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The Stray With No Name
by
Valerie Rice,
Vice President, Animal Lifeline
Everyone I know has asked me about the Outreach
trip. What did you think of the trip? what is your favorite moment?
your favorite memory? I can't pick a favorite memory, but I can share a
story about a dog who stole my heart -- a stray with no name.
This dog was picked up on one of the first days we
were at the Ritchie County Animal Shelter and placed in a pen right
next to where we were working. He is like so many other large black
dogs at shelters, overlooked and unnoticed. It was not until we were
cleaning up that night that we all noticed the new dog. The poor animal
had a horrific limp, and we guessed he had been hit by a car. We went
into the pen to see what was wrong with him. He was very
affectionate and wanted to be right next to us, if not in our laps.
In the following days, this loving black lab/border
collie mix found a spot in our hearts with his frequent attempts to get
our attention. He would climb on top of his doghouse and every once in
a while would seem to get stuck, half on and half off the doghouse. We
would rush to see if he was OK and he always managed to get himself
down to meet us at the gate. When we put a new dog bed in his pen he
was more interested in lying in our laps than lying on his new
bed.
On our final night, we loaded up the 7 dogs that
were coming to Doylestown from the Ritchie County Animal Shelter. But
we could not take the black dog with us because he was still 'on hold'
as a stray. Our hearts were breaking as we drove away from our friend.
As the trip went on, we continued to worry about the stray with no
name; there was concern that he would languish in the shelter,
considered unadoptable by many because of his color, size, and
potential vetting costs.
Many of us have come to accept the sad fact that we
cannot save every animal, but every once in a while, you meet a
creature and know you are meant to help it find its forever home. We
kept in touch with Ritchie County about the dog; no owner came forward
to claim him, so once the holding period expired we made arrangements
to have him transported to Pennsylvania. He will be arriving in Bucks
County today and placed in foster care where he can rest and heal
before we find him a perfect home!
This wonderful boy will now have luck and time on
his side as he receives love and care from Animal Lifeline and the
Doylestown Animal Medical Clinic. He now needs two things from our
Animal Lifeline network: the funds to pay for his veterinary costs, and
a name!
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Help defray vetting costs by donating online,
leaving a donation at the Thrift Shop register or
sending a check (put "Stray With No Name" in the memo line!)
to:
Animal Lifeline
1111 Easton Road, Suite 24
Warrington, PA 18976
ANY DONATION AMOUNT IS APPRECIATED!
Send us your naming
suggestions!
We'll let you know our stray's new name in the next
newsletter!
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Thank you for your support and for reading about the stray with no
name. When our friend is healthy and happy and settled in his new home
with his new name, I'll easily be able to tell anyone about my favorite
memory of the May 2010 Animal Lifeline Outreach trip!
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