Susan Keene Author

Collecting Dogs

The country is full of hidden surprises. DR and I were on our way to a discount store in the middle of nowhere. The directions went like this. Drive 4 miles to Highway Z. Follow the road until you come to the first low water bridge, if there is a road there, turn left. If there is no road going to your left continue on Z until you come to the second low water bridge and turn left. Follow the road around the horseshoe curve and up the hill to the next horseshoe curve to the right. You will see the store down the road on your right.

It is only open Thursday through Saturday.

We got into one of the farm vehicles, a 1992 GMC Suburban and off we went. We didn’t get four miles down the main road until we came upon a Bassett Hound laying in the middle of the road.

DH stopped and jumped out to check to see if the dog was injured.

The dog began wagging its tale and eventually got up. I said, “She wasn’t injured, she was taking a nap on the warm pavement.” I got back in the car. So far as I was concerned, the dog didn’t need us anymore.

DH disagreed. “It’s a female and I believe it hasn’t been long since she’s had a litter. I think her milk is dried up. We need to take her with us.”

I shook my head, “no, if she’s still wandering around here on the way back we can pick her up.”

The window on the truck was down. She closed the door and leaned on the sill. “What if we come by and she’s dead. Let’s take her now.”

The truck had three rows of seats. DH walked around to the back and opened the hatch. The dog spryly jumped in laid down.  Before she could close the door, a Jack Terrier and a black and white puppy about three months old jumped into the back and laid next to the Bassett.

We both stood there wide-eyed. We’d been bamboozled. When we took a good look at the three dogs it became clear, they were a family; mom the Bassett, Dad the Jack Terrier, and their baby who had the coloring of her dad and the short legs of her mother.

We pulled the truck over to the side of the road and went to look again. Those dogs had no intention of getting out of the car. “Let’s take them with us,” DH said.

I looked at them one last time and turn toward the front seat. “I don’t think they have any intention of getting out.”

We went to the store which was super interesting. Lots of MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat). Chocolate chips for fifty-cents, can goods and a huge number of items.

Before we went in the store, we opened all of the windows in the car and back hatch in case the dogs had changed their minds and wanted to go home. They were all asleep in the back seat when we came back.

On our way home we stopped where we found the dogs and knocked on doors to see if anyone owned them or knew where they lived.

No one had seen them around and thought they’d been dumped by the side of the road.

For days we read the paper and checked for Lost Dog signs.

We took them to the vet who told us grocery stores weren’t the only things hidden down country roads. Seems there are many puppy mills within fifty miles.

According to the vet, the two adult dogs were pure bred. The male was intact and the doctor said the two probably got together and when they had the puppy they were dumped.

We had everyone spay and neutered, named them Zoi, Jack and Odie May and kept them.

They all lived good and happy lives here on the farm. Zoi and Jack lived to about fifteen and Odie, the puppy, is fifteen now.