Anita for a few months, and then she came to me.  She is absolutely terrified of everyone.   She must have been terribly mistreated in her short life..  It took her weeks at our home before she would let my husband, Harry, near her.  It will take her quite some time before we can adopt her out.  I explained that to this girl that emailed me this morning, and I told her to look at all of our dogs.  She asked to be on a waiting list for Carrie.  Well, it's nice to know this sweet girl wants the dog, but everyone who has had her  has brought her back rather quickly.  The dog was hiding and running from them, and she refused to poop while on the leash.  Now that's a real problem!  So Carrie is now with my friend, Pat and her doggie also named Carrie. The dogs love each other, and Pat is giving Carrie the one on one she needs .  Maybe, just maybe, Pat will fall in live with her.

Later this afternoon a young man called me that is fostering a beautiful dog we have named Cooper.

"I feel so bad about Cooper," he said as the conversation began.  "I just don't have the time to train him. I mean I love him, but he chews everything, and my room mate is upset, and I'm at a loss here."

"Do you have a crate?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I can't leave him in the crate for a long time.  He hates it."

"If you have to take him back to animal control I understand," I said. " I'm just worried because they are so full. Maybe you could keep him until Saturday until our next adoption."

"I will do all I can, he said mournfully. "I really love Cooper."

I hung up the phone feeling very sad for the young man and for poor Cooper.  He's just a young dog that needs training.  "Oh Lord, help us get this worked out," I wispered as I headed to feed 21 dogs.

At dinner time my home phone rang. "I'm not answering that," I said to Harry as I took my first bite of our meal.   A few seconds later the rescue phone rang, and seconds later my personal cell phone rang.  "I give up!" I muttered as I checked my missed calls and saw that it was Anita, our animal control chief, and my crazy friend. We both have to be nuts to do what we do; birds of a feather....

"Now what?" I said as she answered her phone.  "We may have  a rescue group up in New York that will take all these puppies.  We have at least 20 we could send.  What do you think?  Should we send them up there if they will take them?'

"Well, Yeah, we need to get them up there if they will take them, but now we need a transport.  I suppose you are thinking that someone could drive my SUV... right.?  You check on the rescue , and I will see who can drive them half way to Virginia."

I hung up and Harry looked at me with that  'now what?' look.  "Too bad I have to leave for Florida Tuesday. We could have made a run to Virginia if they are willing to take the pups."

"Well, hopefully someone will be willing to drive them half way if the group is willing to take them," he said as he shoved a piece of chicken in his mouth.

So we'll see.  Here I sit at 1:22 AM writing to who knows who.  Tomorrow the dogs will start their choir practice at about 6:30 AM, and we start over.  I guess it's time to sign off.  Forgive the typos.  No time to proof read this blog.  Bow wow for now!

Sharing the passion

I have been working with homeless animals for almost 8 years now. It is heartbreaking to work with rescue, but it is also so rewarding when we see the poor animals find a forever home.  There are millions of lost and abandoned animals just waiting for someone to come to their rescue. They have no voice.  They are tossed out by their owners and left to die in remote areas,  they are tossed out of cars on the side of the roads of America, and they are dropped off at animal control facilities constantly with no one to come to their aid. That's why I have decided to start this blog.   I hope some will find it and be moved with compassion to do something to save them.

I have had so many of them come in and out of my door.  They have looked at me with thankful eyes, and they have put their warm heads in my lap as I have stroked their heads telling them that no one will ever hurt or abandon them again.  I hope I have been able to keep that promise.  We adopt them out week after at our local mall.  We try very hard to screen the adopters, but people can pull the wool over your eyes;  that we have found out the hard way.

 I have so many wonderful dogs to write about.  Some have passed away years ago, some have found a forever home, and some are lying at my feet at this very moment as the winds rip through the mountains here in North Carolina.  While they are here, content and warm, others are out there alone freezing with no love and no shelter.  I have cried a million tears over these dogs  I have said countless prayers.  I have begged strangers to help them. I have started a rescue website, but it is never enough.

I guess I will go back to the beginning as I write this, and tell who ever is out there about all the dogs I've loved before.  Are you there?   I hope you will invite your friends to read this and to do something for "the least of these."