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

[dakonthemountai]

Oh MY!!! I was "gone" for a few years from RV.Net Now I'm back, and low and behold, the Old Fella thread is still going!! :B I'm SO glad! I followed you from the beginning here. All the way through Old Fella going to Rainbow Bridge to wait for you and now up to date. Yes, I've read every post. Some more than once! Thank you for all you have done and continue to do and for keeping the positive life lights burning in the furkids you have helped through the years. Kudos to you!.... There truly is a special place reserved for you in heaven and all those you have ever loved and lost will be there with open arms and smiles when you get there (but let's hope that's not for many years to come ! 😉

Dak

[Dixie_Flyer]

kokosfriend wrote:
I know what you mean about visiting the animal shelters. I did that once. Now I take food, toys, towels, etc and drop them off.

I want to tell you about something else coming out of the Old Fella thread. Starting in Feb, our church will have an active Pet Ministry including a prayer request email site and a facebook site. Holy Trinity UCC is caring for animals and their companions. I pushed for this because of the great support that the Pet Stop forum has been through losses, illnesses and the sharing of joy with one another. