Dropped One Off - Picked One Up

It was a double rescue day. One scheduled, one surprise.

A neighbors dog, a 1 yr old German Shepherd named Penelope, slipped out of her fence and came calling. She and Mickey had a lovely run in the yard together. Trouble was, neighbors weren't home and we needed to go out. I called and left messages at both numbers from her tags. And fairly quickly her owner called. It was decided we'd drop Penny off at Camp Bow Wow for the rest of the day. So we loaded her up and took her to camp. Mission accomplished.

Next pick up was our new foster, whom Reno has dubbed Hammerin Hank. He's a scrawny boy, who's had a rough life. Picked up as a stray, with several wounds in various stages of healing. When he was moved from the shelter, after his 7 days were up, he could barely walk. He spent the next 2 months boarded at the local vet clinic. He has a homely body (in places), but a beautiful face, and I'm certain a wonderful spirit to match it. He has totally gnarly nipples, probably trauma from laying on concrete. He has several marks possibly from shot gun pellets. He has some leg swelling above one of the wound sites, that makes him look like he has fat ankles. Except in his case he has a fat hock.

We laughed at him in the car. At first he sat and watched all the oncoming traffic. Each time a vehicle passed, he ducked his head. He looked like a real live bobble head. After about 20 minutes he learned he didn't need to duck any more. That's what I love about fostering - seeing how quickly they learn about the good stuff life can offer.

He ate well, sipped from the water bowl, toured the yard, and settled nicely in his crate. He knows how to do stairs, looks like he may have taken some courses in counter surfing, and gave us several lovely points at robins in the yard.

And so it begins. Just like that you open your heart to the unknown, and soon the possibilities begin to bloom. This chapter about blooming is called: Hank Goes To The City

More chapters to follow.