Their story told by Lapinbizarre:
Three or four weeks back I noticed a particularly sad case on an English Pointer rescue site I check from time to time. Becky, an eight-year-old hunting dog, had been worked out by her last owner and dumped, lame and barely able to walk, at a dog pound. Fortunately for her she was located by Dogs Hope, a rescue group. Judith, her rescuer and a fellow-librarian, wrote, "Such a love. Becky just came. She was taken to the shelter because she couldn't keep up with the hunt. Her back legs are in very bad shape and it is clear that each step is painful. I'm hoping that she can take pain medication, as she is crippled in both back legs - front legs don't look too good either. She is devastated by losing the only home she ever knew, even if it wasn't the best home."
That last sentence touched me so much, that I contacted Judith. Dogs Hope doesn't ship, but it's in North Carolina, about three hours north of here. We agreed that when Becky had recovered her strength sufficiently, I would drive up there and she and I would check one another out. Things worked out well and I brought her back to Columbia last Saturday. She's a delightful, intelligent dog. Physically her condition has improved amazingly. She's mobile once more and this morning, for the first time, was pulling me as we walked. While she's clearly been physically neglected, she shows no obvious scars, as my other two "rescue" dogs do, one more than ten years after I adopted her, of physical or psychological abuse.
She's a demon for getting into things. Like the garbage. "No" is not in her vocabulary - one reason I do not believe she has been physically or verbally abused. I was greeted this morning by a couple of hundred or so plastic grocery bags, bagged for recycling, all laboriously unpacked and spread wall to wall across the kitchen floor. Very pleased indeed with herself!
A beautiful story with a happy ending, no? And Lapinbizarre, aka Roger, is a lovely man.
What kind of owner dumps a working dog, when it can no longer work? Why not give her a comfortable retirement? Thanks to our friend Lapin, she has that now.
Here's the link to the website of Dogs Hope.
Must comment as I am Judith from Dogs Hope Rescue. The bit about the plastic bags really cheered me up. I figured out that Becky was pretty smart and would be a challenge to her new person even in her less than physically perfect state. She is in very good hands.
ReplyDeleteJudith, indeed she is. Thanks for the good work that you do, and thanks for dropping in to leave a word.
ReplyDeleteShe's clearly not been an indoor dog in her past life - though thanks to Judith she is wonderfully house-trained. This lunchtime I had to intervene twice to stop her chewing on extension cords. Smearing Tabasco on them and on chair and table legs have always worked wonders when dogs I've raised from pups went through the teething stage. My guess is that she'll smell the stuff and stay clear.
ReplyDeleteYay Tabasco! Good for more than cooking.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy this dog found someone who will cherish her. (My dog Smokey agrees with me.)
ReplyDeleteOur first dog after we married was dumped in the park behind our apartment at the age of we think 12 or so to die. In a pounding thunderstorm.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I was against having a dog in an apartment when we both worked, she was perfect. She slept and watched tv during the 6 hours we were gone. Then we came home and petted her for about an hour after walking her. Then we fed her well. She didn't bark, she didn't make messes, and she just wanted to be loved. We had her for three more years.
People who abandon animals should be locked up and not be able to see people they love with no explanation.
I love stories with happy endings.
ReplyDeleteBravo, M. CrazyRabbit and Mlle. Judith: good work for a good dog!
ReplyDeleteBecky looks so sweet ... and obviously she fell in love with Lapinbizarre at first sight.
ReplyDelete.
Becky looks to be a sweetie all right. I'm sure she'll have a wonderful life with Roger.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute dog. I can't believe how people will treat dogs but I'm glad that Lapin was there for her.
ReplyDeleteBecky is a lucky girl.
I get all teary and choked up each time I see the pictures.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thank you all. She's doing extremely well. She's now over a hacking kennel cough and her back legs are far, far stronger. She's even starting to pull me a bit as we walk, which, as you can see, takes some doing nowadays. With just a little care and consideration - routine maintenance, really - on the part of her last owner she ought never to have been in the sorry condition she was in when Judith rescued her. Roger
ReplyDeleteA fire truck just passed, siren wailing. Turns out Becky, who sang along with it, also has a deep, mellifluous howl!
ReplyDeleteOh goody, Lapin! You can teach her to sing and make her a show dog.
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