there are still good people in the world

[waltappel 1]

For some reason last night, I posted some thoughts that occurred to be while I had to take a piss really bad.

Here's the rest of the story.

I pulled into a store to use the bathroom and saw a Black Lab in the parking lot. That dog was incredibly skinny--ribs and hip bones showing, tail between her legs, wanting to approach people, but scared.

I can't stand seeing that kind of thing. It breaks my heart even thinking about it.

I went in the store and bought a sack of dry dog food and a large can of wet dog food. I couldn't get the dog to come any closer than about two feet. She did eat all the canned food, but didn't seem real interested in the dry food.

I need a dog like a need a hole in the head, and I've never had a dog in my car, but if I could have gotten her to trust me, I would have loaded that poor dirty, malnourished, and probably sick dog into my car and driven straight home.

While I was feeding her and trying to get her to trust me, two other people had had seen the dog came with food and water. One of them had been at the beauty salon next to the store. She had gone home to get food and water and brought enough to leave with the beauty salon people so they could continue to put food out for the dog.

If you think there are no good people left in the world, you are wrong. This was in Beaumont, TX--an area devastated by recent hurricanes and the locals have seen a lot of this type of tragedy.

They still have plenty of room in their hearts for a hungry stray dog.

After leaving the DZ last night, I went back to that store to try and find the dog. I couldn't find her and the guy working at the store hadn't seen her. I like to think that someone got her trust and took her home to help her. It wouldn't surprise me at all if that's the case.

There are still good people in the world. At least two of them live in Beaumont, TX.

Walt

[shropshire 0]

Nice one mate.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[jumpergirl 0]

That's nice. Thanks for sharing.

• Quote

[apollard24 0]

That is really nice! I really do hope someone with a big heart found her and is now taking good care of her. Your right, you dont see many kind deeds too much and it's nice to see it every once in a while....

Breathe out so I can breathe you in...

[jumpergirl 0]

That's how I got my last doggie. She was wondering around outside of the store and a friend's dad took her home. They couldn't keep her and I ended up with her. I sure miss her. I had to find a new home for her back in July. I get emails from "her" now and then and I got THE most adorable Chistmas present from her.

I scanned it and attached a picture, along with the note "she" sent. It made me cry. But I know she's happy and is being taken well care of.
Strays and rescues are THE best companions. I am looking forward to finishing the house so we can give another one a good home.

• Quote

[SkydiveStMarys 0]

Think happy thoughts.....think happy thoughts...think happy thoughts.

Bobbi

A miracle is not defined by an event. A miracle is defined by gratitude.

[apollard24 0]

That is great that they reassured you that your baby was being taken care of. Sometimes it makes it easier knowing they are being loved and cared for

Breathe out so I can breathe you in...

[pincheck 0]

thanks for sharing,its nice to now others still care.

Billy-Sonic Haggis Flickr-Fun

[CrazyL 0]

Good deed! Well done! Hope that li'l lab is having a great New Years Day! Thanks to you and some good folks in Beaumont Tx!

[Muenkel 0]

Good for you Walt and the 2 other good samaritans.

I want to share a story that I believe I posted here last year. It's along the same lines as what you posted.

My sister-in-law, Lisa, saw a poster at the general store about a black lab that was in need of adoption. Apparently he was rescued by a family who witnessed him being thrown from a van. She was heartbroken by this story and immediately contacted the person caring for the dog. His name was Teddy. When she met Teddy, she fell in love instantly. He was gentle and loving. He was immediately adopted by my brother's family which consists of 4 kids, 2 cats and 2 birds. Teddy took to the family immediately. He was always gentle and loving. I took care of Teddy whenever they had to go away. He would adjust to my house immediately and show me the same love. What we didn't know is that Teddy was loaded with cancer. This was discovered about 8 months later. The vet said there was no hope for Teddy and if he shows any sign of pain increasing, they should consider putting him down. This was really tough on my whole family. We couldn't imagine putting him down, but we also couldn't imagine watching him suffer. About a month later, the 4 kids were in their den watching TV. Teddy was lieing on the floor with them. He suddenly got up and one by one he placed his head briefly on each of the kids laps. He then went into the laundry room, lied down and died. As sad as this was, it was a huge comfort knowing that Teddy had a lot of love the last months of his life. He also gave a lot of love.
Chris

_________________________________________
Chris

[skydivermom 0]

I'm glad you posted about this because I've been wondering all day if you found the dog or not. I'm sure she is well taken care of since there were two other people feeding her.

You are such a great guy!

Mrs. WaltAppel

All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

[peacefuljeffrey 0]

I'm a softie for black labs, too, so that story was touching for me.

I'm also a softie for hardcase, down-on-their-luck pets. My own cat, Feather, came from the local animal shelter, and I found her in the "CAT" room; I get the impression that lots of people go to the "KITTEN" room and blow by the "CATS" because, "They're too old." Well, adult cats need/want love, too. Mine was not real old, though -- but at 7 months she didn't have that squeaky-kitten allure, I guess. She's a beauty, though. There's a pic of her attached.

