The story below isn't about anyone I know personally; it's from the JoeMyGod blog. It made me think of the years my husband spent working in animal shelters and all the abused, abandoned or traumatized dogs we either adopted or fostered; one was thrown into a dumpster when he was 5 weeks old and we had him until he passed on at age 16.
People who work in shelters often get burned out quickly because they see cases like this every single day; "they just keep coming", as one exhausted worker told me once. In all the talk about "sin" in our churches and about ethics in secular life, the way that the animals whom we've made dependent on us are often treated doesn't come up nearly as often as it should. This dog was in a horrible situation and was one of the lucky ones.
Big Teddy is my Husky/Sheppard mix - huge dog.
He's one of the most beautiful dogs I've ever seen...smart too.
He belonged to my neighbors across the street. They had him tied to a small tree - too small to give shade- with a logging chain. No collar, the chain was wrapped around his neck and padlocked in place. He couldn't move but about 3 ft around the tree, and the grass was ripped out where that heavy chain drug. They would leave him out there in the boiling hot southern sun and almost never feed or water him - and I saw him turning into a skeleton and I thought to myself "You can keep calling animal control, but they're never going to stop this...he's dying, today is the day you have to DO something." and the next thing I knew, I found myself storming across the street.
I didn't know Teddy, and he looks ferocious, so I was plenty scared...but he was so weak at that point... and I think he knew I was there to help him.
Anyway, I started trying to roll the chain over his head. I know it hurt him going over his ears and eyes...but I did my best to be gentle...and I finally managed to wrestle it off,
Then...he was so big...and so weak...and I didn't know how to get him to come with me...so..I picked him up and slung him over my shoulder and started to carry him off...and he just let me, he didn't struggle at all...
Lord, we'd have both been on the ground if he had because he was, even then, pretty heavy for me.
About the time I started down the hill with him, the man from over there came outside and started yelling about how that was his dog...and so I put Teddy down and turned around and said "I'm taking him home with me. So, either you give me the dog, or I call the police and report you for animal abuse." which I'd already done, but the animal control out here is completely worthless...and that asshole had no idea how many times I'd called them already.
Teddy was in pitiful shape..and I was counting on him not wanting to get into trouble...so...since he said nothing else... I went ahead and brought Teddy home with me, gave him a bath, fed him up, and then we saved all of our money for the next 7 or 8 months to buy odd used fence pieces..till we had enough to build him almost an acre enclosure against the back and side fences of our neighbors....
He'd never known life off the chain, and even we had him on a runner at first...anyhow...that fence looks like shit, but he now runs and plays... and I have him up to around 75/80lbs. This is his second year with us. I wish I'd acted sooner, I know I should have, but I couldn't find the balls to just storm over and TAKE the dog...until that day....
Smartest dog ever...sweetest, most loving boy...picks up tricks really fast...and he loves birds. All kinds. His bff is a chicken, or was. (She had a trajesty.)
I wish he'd sleep in the house with me, but he doesn't like it in here...gets too hot for him, I think...anyway, that's Big Teddy.....
