A very old stray {The Old Fella Story}

[Dixie_Flyer]

Went camping this weekend at a campground on the lake, had not been there for a few years. Once there I began to walk around looking at the different sites when I noticed a very old dog. He just lay there until I got too close then he got up on three legs and hobbled away. Just judging I would say he is at least 11 years old. Well back to my story. The next afternoon he wanders into camp and just sits there looking. He looked so sad, so the wife got a bowl of our dog's food and put it down for him and he came over and ate. He then walked over to our dog and the two of them sniffed each other over and then they lay down together for the rest of the afternoon. That night he disappeared.
The next morning he was back and was a little more receptive of me. I looked at his injured leg and found that half of his rear foot was gone. It had healed and was not causing any problem except that he was walking on the stub that was left with no foot pad which causes him to limp. His front teeth were gone except for one canine tooth and it looked decayed. His eyes were tired looking and showing his age. He spent the rest of the day just laying around looking for a handout and by afternoon the campground host came around and saw him. I enquired about the dog and was told he had been there for three years and that most of the campers were tolerant of him and gave him food.
So what to do? Do you pick him up and bring him home or do you let nature take it course. He can't harm anyone, he has no teeth and he isn't a nuisance unless you don't like dogs, and no one seems to mind him being there. He is gentle and likes other animals as seen by his interaction with our dog. He still would not let me touch him but he would eat from my hand. Enough said, what would you do???

On June 28th 2008 Old Fella passed away of complications caused by bone cancer. Fella spent almost three years with his new family and became the icon of rescued old stray dogs. He will be greatly missed but his foot prints have been left in our hearts forever.

Now Charlie, the ten year old rescued Golden Lab has come to be a part of the continuing Old Fella story. (*Note, Charlie took his journey to Rainbow Bridge unexpectedly September 30, 2008)Suzie continues to charm her way into our hearts with her antics as she has grown from a puppy into a young lady. Togther they will carry on the Old Fella legacy. Come join us in their daily lives and be a part of the best feel good thread in RV.NET history. The legacy lives on.


HIghways Article Puppy Love

Old Fella Burke County Animal Rescue

[whimstock]

I am so proud to be a FOOFER.....and Happy is stepping forth to give Dixie Dew some stiff competition:


:B

[GreenRiverGroun]

DIXIESMAMA - I think you're going to have to really keep an eye on that Dixie. She may just learn how to use the computer so she can look at (and print) pictures of Old Fellow....! 🙂

[sue_t]

GreenRiverGroundsHunter wrote:
Rich and FOOFs (Friends of Old Fellow):

FOOFs ... I like that! RV.net now has an elite group of FOOFers! Guess we'll need some special stickers or buttons!!

[DIXIESMAMA]

Dixie Dew, the mighty Schnauzer, and I looked at Old Fellow's pictures and we think they are wonderful!! He looks as if he thinks he owns the yard..so relaxed and comfortable. He is so shiny and he looks as if he has put on weight. How much does he weigh now. Izzy is still checking him out in one picture..so cute.

Dixie said that he looks nothing but HOT in that bandana. Oh, yeah, he is one hunk of dog. Definitely her kind of guy.

Good luck, Rich.

DIXIESMAMA

[GreenRiverGroun]

Rich and FOOFs (Friends of Old Fellow):

I sent a link to this thread to a local author who writes a column for our town paper (Animal Tales). Her name is Susanne and she has worked with and writes about animal life, both wild and domestic. She has worked in rehabilitation at the Wild Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis and also at the (former) St. Louis Children's Aquarium. She is now devoting her time to her writing. I knew this was a story that she would appreciate.

With her permission, I am posting her response:

Dear Barb,

You just provided me with the best read I've had in a long time. What a story. I wish Rich lived closer us. I would love to turn this into a book. I'm seriously thinking about getting his phone number and attempting do it long distance. We could donate some of the profit to the pitiful Humane Society where he lives. With the thread and the pictures, it's a natural. I bet I could have it finished in a couple of months, and I already have an agent.

How 'bout this? Here's my phone number......if you get my voice mail,(happens when I'm on my computer) just tell me when and I'll return the call.

Maybe Rich could call me. I can call all over the U.S. for free, so I could call him back, and he wouldn't have a phone bill to worry about. I'd also want to interview some of the terrific campers who were part of this miracle of compassion and love. Holy Moly! What a story. Whether you guys are keen on the book idea or not, thanks so much for sharing this with me. You made my day.

Susanne

P.S. Here's another thought. If Rich is okay with it, you could paste this on the thread and get input from the other angels who lived this story. I'd love to hear from some of these folks by phone or email ... whatever works. I'd be happy to provide some writing samples, since unlike you, they haven't been reading my columns for years. What do you think?

