Bella would still be Bella but that damn crazy woman in Florida got the “Bella Vita” tattoo and I just didn’t 
want to have that linked to a puppy. There was a Pit Bull who pulled her mom off some railroad tracks and lost a leg doing it and her name was Lily. Lillith was named after a brave dog and was not going to be named after a child killer. I do not know for certain that woman killed her daughter but I do know for certain she didn’t lose a leg trying to prevent it.
Sam certainly never had a name. He was tossed as soon as he was weaned and it’s possible his 
dog mom was out in the woods trying to keep him and his siblings alive somehow when she was killed. Sam and whoever was left wandered off and finally Sam, the last survivor, was found by Bert. I often wonder how it is Sam got to be where he was. Patrick the Wonder Dog looked downright robust in comparison to what someone left me to deal with. In twelve years I’ve learned more about the long term effects of abuse on a sentient creature than I ever feared there was to know. But I gave Sam twelve years and a name. I gave Sam a home and some siblings. Death is never truly cheated but Sam and I have run a scam on the Old Man and we’re still running as fast as Time will let us.
Maybe Bert had a name and perhaps he did not. He wasn’t ill kept and Bert was always happy. His dog sister was in the same pound and I wish I could have foreseen who Bert would be for I sure as hell would have liked that genetic line in a pair of dogs. I have no idea who else was in that litter with Bert and his sister but I would like to think somewhere out there is someone who still has her, or maybe there are two or three out there like Bert. That dog was a dog lover’s dog through and through. There aren’t enough words out there to get it right, really.
I think Lucas was dumped, too. The vet told me that Lucas would be stunted and if that’s true I am very happy because otherwise he might be a Water Buffalo. I’m told that people will dump accidental puppies that belong to larger breeds because “they get too big”. That woman in Florida might have had some of those very same thoughts for all I know. But Lucas turned out beautiful as well as big. There wasn’t a way to prepare for Bert’s death and there isn’t a way to mend that loss, but Lucas did arrive in time to get some training from the best dog ever. He has done the most with it.
Adopt don’t shop. I can’t tell you that you will find what I did, those gems in the woods, on the road, and in shelters, but I can tell you that is the only place you will find them. Click on photos to enlarge
Take Care,
Mike
Mike writes regularly at his site: The Hickory Head Hermit
Opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the management of this site.
+21-13
Amen, Mike, Amen! All my pets have come from shelters.
Thanks, Jim!
What have you? Dogs Cats? Both? How many!!!
Had dogs, have cats due to lifestyle restrictions. I could go back to dogs when they make one that will shit in a box!
Thanks Mike,I enjoyed that.
Whoever voted this down…I hate you.
Just ignore the negative votes. We have a troll or two who like to pretend that they are smart.
Thanks, Tony.
I’m not worried about internet trolls not liking me. My dogs love me, and you liked the article so it’s a happy ending!
Great message, Mike. We’ve adopted a long string of shelter dogs and there isn’t a breeder in the world who could have “designed” or “built” smarter, better, or more loving and loyal dogs than they were.
Thanks, Fred,
I believe the owner makes the dog, for better or worse, and rescues know they’ve been rescued.
My wife and I have always been suckers for strays, pound puppies and castoffs. Our current family includes a German Shepherd mix, a Lab mix, a Pit mix and a Beagle/Bassett. All different personalities but all of them are loved, even the Pit who kinda reminds me of the crazy Uncle that every family has. He is a loving fellow, but he does things his own way.
Hi Richard,
I’ve never met a GSD I didn’t like. Labs are just plain great people and I can’t think of a better blend than Beagle/Basset.
But my heart belongs to the Pit Bulls. They’ll always be my favorite dog. They’ve bigger hearts than they do heads and that’s saying a lot.
Oh, and I am that Uncle.
Excellent article and because I’m a little weird too, 3 thumbs up. My bestest friends have fur.
