Our New Girl-Lady; A Lucky Dog to a Forever Home

From In the Garden

Memorial Day weekend was a very nice weekend. I worked a bit during the weekend with my garden design business but we Ramseys did have time for a day off and some fun. Our fun began on that Monday when we were headed to the post exchange for some shopping when what do we see? From a distance I knew it was a dog running in the middle of a main road on Fort Campbell. There was no one around and no buildings were in the immediate vicinity. I often see dogs running loose on Fort Campbell and other streets and I usually try to stop and 'rescue' the dog. Most of the time the dogs are so skittish they simply run away, but not this girl. She came straight to the Jimster and Mr. Fix-it and was all too happy to jump in the truck. Oh dear, now what do we do?

We headed straight for the Stray Animal facility on base where we were fortunate enough to catch a tech on duty checking on the animals. She was kind enough to check this girl for a microchip. Of course there wasn't one found. What did I expect when she is running loose on a highway with no collar? We briefly talked with the tech who said they take in about 40 animals per week but only adopt out about 15 during the week. What does that tell you? Animals have life so rough. I know humans do too but for the most part humans have a way out whereas animals are completely dependent upon we humans. This is not always a winning situation for the animals. We decided to keep this girl and see if we could place her. I knew at that point Mr. Fix-it was sold on placing her in our home. Who was he kidding? Normally we do not keep stray animals or we'd own about 20 dogs. Not a good thing for anyone. But this girl had something special about her. She immediately lay her head down and went to sleep in the truck. She was not in any way frightened of us and was very trusting. We were not used to this and totally fell for her sweetness. The next step was to introduce her to the four dogs at home.

We've had experience with this in the past so we were all confident we could handle any situation that may have arisen should the dogs fight. First BJ is introduced. If he accepts a new dog then the rest fall into line. It is funny too since he is the most laid back dog and we consider Link to be the alpha male I am always surprised how BJ is the moderator of everything dog related in our home. This gal barked a bit but bowed down to BJ. She was very submissive. We feel like she is not even one year old due to her very shiny white teeth. Jimmy remarked her teeth are whiter than his-not fair! All dogs accepted this gal. Bella was a bit gruff but she'll get over herself I am sure. She is just grumpy anyhow and misses her mama Christine; who will take Bella back once she is settled back here in Tennessee in a few months.

Jimmy named this gal Lady. At first he had named her Goody since she was such a sweet girl and very loving. She is apparently a German shepherd mix. Perhaps with a collie? The vet says collies are very submissive. We don't really know her background. Normally I am a strictly golden retriever type of girl but this gal's personality won out and opened my eyes to other options. She is such a sweetie and most loyal! She knows her commands and is healthy, albeit a bit skinny. She sticks by our sides like glue. She even escaped our very well fenced backyard to run after me. She had no interest in running away and only wanted to be with me. Too bad Bella can't learn that lesson then she might be allowed out front. As it is Bella runs straight for the road-talk about heart failure! Anyhow, we think Lady will be a good dog and are able to give her a good home. We can't do that with all dogs but are feeling most happy we could help her out.

The Fort Campbell Stray Animal facility was a very kind place to work with. The cost of having her 'adopted' was $97. This included a fecal test, all shots and spay. I would strongly recommend any locals reading this blog to consider adopting a pet from there. There are several animal shelters in the community in addition to the Fort Campbell shelter. It just so happened we found Lady on Fort Campbell so it was within their jurisdiction. You do not need to be military to adopt out there. All of our pets have either been strays or come from animal shelters. They are, in my humble opinion, the best pets and the most grateful. There is a right fit pet for every single soul out there-you need only find it. That right pet may be waiting for you right now...

in the garden....

Update: After a visit to the Fort Campbell veterinarian we have found out Lady is most likely a mix between a shepherd and collie due to her submissiveness to the other dogs. She has never been in heat so the vet estimates she is about eight months old. A puppy indeed. She weights 35 pounds (update: after two weeks she now weighs 45 pounds!) but it is anticipated she will grow a bit more. Her ears are huge. The vet said they were characteristic of coyote ears. Not a good thing but she can hear real well. Now on to the listening...as in no swimming in my bathtub pond and no chewing everything in sight!

Any pet stories of how your pet came to its forever home?


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In the Garden