Several years ago, in St. Louis, we had Quentin the Wonderdog, who somehow survived the "gas chamber" and went on to be the posterdog for Stray Rescue. I'm thinking that it's Old Fellow's turn to promote the plight of strays everywhere....

[Chemgoddess1]

Has he let out a heavy sigh when he is next to you yet? After about a week with Chloe, her nightly ritual was to seek me out, come and rest her head on me and let out a heavy sigh. It was her way of thanking me for giving her a loving home. I cannot believe that he is the same dog. He looks SOOO different now. I bet he will be a great watch/guard dog too. He will not want any harm to come to the person who saved him. I don't know of a single animal lover who would not be touched by this tale. Thank you so much for going and saving Old Fellow. He will repay you a thousand times over in love...

[MrsSoCalToolGuy]

Dixie Flyer wrote:
Today we made a more progress with Old Fellow. He is now wagging his tail when I approach and for the first time he reached out to me with his front paw. I lay down with him today for a long time in the yard. He finally reached over with his paw and put it on my arm. I patted him on the head and when I stopped the paw went up again this time to my hand. He is feeling so much at home he now comes in and out when he wants, he took lessons from Levi.

For some reason when we walk together, where ever I stop so does he, but he just stays there sometimes when I move off and he will stand there sometimes for a long, maybe 15-20 minutes before he moves. But I can truly tell you there is love in those eyes now and a lot more sparkle and shine. He lay today close to me in the house while I worked this morning and every once in a while he would look up at me and just stare and then lay his head back down. He is adjusting so well to his new home I am just amazed.

Old Fellow, the movie....I love happy endings.:) Barb

[Dixie_Flyer]

Today we made a more progress with Old Fellow. He is now wagging his tail when I approach and for the first time he reached out to me with his front paw. I lay down with him today for a long time in the yard. He finally reached over with his paw and put it on my arm. I patted him on the head and when I stopped the paw went up again this time to my hand. He is feeling so much at home he now comes in and out when he wants, he took lessons from Levi.

For some reason when we walk together, where ever I stop so does he, but he just stays there sometimes when I move off and he will stand there sometimes for a long, maybe 15-20 minutes before he moves. But I can truly tell you there is love in those eyes now and a lot more sparkle and shine. He lay today close to me in the house while I worked this morning and every once in a while he would look up at me and just stare and then lay his head back down. He is adjusting so well to his new home I am just amazed.

[vickiebec]

I couldn't view the pictures so I wrote RV Net and they said to do the following: To update your preferences settings, click on “My Forums” at the top of any page while logged in. Then, click on “My Preferences”. Under General Preferences, check the box next to “Show images that are part of posts” and submit your changes.

[Dixie_Flyer]

I am sorry but I just remembered I had not reported to the forum about the donations. The total donations were $640.00. The vet bill with the board bill was $544.00 plus $38.00 for medicine which leaves $58.00 left over. I have received PM's stating that more donations were coming for future care.If that follows through there will be an additional $50.00 added to the $58.00 which will make a total of $108.00 left over. Old Fellow has to go back to the vet in thirty days to be checked again for heart worms to make sure they are all gone. If that test shows negative then we are finished for now with the vet. Also some booties are being sent for his club foot to help pad the foot to keep it from becoming raw and keep it warm this winter.

Thank all of you who have supported Old Fellow's recovery. You are a generous people with a caring heart. You have made Old Fellow's burden much lighter and helped him to a speedy recovery. I thank each and every one of you from the bottome of my heart. Oh yea, Old Fellow thanks you too.

[sue_t]

Richard, do you have a thing for black animals? I ask because we always get asked about our all-white animals ... one long haired cat (white version of Izzie) and a long-haired Kuvasz dog.

The last pic of Old Fellow shows peace and calm in his eyes. He likely can't believe his good fortune. And he clearly knows about cats ... his nose is slightly pulled back, just out of claw range! I think O.F. is wise enough to not ruffle any feathers or feline fur ... he knows a good thing when he feels it!

Good for him and good for you!

[Dixie_Flyer]

The Waynesboro True Citizen Newspaper is doing the article on Old Fellow. It will be in next week's paper along with his picture.

[nifty250]

Wow! Old Fellow is really enjoying his yard, isn't he? What a happy dog! And it looks like Levi is thrilled to have new friend. I'm not too sure about Izzy.

I'm sure your kindness to Old Fellow will pay off with many happy years for all of you.

[Top_Dog]

Looking Good!

[DOTLDaddy]

In-freaking-credible!!! :C