This is the internet, Bella. I have a photo somewhere that shows you with three thumbs, Elvis and Bigfoot!
My heart belongs to the pits as well. And the Catahoulas, I’ve adopted one of those we lost her years ago. And the Border Collies, I adopted one of those, well she was mixed with Blue Heeler. Smarter than most of my friends. We recently lost her after 13 years. I still have my pit. She still cries when I leave, she’s still lonely for her buddy, but she’s such a diva, she won’t let me have another dog, Fancy was here when she got here so that was ok. It’s not ok to bring home anyone new, picky bitch she is.
Getting a new dog into the pack can be a bitch, Chick, but you ought to keep trying. Sam wasn’t very happy when Lucas got here, I tell you!
My parents were on vacation in Corsica ( French island ) and saw a stray skinny dog at the campsite, about the size of a German Shepherd, they fed it a bit and he came back every day, never begged, just sat a few meters away n waited for something to be given. Parents moved on for 2 weeks and came back the last few days. The dog was still there! They took him to a local vet to be checked out and get some shots, called me if I wanted a dog ( they already had 3 ) and loaded Mori in the sidecar of their Moto Guzzi.Dad was driving, mom was in the side cart with Kain and with the forged vet papers ( made by the vet, only the shot dates were changed )they smuggled him to me in Holland ^^ ( officially after a dog gets his shots you need to wait some days/weeks before you can take the dog abroad, something like that )
Kain is the best loyal dog ever! I got him in 2001, the vet there said he must have been about 2 years old.He’s getting grey now, but you cant tell its an old dog. He’s always friendly to humans and other animals, except for the box with licorice my mom keeps around XD
He is also inventive, manages to open every door, and once he somehow got over a 2 meter ( 6.6″ ? ) high wall.
Damn I love stories like that Hikiko!
I had a dog that was a climber, too. No fence could hold him and never did.
I wake up every morning sneezing or itching in the nose and eyes because of that four legged being I decided to adopt, and it annoys me something fierce, but whenever we chill out and he purrs and I’m chillaxed as well, all that shit seems epically trivial. It’s as though all is well; the sun shines bright and we’re on the small backyard lawn on a picnic blanket under the hung laundries absolutely content. ‘Purr…’ says the cat. Indeed, kitty; purr.
Miss Silver that is a fitting ode to any cat! Thank you!
We’ve had several adopted dogs in our more than 50 years of marriage. The one I miss the most was Dusty, so named because that was what she was when she jumped into my truck at the jobsite and refused to get out. She was a Pit/Great Dane mix. We canvassed the neighborhood, checked super market bulletin boards and brought her back to the jobsite daily for almost a year and nobody ever claimed her. She stayed by my side (literally) for 14 years.
Presently, there is Bubba, a black lab who was found by others in a ditch with a bullet in his right hind leg. He still has the bullet, but he has gained about fifty pounds and refuses to leave my wife’s side.
Something about dogs who appreciate what you do for them. I doubt they realize how much they do for us.
Old Geezer,
That’s pretty much why those of us in rescue are in rescue; it is never a thankless job. Those dragged out of ditches and pulled out of shelters never stop appreciating it. I’ve never had one just get into a truck with me. You lucky dog you…both of you.
I’ve adopted a month ago. Sadly, I just learned what Parvovirus is. In the two weeks we had Karma she became my angel. I will adopt again, when the hurt isn’t quite so raw.
Chris,
You are going to lose what you love in rescues sometimes. Don’t be so afraid to lose it that you’re afraid to have it.
Honestly, when Bert died I really thought it would be years before I could adopt again. Lillith came along four months later.
When you lose a buddy, the next dog is not a replacement, it’s a new buddy.
In your life they come and go, but in your heart they accumulate.
Well said. I like that.
Me too! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If i was a dog,i would wish for people like you people to own me.
Thankyou.
Adopt a stray, Tony and you will be people like us!
( and a higher compliment I have never had)