Last night, I was driving to meet someone for dinner when my phone rang. I really love caller ID as I have over 300 numbers to help me identify people, and allow me to take a message and get back to them later when I'm in no mood to talk. Last night was one of those nights that I just wanted to get to dinner and get back home and deal with things later, but the number looked familiar, though I didn't have it stored in my phone book. So I took a chance, and I couldn't be more glad.
The caller was Charlotte, an older woman I had met last year while I was working at animal control. She called about a little Husky puppy that was found in one of the mall parking lots. She didn't know what to do. I put her on hold and asked for permission to take it through Coastal Pet Rescue rather than submit the pup to the already overcrowded kennel space at animal control. So I made arrangements to meet up with her after I got off work and take the pup, which I named Tyler.
Tyler was a bundle of energy and already the hit of his neighborhood when I arrived. I was actually greeted with a warm welcome from one of Charlotte's neighbors, Sonny Dixon, as I have known Sonny for many years. His approval of me really seemed to help her feel better about turning over Tyler to us. She really liked the puppy's personality, but wasn't quite ready to raise another puppy on her own. She hadn't had a dog in many years, and Huskies aren't exactly a breed for everyone. So I placed Tyler into a crate in the car and closed the door. Charlotte hugged me and made me promise to let her know how things went with him.
For the next week, Charlotte called every few days. I gave her progress updates on how he was integrating with the rest of the pack, what he had chewed, how he was howling. But then we had a bad day. I knew the signs and immediately got Tyler to our vet where it was confirmed... he had parvovirus.
I have dealt with many puppies and parvo in the last seven years. I can count how many we've actually lost on one hand, which I consider a phenomenal success rate for treatments. But what makes the difference is getting help immediately at the first sign. Our vet has worked with us so much with these puppies and is very patient and considerate with us as we wait out the treatments. I was so thankful that Charlotte hadn't called because I didn't want to give her any bad news. She always was so happy when we'd get off the phone, and I didn't want her to be upset. But four days into Tyler's stay at the hospital she called, and I couldn't bear to lie to her.
I explained to Charlotte exactly what Tyler had and reassured her that he was in good hands. I visited him every day to check on him and let him know I cared. And so did Charlotte. I was so touched by this. It is very rare that we ever hear back from anyone that we help take an animal. I can probably count those people on less than two hands. But Charlotte cared. Her heart went out to Tyler, this weak little puppy that she had rescued herself. So she went to the hospital to see him, too.
A few weeks later, Tyler was home from the hospital permanenlty and doing well. He no longer had to have the catheter, and he was back to playing with the pack. We made arrangements for his shots and neuter, and he was on the road to being adoptable.
I went back through our adoption applications for previous husky puppies and found one I really liked. I called the young man who came over and instantly fell in love with Tyler. We made arrangements for Tyler to go home after his neuter, and that was the last time I saw or heard about Tyler.
During this time, I had taken in another dog, a Collie/Golden Retriever mix I named Dante. He was beautiful and had an incredibly sweet face. He was incredbily smart, enjoyed the company of my other dogs, and followed me all day long, always wanting to have my attention. I had an appearance scheduled on Sonny Dixon's show a few weeks later, and I took Dante with me. When we walked in the studio and saw Sonny, he looked at me and said he was going to have to call Charlotte, she just had to meet this dog. As it turns out, Sonny had told Charlotte the night before that I was going to be on, and she taped the show to watch when she got home that afternoon. That night, I had a call from Charlotte wanting to meet Dante.
It wasn't the easiest adoption by far. In fact, Dante was with Charlotte as a foster mom before she finally signed the adoption papers nearly three months later. She knew she wanted a dog, but she wanted to be completely sure she was ready. I had regular phone calls with updates, and finally one that she was ready to make the adoption official. I couldn't be happier.
About a month later, I had a letter from Dante, who had been renamed to Charlie. It started out, "Dear Momma Lisa," and told me of how much his new mommy loved him, what a good boy he was being, and all the new friends he was making. It ended with a thank you for saving him from animal control and a promise that his new mommy would always be good to him. I have the letter on the fridge in my kitchen so I can read it every day.
So the phone call started out with Charlotte telling me, "something happened today and I just had to call you!" She told me that I'd been on her mind lately, but what happened at the dog park compelled her to call. She had taken Dante Charlie (that's what she calls him now) to the Savannah Dog Park. She was sitting on a bench when a young couple came in with the most beautiful Husky. They sat down next to her and sent their dog off to play. Charlotte remarked to them about how beautiful he was and asked his age. The young woman told her, "We're not sure; we got him from Coastal Pet Rescue." Charlotte said she was excited and immediately asked if his name was Tyler... and it was. So her she was, almost a year later, watching a now-50 pound, happy and energetic dog that she had picked up in the parking lot of a mall. It really just made her day as she watched Tyler and Dante play like old buddies, reunited through the kindness of animal lovers.
Now, who wouldn't be able to feel warm and fuzzy about that?
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1 comment:
Awww..... So sweet!
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