Rosalind - And The Bigger Picture

I was so excited to get the opportunity to do another transport so soon. Yesterday, March 10th, my friend and coworker, Linda, and I drove to Allentown to await the arrival of Rosalind, a one-year old black labrador retriever mix. This run seemed different to me, as the information indicated a truckload of dogs coming from Kentucky would make several stops along the way.

Linda and I arrived early and soon probably a dozen or more cars started to arrive, with drivers anxious to get their charges and take them to their final destinations – animal sanctuaries, dog rescue groups, foster homes, or best of all, their forever homes.

When the truck arrived, a sign on the back indicated the vehicle had transported 3000+ dogs. The door swung open and a cacophony of barking greeted us. There were cages and cages of dogs within. The driver dropped a cardboard box on the ground near the steps, and the transport drivers moved forward to pull the envelope that had the records of their particular dog(s). Many drivers were picking up several dogs, so we hung back to let them get their group together. Finally, I looked through the box for Rosalind's paperwork, but couldn't find it.

In the meantime, dogs were starting to be offloaded from the truck. Some were puppies, and there were even a few cats. All were excited to be outside, and many were anxious to get to the grassy area. In general, it was pandemonium. But a good pandemonium, as these dogs were on the last legs of their various journeys.

I gave Rosalind's cage number and showed the truck driver her picture, so we'd be sure to get the right dog. Soon Rosalind was bounding down the steps. I was concerned about her paperwork, but getting to the grassy area was a higher priority at that particular moment - especially for Rosalind. Water was next. Rosalind drank voraciously. When she finally took a break, Linda brought over another dog, Elroy (seen right here), as he had already drunk his bowl dry. These dogs had been on the road a very long time.

Afterwards, we headed back to the grass and my cell phone rang. It turned out to be a fellow Almost Home group member, who told me her husband, Dennis, had Rosalind's paperwork. It turned out Dennis was the one driving Elroy. So we straightened out that little mix-up, and finally loaded Rosalind into the car, with Linda accompanying her in the back seat.

Rosalind wasn't sure where or how she wanted to sit, so she tried several different positions. At one point, she simply stood on Linda and put her chin on top of the headrest of the passenger seat. Well, it is a headrest after all. Rosalind looked out the window, tried to get comfy in Linda's lap, and finally settled down for at least 30 seconds. Linda cooed at her, assuring her she was safe and that better days were ahead.

We arrived at our drop-off point a few minutes late, but we managed to take this great picture of Linda and Rosalind, before Rosalind joined her foster mother, Ronnie (short for Veronica) on her final drive home. I don't think it was my imagination -- I swear Rosalind was smiling as Ronnie drove her away. Ronnie promises to let me know how things go for Rosalind. But I'm quite sure that she'll be adopted in no time. She's a beautiful, friendly dog who will be a wonderful family pet, so I'm sure she'll keep smiling.

As a footnote, this transport was a real eye-opener. There must have been 50 dogs on that truck. Thank goodness for groups of committed animal lovers, dedicated to rescuing huge numbers of dogs from fates of living on the street, ill-treatment, neglect or doom. The organization involved, and that everyone involved shows up at their appointed time, is awesome. Most of us have never met one another, nor will we see each other again. But it just shows how compassionate people can work together for a common good. And I'm so happy to be a small part of it.

Noah Without an Ark

Easy-peasy is how I describe my latest dog transport - thankfully, since this is my first since I fell and ended up with a concussion, from which I've now fully recovered. Carol and I, wearing our sneakers this time (see them on my feet in the picture!), drove to Allentown last Sunday, February 26th, to pick up Noah, a two-year old beagle mix. Dogs did not come "two by two", but rather Noah came alone. But we were not disappointed, as little Noah was adorable!

The first order of business was a short walk to give Noah the opportunity to do his business. He put his nose to the grindstone, as most hound-type dogs do, and got busy sniffing for who knows what. He defintely had passion and determination for his task.

After no success with the business end of things on Noah's part, we encouraged him into the car, and he happily obliged. As like so many before him, he thought he would ride shotgun.

Soon, however, he realized he'd have much less responsibility if he relinquished shotgun to Carol, and moved to the backseat where he could have more room, and could check out where he had just been.

Noah finally grew weary from wagging...er...waving at the people in the cars behind us, and settled down for a little snooze, glad he'd chosen the backseat. He was content from all the ear rubs he'd received earlier, and seemed to know that he was going somewhere that would be a better life for him. Of course, almost anywhere was better than living on the streets, where'd they'd found him, and anything was better than wondering if anyone would appreciate him again. He hoped he'd get a better name than Noah too! It had been given to him by the shelter people who had rescued him. They didn't know him from Adam, after all.

As Noah dozed, his head danced with visions of living with a nice family who would feed him, give him plenty of clean water, and maybe even let him sleep on a soft dog bed. Could that possibly in his future? Dare he hope? Maybe he'd even have his own backyard, and be taken for walks so he could sniff out the clues to all his fellow dog neighbors. How heavenly would that be? Please let it be true!

As we approached the parking lot where we'd hand him over to his foster parents, Noah seemed to know, perked up and came forward to see what he could see for himself. Would this be it? Would this be his last car ride of his transport to safety? He sure hoped so. He just knew that if he was given a chance, he'd make a great family pet. After all, he has such depth of personality, and so much love and sloppy kisses to give. And he's so sure he will train his family to give him the best ear massages.

So, our ride with Noah came to an end, as we handed him over to his foster parents. But the best news of all is that his fosters told us they already had three -- yes three -- applications to adopt him! So little Noah's future is very bright indeed.