All That Lying Paid Off

        When I was a teenager, I lied a lot.  About my activities.  About boyfriends. About where I was going when I left in the car.  I got very good at it, yet once I got out on my own, I had no reason to lie.

           Occasionally I lie to pull my students' legs. (Yesterday when one of my students saw me leave an out-of-the-way staff restroom upstairs,  they asked me what that door was to. I told them it led to a small hallway and some stairs, and downstairs was the staff swimming pool.  Then the music teacher got into it, and said there was a spa there as well.  Then I heaped on even more:  There was also a sundae bar down there.  The teachers get to make ice cream sundaes and choose their own toppings. They bought it--hook, line and sinker--so I had to tell them we were kidding them.) However, recently I lied, and will answer to a "higher power" for it...

          The dog rescue group I work with had a call a few weeks ago about a Golden Retriever that was tied outside all night and all day on a daily basis.  I was the one who got the call, so I had all these sad images in my head.  The heat has been unbearable; I could not imagine having no respite from the humidity and the sun. The caller said the dog howled constantly, and got yelled at because of the noise it made. Goldens are people-oriented dogs, so not having people giving them the affection and attention they thrive on made me determined to do what I could do to help out this dog.

          The town where this dog was is situated about 2 1/2 hours away.  I drove there, having no idea if the family would be home, or if they would agree to sell the dog to me.  (I had a small amount of money with me, hopefully enough to tempt them.)

          Thankfully, the owners were not too suspicious or smart or savvy, because the tale I told had lots of holes in it.  (Or perhaps my teenaged lies have honed my skills more than I thought?)  Anyway, after speaking to them for more than an hour, I drove home with the dog.  At every rest stop where we paused, for a potty break, I tried to convey to this gorgeous Golden that life was going to be different from now on...

       This gentle boy has not had an accident in our house yet, he is a "sponge" when it comes to human contact, and is learning how to play.

      

photo by laurent.brun31

          Unfortunately, he will not be able to play or be active for the next month and a half.  The vet found he is heartworm positive, which means after he is treated--after his neutering and after the treatment for heartworms--he will have to stay quiet in a crate for a month.  He might not make it, although our rescue has had great results with dogs plagued by heartworms. (We're getting more and more dogs from rural areas, and when dogs are kept outside all the time, and don't receive the needed monthly medication, they're susceptible.)

         If he survives the treatment, and if we don't fall hopelessly in love with him while we are fostering him, he will be up for adoption. At least one of those is a big if...