That Rascally Rascal

On Saturday, September 18th, a puppy named Rascal, who was described as "ugly" needed a ride to his foster mom, Kelly. But Rascal wasn't ugly at all! A bit gangly, but certainly not ugly. He just didn't know what to do on a leash. Well, and he lacked manners. But he was friendly and enjoyed being petted. At one point, he flopped over, belly up, for a nice tummy rub. I thought he was adorable with his floppy ears.

I was told it would be best to crate him, so I set up my crate with newspaper on the bottom, in case of an "accident". As usual, I put a couple milkbones and a toy in the crate. As we pulled out of McDonald's lot, there was a lot of rustling going on in the backseat, as Rascal decided to bury his milkbones and toy. He kept himself quite busy with that for several minutes, then settled down and remained unimpressed by most everything for the rest of the ride. He didn't even make goo-goo eyes at Carol.

Carol and I almost forgot we had him in the back seat as we chatted the entire way to a shopping center, where Kelly was waiting with open arms -- and with her "mama" dog, Sophie (at right), who she knew for sure would teach Rascal the ropes.

Kelly didn't like the name Rascal much, and I learned a couple days later that Rascal became Kanye, which is Hawaiian for "free".

Since then, Kelly reports that he sat on her lap on the short ride back to her place, and it took Kanye less than an hour for him to sincerely trust her. He fell asleep on his back cuddling with her, and he's totally cool with her kitties and Sophie. He's a lap dog all the way and has done absolutely great already! And, he's adorable!

Who can pass up such a cute face anyway?

Three Nice Dogs

Yesterday, I had the honor of driving three absolutely wonderful dogs. Carol did not join me because there was no room for another human being. Notice the love the dogs gave ME without her!

I met Jen Daley, who runs this program, at the usual McDonald's in Morgantown. It was great meeting her and being able to tell her what a great job I think she does in saving dogs. It turns out she is now rescuing dogs from Virginia, as well as Kentucky, and that's why I now have more runs coming my way.


Olivia, who is pregnant, had no idea how to get into a car, so Jen literally lifted her into the back seat. And Olivia is a BIG dog! Then the golden puppy went in. Believe it or not, I had actually put a crate together (yay for my mechanical ability after all!) but I had to dismantle it because the dogs turned out to be larger and all wouldn't have fit. So Olivia and the puppy went in the backseat. Here's Olivia peeking in to the front seat.


I fell in love with the black border collie. He was an incredibly sweet dog, and he was chosen to sit in the passenger seat because he rode in the car so well. I have a small car so space for him was tight, but he rested his head on the console between the seats and gazed up at me a lot. I petted him every chance I got. He had been suffering from mange when they first got him, but after 3-4 months, his hair has grown back on his head, upper body and tail. Now the only telltale sign of mange is a little hair loss around his eyes. I learned later that this guy is only about six months old, although he looked full-grown and acted very mature to me. I'm sure he's seen a lot in his short lifetime.


And then there was the golden puppy, seen at right. Six months old and all energy -- or so I was told. She, like the other two, settled down and quietly rode the hour-long drive to our first stop. Only when I got off the turnpike and slowed to pay my tolls, did all three get antsy. So the trip itself was pretty uneventful.

I dropped Olivia off with Karen, who was going to be her foster mom, although I understand there's already someone interested in adopting her. How great is that, especially since she's pregnant!


Then the two puppies and I arrived at Animal Lifeline, where two more foster moms anxiously waited. They were so happy to see their respective charges. It's such a pleasure to know that people are willing to disrupt their normal lives to take in a stray dog who needs a temporary home.

So, another successful transport and three great dogs saved!


Jen tells me there will probably be another run coming up in a couple of weeks. So I'd better get busy washing my car windows to get all the nose and tongue prints off them. I can't have a dirty car to greet my new passengers!

Great News, Good News, and Bad News

I'm going to get right to the bad news and get it out of the way, because there's an awful lot of good news. Sadly, the dog I was supposed to transport yesterday, Maggie, developed another fever and was finally diagnosed with late stage distemper. So it was decided to put her down. Very upsetting, but also part of life for those unlucky dogs who aren't born into good, caring homes. That's just another reason why everyone needs to neuter their pets, to control the animal population so they can all have good homes, instead of roaming the streets or getting into the hands of those who don't care, neglect and abuse. May Maggie rest in peace.

