Dear Sir:
Unless you’ve had it happen to you, you haven’t experienced the agony of suddenly having to give up your dog. It’s happening much more than people realize. In fact, it’s fast becoming a phenomena.
Suddenly, you have to move — and just as suddenly there’s a problem with four legs and a wagging tail. It’s your dog. Many landlords today, renting and
otherwise, do not want your beloved
buddy. They don’t want noise, they don’t want someone’s head ripped off, or they don’t want ‘yellow sprinkles’ on their lawn.
And then you find out if someone wants your dog, they would like it ‘appraised’ by a Vet. The dog must have a clean bill of health for anything from rabies to distemper, clean teeth, and be unable to have puppies. The check-ups can cost up to $800.
All you want is a good home for your dog, people who will love and care for it as you do. How do you find them, or vice versa? I found the best way is an ad in The Terrace Standard. I ran an ad and I’m still getting calls, mainly from lonely people who want a small companion they can fit into their purse.
Sometimes, fate can intervene like an act of God, even before you’ve watered the garden with tears.
I’ll ever be grateful to a friend who thought she could find a home for our dog. She knew our pet could even sing like a wolf, gradually climbing to the top of an operatic scale.
Before that, I had even considered entering our pal in a comedy show.
She took the dog with her, and chanced to meet a wonderful couple with a farm. They didn’t have a dog, but they had a cat, lots of acreage, and some horses.
When our dog moved in, the cat moved downstairs, choosing to sleep in a drawer.
You never know when a prayer is going to be answered, even if your cousin is dying at the same time as the dog drama is taking place. I phoned the new owners to see how our little ‘pal’ was doing. Surprise! Even though she had made a run for home, the new owner had caught up to her (like chasing
a tornado) — before she was devoured by a pack of wolves. It turned out that the people are totally wonderful. (This left a few bereft people still answering the Ad).
My Grandmother used to say, “God works in wondrous ways.” Now I can cry in peace and say goodbye to the last of my 6th beloved pals, most of whom are buried in gardens, all except the last one.
Sylvia E. (Sands) Johnson,
Terrace, B.C.
