The Dog Days of Summer by Bea Tifton

Elino Sazo "Dog Sitting on Ground
 Under Starry Sky"

Well, here we are, dear Readers, just ending the Dog Days of Summer. Which has much to do with where Sirius, the Dog Star, is in the sky and little to do with actual dogs.  But the phrase did cause me to think about my own dogs, dogs in general, and most of all, rescue dogs. I volunteer for a dog rescue founded by Susan Trammell called Highway Hounds of Texas. I am not able to foster at this point of my life, but I attend the adoption events and do an occasional extraction or transport.

I transport is when I meet a member of another rescue or a city animal shelter employee to pick up one or more dogs. An extraction is when someone decides to return the dog. A dog named Mo (I call him Mo Mo and now almost everyone else does, too) stands out in my mind and occupies my heart. A woman called Ms. Trammell and said he needed to be returned because he was trying to bite her grandchildren. She sent a short video and the poor little dog was obviously cowed and miserable. Someone had been hitting him. As I walked into a dark, tiny apartment filled with so much cigarette smoke that I saw everything through a haze, I saw the cutest little dog sitting on the couch. The woman was nervous but polite enough, she handed Mo Mo to me with a string of excuses and apologies that I pretty much ignored. Mo didn’t even look back as we walked to my car. When Ms. Trammell saw him, she almost cried. She said he wasn’t the happy, friendly little dog she adopted out. And the “biting” was puppy mouthing. He was just a baby! Now, several empathetic people, myself included, have been coaxing Mo Mo out of his frightened shell. He is playing again and he doesn’t bark at men unless they clearly remind him of the abuser. Mo Mo is still available for adoption and he needs a kind, very patient person (men are okay if they are a good match to Mo) who wants a sweet, loyal dog for whom they would care for the rest of his life. Mo Mo deserves to be cherished.

 

My favorite adoption event was my very first one. A man came by and looked at our dogs available for adoption that day. He and his partner were witty and likeable people, and I was disappointed when they didn’t take a particular Chihuahua on whom they had their eye. After lunch, the same man who’d held the Chihuahua hurried over with his partner struggling to catch up. When he saw the little dog was still there, the first man burst into tears of relief. I gave him my purse pack of facial tissue and one of the other volunteers and I hugged him as a third volunteer quickly retrieved the lucky dog. I’d be willing to bet that spoiled, happy little dog now has a jeweled collar and a satin pillow.

Iggy

Some of the dogs have been in foster homes for a long time. They are getting good care but they need forever homes. Lucky is a goofy, sweet dog who absolutely loves the splash pad in the dog park. He’s good with other dogs but not cats. He loves everyone, including kids. Craig is an older dog who loves playing with his toys so much he plays tug of war with himself, spinning and running in ecstasy. One dog claimed my heart. Iggy is such a sweet, adorable little Maltese I wanted to adopt so badly. I have an older dog who doesn’t want another dog in the pack or I would have adopted him immediately. Truly it broke my heart. Iggy is afraid of children, and we don’t have any kids who visit so that would have been perfect. When he was adopted by a nice couple, I was so happy for him, but I’m not gonna lie; I cried and cried.

Being part of Highway Hounds has added so much to my life. I meet fascinating people, I get to help save dogs from being euthanized in overcrowded shelters, I can play and love on dogs for hours during adoption events, and I’ve met some great fellow volunteers. One other volunteer has become one of my closest friends and I never would have met her if it wasn’t for Highway Hounds and Susan Trammell.

Craig

Mo

Lucky

This blog isn’t an advertisement; I just wanted to share a meaningful and rewarding part of my life. But, that said, if you do live in North Texas, we really need foster homes (all the supplies are provided and vetting is paid for) and of course, we need adopters state wide. If you can’t adopt or foster, Highway Hounds always needs donations.

 

The website is www.highwayhoundstx.org