Road Dog
- Tuesday, June 15 2010 @ 07:20 pm UTC
- Contributed by: erik
- Views: 2,253
Roadie finds a home
About 3 months ago on a Sunday afternoon, our friend Kathy was driving home from work on Zemel road in Punta Gorda. She witnessed a car dropping a dog off in the middle of the road. The car sped away before she could get to the spot. She stopped her car and approached the dog, who was still sitting patiently in the middle of the street awaiting its owners return. Kathy was taken by the calm demeanor of the dog. He was not phased by his master driving off and remained loyal to the command. He was flea covered and dirty, but smiled and seemed friendly.
Kathy, a multiple dog owner herself, beckoned him to come to her. He responded and came over to her car, jumped in and off they went. Kathy drove to our home and site of South West Florida German Shepherd rescue and asked us what to do? It was a Sunday and besides animal control being off, the Animal Welfare League, our Charlotte County Shelter, was also closed.
Kathy and I decided to drive back to the area where she found him and look for his owner. Needless to say, the so called owner would never be found. Many people treat their loyal pets as disposable garbage, and when done with them for any reason, simply discard them in the street to be hit by a car or die a cruel death by starvation. People who can do this should, in my humble opinion, also be placed in a small box and left to die on the same street. It takes all kinds, but the world surely needs less Michael Vicks and people such as this.
We searched the woods and the park area for anyone looking for their dog, but found no one. We then went into the local neighborhood to see if anyone knew the pup or could help us find the rightful owner. The first house we went to was owned by Kelly and Kenny, a couple whose beloved dog had recently passed away. They agreed to come out to the truck to see Road Dog, as I called him, and try and to identify him. When my truck door opened and Kelly saw Road Dog, it was love at first sight. The instant bond between Kelly and the dog inside was almost a palpable force that we all could feel immediately.
They both said that they had no clue who the owner was and that Road Dog was not ‘from the area’….Kenny asked if he was lost or discarded, I said that I was 98% certain he was a throw away and that after a 5 day wait in the AWL, he would be available for adoption. Both Kelly and Kenny seemed eager to ask more questions and said that they would like to think about the possibility of adopting him, if he was not claimed.
Road Dog stayed with us that night and we transferred him to the AWL the next morning. After the 5 day wait he was being prepped for adoption when his heart worm test came back as positive.
Heart worm is a disease that is almost certainly fatal if left untreated. Because we will typically fund the treatment of heart worm positive German Shepherd dogs for our rescue, we decided to offer that option to Kelly and Kenny. Eagerly they agreed and immediately decided to help finance the treatment.
Weeks went by for Roadie at the AWL hospital, which was now his official name, in the care of the AWL shelter staff. Roadie recovered nicely from the disease and was adopted out to Kelly and Kenny.
Roadie hit the lotto, as Kenny put it… most dogs in his situation find themselves in shelters who are unable to treat them, which results in putting the dog down in many cases. Most shelters do not have funding to treat all sick dogs and yet some, like the Animal Welfare League, do their utmost to save every adoptable dog they can. These wonderful people helped save Roadie and facilitated his survival to live a long and happy life with two tremendous and generous people.
Both Diane and I knew immediately that Roadie was a great dog and we went the extra mile for him. We wish Roadie and his new family all the best life can offer.
Kelly and Kenny Wrote:
Dear Erik and Diane,
Kenny and I just have to thank you from the bottom or our hearts for helping us adopt our new dog Roadie. Because he was set out, then tested positive for heartworm at the Animal Welfare League of Charlotte County, his fate would have been sure death had you not gotten involved. Because of you, he is now cured of the heartworm and is thriving as the newest member of our family. He is vibrant, happy and alert and alive, thanks to you and your foundation. Every morning when we look at his sweet face, we realize he was destined to meet you, and to be ours. Or are we his? Many, many, many heartfelt thanks for all the good you do, for dogs and us humans who share their lives. We'll be telling this story for years to come! Most sincerely, Kelly and Ken
About 3 months ago on a Sunday afternoon, our friend Kathy was driving home from work on Zemel road in Punta Gorda. She witnessed a car dropping a dog off in the middle of the road. The car sped away before she could get to the spot. She stopped her car and approached the dog, who was still sitting patiently in the middle of the street awaiting its owners return. Kathy was taken by the calm demeanor of the dog. He was not phased by his master driving off and remained loyal to the command. He was flea covered and dirty, but smiled and seemed friendly.
