Love at First Sight

I'll bet by now you know that I am a dog lover. Can't deny it. Won't try to hide it.
I am also a cat lover and horse lover and bird lover and .....oh ....what the heck.....
I love ALL animals.....
even the ones that most people don't.
( but that's another story )

This story is about Goldie. It's a bit out of sequence but you'll see why in a minute.

a little background ..... 

My husband,    ....who from this day forth,  on this blog,  shall be known as "Lifeguard" ,  also loves all animals. But for now he says only dogs.
So we have dogs.
We have had dogs since 1990, when we became Niki's people.
( but that's also another story )

Being dog lovers, our name was on several lists. You know....mailing lists. Especially the ones who ask for money. Yes I know everyone is on those lists. But I actually read what they send. In 1993 we became supporters of Best Friends Animal Society while on a trip out West. We didn't actually stop to visit at the time because we were  passing through on our way to the Grand Canyon. But I saw their sign in Kanab Utah,  and remembered that they were one of the organizations that were asking for money. The sign was enough proof for me that they were "real"
So we...   meaning   " I ",    started to send them money. They in turn started to send me their bi-monthly magazine.    A bond was formed.     I saved every single one.
I became their biggest fan.


Now fast forward to October of 2005......

Just before leaving for a short vacation, Lifeguard brought in the mail. We had received the latest issue of BestFriends magazine. I was too wrapped up in packing at the time so I told him to tuck it in with my other magazines and I would read it when we get to our destination.  Well you know how vacations are. We were having so much fun that we didn't look at the magazine until the last day. As I was packing for the trip home I found it in my suitcase.  But just one look and I was stunned. I could not stop looking at the poor dog on the cover. It had been a couple months since Hurricane Katrina had left her mark, and I really didn't want to read about it anymore. You know how it is. I was suffering from  media overload.  I was about to put it back in the bag when Lifeguard told me I had  to read the story and  asked "Hey, doesn't that dog look like Ginger?"

She did look like Ginger. A very wet and frightened Ginger.
Well , sorry honey,  I really didn't want to read it.

 but found myself reading it over and over again.......and staring at the dog on the cover.
Yes, it looked like our Ginger. But there was something else very captivating about the dog. You could see it in her eyes.  I needed to know more.

That was the first time I saw Goldie. And I knew the feeling I was feeling. I had felt it before.  I contacted Best Friends. I wanted to know more about the dog on the cover.
Was she ok? 
Was she reunited with her family?  
What I really wanted to know was.....

" Is she available for adoption? "

I was smitten.  We had three dogs at the time,  Ginger and Shadie, and Dutch. Niki had had died in 2004.
I was used to 4 dogs. So I had room for one more. I could make room for Goldie. 
I wasn't able to get any information about her. Everyone at Best Friends was still overwhelmed from the rescues and no one seemed to know what happened to the yellow dog on the cover of the magazine.
Lifeguard said it was their way of saying "Don't bother us we are busy"   Yes I guess they were busy.....
so I put the thought aside.

but only for a while............

to be continued






This story is being told as a tribute to Best Friends Animal Society.  Five years ago,  Best Friends  led the charge to save the animals being left behind in the aftermath of Katrina.  Best Friends has also played a big part in helping me start RuffHaven.  I thought now,  the 5th anniversary of the rescue of so many animals, would be a good a time to share this story with anyone who cares to read it.