Mighty Andrew and Delightful Dolly

Carol and I were off for another transport yesterday, Saturday, April 28th. We anxiously awaited the arrival of three dogs from Ohio. And we waited, and we waited. Finally, I called one of the drivers who was bringing the dogs to us, and he told me the run had been delayed. They were about to leave and would arrive about an hour later. We took advantage of this extra time, and went to Subway to get a quick bite to eat, and use their bathroom. Ah, the bathroom. So much more important these days! But I digress.

Finally, Andrew, Dolly and Woody arrived. Woody was picked up by his forever family right then and there. Andrew and Dolly were coming with us.

Andrew, 52 pounds of solid muscle, in the form of a terrier mix, was a super dog, but unruly on the leash. Well, and he thought he could drive, but I'll get to that. And he was not at all interested in performing his bathroom duties, despite several types of encouragement. I managed to keep my arm in its socket while walking him, and after pausing for a brief belly rub, Andrew bounded happily into the back of my car.

Dolly, a 5-year old Collie mix, was found as a stray in Marietta, Ohio, and is the sweetest dog. But her fur was terribly matted, which you'll notice in her pictures. But gotta love her punk hairdo! You go girl!


Dolly, being the delightful dog she is, performed her duty in the grass (would that make a good movie title? "Duty in the Grass". Wait! I'm thinking of "Splendor in the Grass". Oh swell, now I'm showing my age!). She took a brief walk with Carol, we loaded her in the car, and bid the transport driver a fond farewell, after he handed me the paperwork on both dogs.

By the time I turned around, Carol was already in the passenger seat, Dolly was comfortable in the backseat, and Andrew was prepared to chauffeur, as he proudly perched in the driver's seat. Carol was too busy laughing to be much help, not that it mattered, as there was no way the two of us could have heaved him to the backseat, so my only choice was to remove him from the car, and reload him. I coaxed him out of the car, and invited him into the backseat again. He obliged. But it was clear he was determined to be in the driver's seat, so I slammed the back door shut and madly whirled around to try to beat him to the front seat. I jumped in and won the race - barely. But I was so proud. Andrew, it turned out, didn't care he'd lost, as he simply rested his big head on the console between the front seats, and settled down to enjoy head scratches from Carol, while I drove the car. We started our trek to the final destination.

Our drive was uneventful from our viewpoint. Not sure it was from Dolly's point-of-view, as Andrew sprawled across most of the backseat. But Dolly, being the good-natured girl she is, made the sacrifice for the hour-long drive.

Andrew's foster mother, Michelle, was there to meet him. I reluctantly handed him over, as I was concerned he might pull her slightly-built frame over, but Michelle told me she has a 80-pound dog at home, so I relaxed and let him go. The last I saw of Andrew, he was driving Michelle home.

Dolly was so fortunate to be meeting her forever mommy, Kate, for the very first time. And I think they hit it off, don't you? Kate had knelt down to greet Dolly, and Dolly was so happy to meet her, that she pushed forward to give her new mommy a kiss, and knocked Kate back onto her butt. Kate didn't seem to mind, and Dolly was happy 'cause it was much easier to give Kate kisses.

We told Dolly she needed to be sure to get along with her new Sheltie brother who would greet her once she arrived at her new forever home. Dolly blinked, and I knew, without a doubt, that they'd be the best of friends in no time.

Maddy in the House

Maddy, a beautiful lab mix, needed a transport and a place to stay for only one night because her ride to Vermont couldn't take her until the day after she arrived in our area.  So my friend, and now fellow transport driver, Linda, decided to take the plunge.  After all, it was only for one night.  Linda worked out a plan in her head to solve logistics with her three cats, since she wasn't sure how they'd react to Maddy in the house.  The solution was to keep everyone apart.