But the story doesn't end there. The lady next door is one of those eccentric middle-aged women who loves cats so much that she surrounds herself with about 2 dozen of them (literally) but cares for... well, none of them. They roam the block, and for a while my girlfriend and I were feeding them about 4-8 cans of cat food every day or so. (The lady actually took umbrage and upbraided my girlfriend one day when I was not with her. "What, you make it seem like I must not be feeding them!" My girlfriend should have said (but didn't), "DUH. YES I think you're not feeding them; look at them -- they're ravenous every single time we come out here!"

Anyway, one day this little waif showed up hanging around my cottage. I saw her for the first time late late at night, and all I noticed was that she looked siamese, and she had this dangly little right front paw that was crooked at the wrist. The backhand of the paw, at the wrist, was red and raw, and at first I thought it was a poke-through-the-skin fracture, maybe from a car strike.

Turns out there is apparently some old injury that healed badly, and that whole leg is useless from the shoulder down. The wrist had been dragging on the pavement (amazingly, it was not infected!), and rubbed raw. Thank god the poor girl has no feeling in that arm below the elbow.

My girlfriend decided she wanted to adopt this cat, and I could not oppose her: I had thought about doing so myself. We don't live together, but the cat now stays with me until my girlfriend gets a place where she can keep the cat.

Wee's all better now; well, the sore is all healed up, anyway. She still doesn't have use of that arm, but BOY don't you go believing she can't rocket around with the best of 'em. She's a holy terror! Gets up onto the kitchen counter while I'm at work, and actually climbs into the dish cabinets above the counter! (I've found her inside many a time. Incorrigible!)

Check out the pics. #1 is my cat, Feather. #2 is Wee Belle Wing, at her first vet appointment.

-Jeffrey

-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

[waltappel 1]

Beautiful cats!

Wee Belle Wing is a seal-point Siamese. Here's a picture of mine, named Zoe, who I found after she had apparently been hit by a car, and me and my ex-girlfriends dog. I'm ok with getting dumped by the ex, but I still really miss that dog.

Walt

[peacefuljeffrey 0]

Walt,
HOLY SHIT that's a nice gun safe!
And yeah, those are adorable pets, for sure!


I have a neighbor who said exactly what you did: that Wee is a seal-point Siamese.

We have no idea how she came to be among the 20 or so "semi-strays" that hang around the neighbor lady's property. There are no others like her, BUT (big but), back in about '99 I very nearly adopted one that looked startlingly like her (I named that one Siren, and she was picture-perfect gorgeous, with violet eyes).

I don't know what the connection is, because we put Wee's birthdate some time maybe March 2005 or so. In the interim, there was one other cat that looked like both of them, a cat I named "Sudden," and that was a year or two ago... There has never been more than one siamese-looking cat in the vicinity at any one time, and certainly no mother-daughter-type pairs...

Wee has some mottling on her ears and chin and other parts. She is not perfectly smooth-colored if you look closely at her. I suspect that she may be kind of a mutt with a strong siamese streak in her. Either way, she's a total mush in bed! Loves to cuddle!

-Jeffrey

-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

[NlghtJumper 0]

I know what you mean about wanting to take her home. I am one that if I ever see an animal out on the street alone, we take it home. My family lost a dog to being hit by a car, and ever since, my Mom had no problem to taking them in. We became almost like the areas second animal shelter. Usually they were someones pet that accidentally got out. It got to the point that our house was one of the first places people would check if they lost their pets. And if it was a stray, we would help find it a good home.

As for the people who I hate that don't care for animals, I had some that I really hated. When my dog Silhouette had puppies, we gave all but one away [they were an accident so we didn't feel right asking for money for them]. Anyway this one family came and took one of them and for like 2 or 3 months everything seemed fine. Then one day one of my mom's co-workers who took the puppy told her that she had 24 hours to go pick up the dog or she was going to the pound. Needless to say my mom went right after work and got her. When she got there, the sight was sickening. We gave them all lil puppy collars and leashes so we could walk them and everything. When my mom got to their place she found the poor puppy out back, wearing the same collar [that wasn't adjusted at all, and she is a medium breed dog so she was practically choking from it], and the leash had a stake thru the end of it being used as a tie down for her [this is just a 3 foot leash]. She was filthy dirty, and in much need of attention. Turns out she would get really excited when someone would come outside and see her, and she would playfully growl, and jump around. That scared this guys kids and they didn't want to play with her. All they did for those 2 months would go out and give her food and water. We wanted to kill these guys. We took her home, and she became my dog. She is truly the smartest dog I have ever had. I love her to death and miss her so much right now. She still lives in FLA with my parents. Sadly I cant take her with me because she lives with her Mom, Dad, and adopted sister. I cant separate her from them after she grew up around them.

A man will do anything for the right woman,
and when that woman destroys him,
that man will become a hunk of meat with the common sense of a rodeo clown! ~ Christopher Titus