Kathy, a multiple dog owner herself, beckoned him to come to her. He responded and came over to her car, jumped in and off they went. Kathy drove to our home and site of South West Florida German Shepherd rescue and asked us what to do? It was a Sunday and besides animal control being off, the Animal Welfare League, our Charlotte County Shelter, was also closed.
Kathy and I decided to drive back to the area where she found him and look for his owner. Needless to say, the so called owner would never be found. Many people treat their loyal pets as disposable garbage, and when done with them for any reason, simply discard them in the street to be hit by a car or die a cruel death by starvation. People who can do this should, in my humble opinion, also be placed in a small box and left to die on the same street. It takes all kinds, but the world surely needs less Michael Vicks and people such as this.
We searched the woods and the park area for anyone looking for their dog, but found no one. We then went into the local neighborhood to see if anyone knew the pup or could help us find the rightful owner. The first house we went to was owned by Kelly and Kenny, a couple whose beloved dog had recently passed away. They agreed to come out to the truck to see Road Dog, as I called him, and try and to identify him. When my truck door opened and Kelly saw Road Dog, it was love at first sight. The instant bond between Kelly and the dog inside was almost a palpable force that we all could feel immediately.
They both said that they had no clue who the owner was and that Road Dog was not ‘from the area’….Kenny asked if he was lost or discarded, I said that I was 98% certain he was a throw away and that after a 5 day wait in the AWL, he would be available for adoption. Both Kelly and Kenny seemed eager to ask more questions and said that they would like to think about the possibility of adopting him, if he was not claimed.
Road Dog stayed with us that night and we transferred him to the AWL the next morning. After the 5 day wait he was being prepped for adoption when his heart worm test came back as positive.
Heart worm is a disease that is almost certainly fatal if left untreated. Because we will typically fund the treatment of heart worm positive German Shepherd dogs for our rescue, we decided to offer that option to Kelly and Kenny. Eagerly they agreed and immediately decided to help finance the treatment.
Weeks went by for Roadie at the AWL hospital, which was now his official name, in the care of the AWL shelter staff. Roadie recovered nicely from the disease and was adopted out to Kelly and Kenny.
Roadie hit the lotto, as Kenny put it… most dogs in his situation find themselves in shelters who are unable to treat them, which results in putting the dog down in many cases. Most shelters do not have funding to treat all sick dogs and yet some, like the Animal Welfare League, do their utmost to save every adoptable dog they can. These wonderful people helped save Roadie and facilitated his survival to live a long and happy life with two tremendous and generous people.
Both Diane and I knew immediately that Roadie was a great dog and we went the extra mile for him. We wish Roadie and his new family all the best life can offer.
Kelly and Kenny Wrote:
Dear Erik and Diane,
Kenny and I just have to thank you from the bottom or our hearts for helping us adopt our new dog Roadie. Because he was set out, then tested positive for heartworm at the Animal Welfare League of Charlotte County, his fate would have been sure death had you not gotten involved. Because of you, he is now cured of the heartworm and is thriving as the newest member of our family. He is vibrant, happy and alert and alive, thanks to you and your foundation. Every morning when we look at his sweet face, we realize he was destined to meet you, and to be ours. Or are we his? Many, many, many heartfelt thanks for all the good you do, for dogs and us humans who share their lives. We'll be telling this story for years to come! Most sincerely, Kelly and Ken