SAVING ANIMALS

    I admit. I love animals. From the time I was eleven I've had a dog, or a cat.

    My mother exposed me to tropical fish when I was five. Now in my sixties, I have twp large aquariums. One in the living room and one in the main hall. A large Koi ponds resides in our back yard, as well as a huge tub for aquatic plants and tadpoles. I can not remember a time when I did not have fish.

    My ex wife introduced me to cats in 1975.

    In 1990 I married another crazed animal lover. Soon we had 5 cats and 2 dogs.

    Our first dog was a golden retriever/chow mix that was rescued after Hurricane Andrew devastated South Florida in 1992. 'Mr. Bear' lived a happy and long life with us. He was joined by 'Bengi' the terrier mix that was getting his last meal at the pound when Penny decided she had to bring him home.

    'Benji' and 'Bear had a wonderful life, but soon it was time for them to say goodbye. It was hard and it was sad. But yet there was a certain amount of satisfaction in our hearts, not only for the love we gave them, but for the love they returned.

    Then we were introduced to PBGVs. Petite Bassette Griffon Vendeens.  Yes, they are French to the max. I call them Hound Dogs with attitude. If they had a theme song, it would be Carly Simon's 'Attitude Dancing'

    We were put in contact with a breeder who was retiring and was looking for good homes for some of his dogs.

    We first got Preacher as Bear and Benji started to get older. He was a great addition to the family and helped nurse the two older ones.

    After     'Bear' and 'Benji' left us, I made a comment to my wife that I wanted a PBGV of my very own.

    Shorty thereafter, I was driving to Tennessee to pick up Preachers sister Star. And we had two PBGBV's

  

    Over the last year or so we have fostered/rescued/took care of two other PBGV's until they could move on to their 'forever' home.

    'Lilly' and 'Lil' were great little PBGVS. 'Lilly' went to West Palm and 'Lil' went right down the road from us.

    We still get to see 'Lil Magoo' on occasion and 'Lilly's new parents keep us up to date with pictures.

    So it was no surprise to me when Penny told me she found a PBGV at an Atlanta Pet Shelter. The PBGV rescue people determined that it was not "full blooded" and would not be eligible to go into the rescue program.

    We were both disappointed that this dog would not be rescued by the PBGV Rescue.

    His name was 'Murray', a 4 year old almost PBGV that was turned into the Atlanta shelter when the lady of the house became pregnant. He was so cute in the pictures and looked to me like a full blooded PBGV. Something had to be done to save this dog.




    But wait, there is another rescue organization. It does not have a name. Maybe we should call it the 'Penny and Lee Are Crazy' rescue.

    So on a Saturday, Penny and I arose before dawn and headed up I-75 to Atlanta.         

    We took one look at this happy critter and both of us melted.

    I paid 'Murray's' 'bail' (ie: large donation to the shelter) and we loaded him up in the van and headed back to central Florida.   

    The two PBGV's welcomed the new comer with open paws. But we discovered that Mr Murray had never been around cats and he chased them everywhere. Our beloved felines had to be banished to the screened in porch.

     We thought we could get him used to cats but it wasn't to be. We discovered very quickly that Mr Murray had "issues" and had a mean streak.

    Upon further research we found that he had been turned into the shelter because of his 'biting tendencies.' For some reason, the shelter left that tidbit of information for us to 'discover' rather than telling us.

    Did they exclude this information on purpose, just to get rid of the dog? I like to think that it was an honest mistake. I also think we will ever know for sure.
   
    So a painful decision had to be made. Our contract with the shelter was very specific that we could not sell, give away or euthanize this dog. He would have to be returned to Atlanta.
   
    On a Tuesday morning, I placed him in the van and drove him back to the shelter in Atlanta. Since it is a no kill shelter, I know he will at least live out his life in some comfort. They tell us he is now 'Un-adoptable."   
   
    It damned near killed me to make that trip back to Atlanta. It was the longest drive of my life. However deep in my heart I could not take the chance of that dog biting one of the kids next door or getting a hold of one of our cats. It was something that just had to be done.

    I don't think I will ever get over it.
   
    But I learned something this past summer. There is a reason that we have dog breeders and this rescue dog cost me a hell of a lot more than if I had gotten it from a breeder. I will be very careful dealing with shelters in the future.
       
    As the weeks have gone by, we are feeling better about the whole mess. For awhile, we swore we would never foster or take care of a dog ever again. But that was emotion talking. We are not letting this get us down and we are moving ahead. We are ready, willing, and able to jump right back into rescue at any time.

    'Lil' and 'Lilli' worked out great so I guess two out of three ain't bad.
   
    Penny and I realized there are a number of advantages in adopting or rescuing an animal.
   
    Over and above the joy of having a dog, and seeing the love in their eyes as they wake you up at four AM, is the joy of meeting new and special people. We have made many new friends along the way. Dog lovers have a special bond and common denominator. We cherish their friendship.
   
    No words of wisdom or assignment this week. I just wanted to share this story with you. It took several months for me to get to the point of even talking about it.

    I wont tell you to go adopt a pet, but if you wanted to make a donation to your local shelter, that would be a good thing.