Anyway, on to better news. I was also going to transport GG yesterday, but Jen, who valiantly runs this transport program, decided to keep him with her because she had a possible home for him already. Great news for GG, and I hope it all works out for him. Additionally, a kennel Jen knew of was being closed down in one of the southern states, and all the dogs were rescued and saved, as otherwise, they would have all been euthanized.

And the best news of all is about Danny, whom I transported last weekend. I am thrilled at this turn of events. Alice, his foster mom, wrote:

Just to let you know the good news (for us). After 15 foster dogs, we decided Danny was a keeper. With Luke & Franz approaching 13 years, and Franz suffering from severe arthritis, we decided we couldn't pass up such a good puppy.

Since he didn't seem to respond to "Danny", we decided to change his name to "Keeper"

We still intend to foster dogs, and I think Keeper will be a very playful and welcoming dog for others. So, we hope to see you whenever you are doing transport, or just stop by to say hello any time you need a dog "fix".

Thanks for bringing him to us.

Tom & Alice Sparks

Oh, Danny Boy!

Transport of Danny 8-14-10

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. Well, we felt like nuts because Danny took over the front seat of my small Hyundai Elantra.

My friend, Carol, once again accompanied me for my latest transport of rescue dog, Danny, a golden retriever from West Virginia. We were also supposed to pick up another dog, Maggie, but she ended up with a fever so it was decided she wouldn't travel yesterday.

It's a good thing! Danny had been neutered only the day before, but still maintained his spirit of adventure. And he wanted to adventure right into the front seat as we drove. Why? Well, first of all, probably because he could. He was, after all, an active, not-feeling-sorry-for-himself-at-all kind of dog. He wanted his share of love and attention.

Some day I should probably learn how to put together the dog crates I have for carting these rescue dogs. Anyway, Danny was a handful, but so beautiful and lovable. He loved his water, his treats and Carol; not necessarily in that order. This picture depicts the close relationship he and Carol developed so quickly. We hadn't even left the parking lot yet!

The drive was uneventful, except for Danny trying to either drive or cuddle with Carol, but when we exited the turnpike, we decided we should give Danny a rest. OK, Carol and I needed the rest. But Danny seemed to enjoy the stop too. And we pushed on to Doylestown, where Alice again waited for her newest foster dog. Thank you, Alice, for being so generous with your time, patience and affection for these wonderful dogs who have escaped a certain death. You and your husband, Tom, give your fosters happiness and a sense of stability, I'm sure, and an opportunity to have a taste of family life, as your two wonderful dogs also welcome their latest buddy into the fold. Here Danny is at Alice's with his new Newfie brother. You can see Danny was still favoring Carol. Geesh, what am I? Just a chauffeur?!!?

Next Saturday, I'll be transporting Maggie, assuming she's over her fever by then. Carol can't go with me. Why am I not too upset? LOL.

A Sweetheart of a Dog

Finally -- another dog transport! On Saturday, June 26th, my friend, Carol, and I wended our way to Morgantown to pick up beautiful, sweet Nala, a collie mix. We met Martha, a first-time driver behind McDonald's, who brought Nala to us. We gave Nala some water, let her do her thing on the grass, at which she was excellent, and then put her in the backseat of my car, and off we went.

Nala was a love. She put her head forward between the seats. Pretty soon, one toe was on the middle console between Carol and me, then two toes, and pretty soon, Nala had her head resting on Carol's shoulder, as Carol cooed over her and scratched her head.

Nala kept trying to creep forward. I'm positive that had we let her, she would have happily sat on Carol's lap. But she was too big a dog. Eventually she settled down in the backseat, but only to pop up and look out the window. Then she'd try the creeping forward act again. Carol fell for it -- hook, line and sinker. But she was a real joy (Nala, not Carol -- well, yes, Carol is nice and all that, but really, it was all about Nala).

We drove Nala to her foster home in Doylestown, where we were met by a delightful lady, Alice, who was prepared to foster Nala with her two other dogs, a beautiful black Newfoundland and a handsome shepherd. Alice said they would teach Nala her manners. Nala happily followed everyone into the backyard.

Alice e-mailed a few days later that Nala was adopted already and her forever home would be on a farm. I was so happy for Nala. Both Carol and I said we would have taken Nala, if we could, because she was so sweet, but we both work full time, have cats and live in condos, so it wouldn't have been fair. Anyway, it's wonderful to know another dog is safe and will live happily ever after.

And it looks like I may have another transport coming up this Saturday, August 14th. So I'll keep you posted. It appears my transports will be coming more frequently now, which I'm thrilled about. So please don't give up on my posts to UnderdogRailroad just yet. Stay tuned!