Linda drove to the pickup point on Saturday, April 21st, and anxiously awaited Maddy's arrival that evening.  There were actually ten dogs being picked up at that location, out of an entire transport consisting of 52 dogs/puppies and 9 cats, all from Darlington, SC.  At first I thought Maddy's name was Maddy Darlington, so she soon became Maddy Darling in my thoughts.  I suspect Linda might think that's an appropriate name.  The 52 dogs in this transport were going to New York, Vermont, and other New England states, as well as the ten coming to Pennsylvania.

Linda believes Maddy has never lived inside a home.  She didn't know how to maneuver the steps at first (that's Maddy, not Linda; Linda knew how to work the steps).  Once upstairs, Linda turned on the TV, and it startled Maddy, as did the mirror.  Mirror, mirror, on the wall; who's the prettiest pup of them all?  Linda assured Maddy she was.

Maddy soon made herself at home, and barely noticed Linda's cats -- although they noticed Maddy.  But Maddy was undeterred.  Here she is watching TV.  If only she had popcorn!  But just being in a nice, safe place was good enough for Maddy, and  she immediately got busy training Linda.  Walks every three hours.  Plenty of food and water.  And most of all, lots and lots of petting and hugs.  For all this, Maddy graciously lavished kisses on Linda.

 Linda fell in love with Maddy; not just puppy love or a fleeting love.  She felt completely bonded.  Of course, she did!  Just look how comfortable Maddy was in what was an entirely strange place with a complete stranger!  This is one happy dog!   


Linda dutifully delivered Maddy to the Vermont transport the following day, but began thinking that since her one-night foster of Maddy was such a wonderful experience, she should seriously consider becoming a regular foster home for other wayward Almost Home Dog Rescue dogs.  I'll keep you posted.  My bet is Linda will soon be fostering to her heart's content -- and making the lives of many dogs very content during their transition to their forever home.

Linda Transports Cassie & Thumper

As you may recall, my friend and coworker, Linda, accompanied me on my last transport of Rosalind. As a result of that day, Linda decided to become a driver herself, and transported dogs for the first time on April 7th. I decided to include Linda’s transports on my blog to keep it more active, and to drive home the point that dog transporting goes on constantly, because there are thousands and thousands of dogs that need help to get to a place where they will be safe and have a much better chance of finding a good home. So hooray for Linda!

Linda transported Thumper, a little beagle who was suffering from a urinary tract infection and was not feeling well. You can see this in his face. He was, however, very sweet and simply sat in the back seat and rested the entire drive. Upon his arrival to his new home, he was immediately given medicine for his illness, and will recover nicely, I’m sure. Thankfully, he was rescued, as who knows what might have happened to him without treatment. Linda drove Thumper to his forever family, a young woman and two children, who expressed their glee at Thumper's arrival.


And then, there was Cassie. Cassie is a puggle, a cross between a pug and a beagle. What a face! I think Linda fell in love, because she commented a few times about “how cute Cassie is”. I personally find that just a tad bit unbelievable. But I suspect this little dog had oodles of personality. So now, I’m going to get brave and place a photo in color so you can get the full picture.

Linda handed her over to her foster mom so Cassie will be well taken care of until someone comes along who will appreciate her true beauty.

Linda told me her first transporting experience was quite gratifying, and I look forward to including more of her transports in my future blog posts. Hopefully, next time, Linda will have only healthy passengers, and maybe they'll be equally as full of personality as Cassie. After all, beauty
is in the eye of the beholder.

Rosalind Got Adopted!

I am so happy to report that Rosalind, my last transport dog who arrived on the big truck with dozens of other dogs, got adopted. Here's what her foster mother told me:

Just wanted to let you know that Rosalind got adopted today! Lovely family from New Jersey. I'm attaching a picture from today at Cutters Mill. They had found her on Petfinder and inquired about her. I contacted them and sent them pics and video and they wanted to meet her. We got their home inspection done and they met her today and adopted her on the spot. A great family for a great dog!!! I'll miss her but it's all good stuff. :)))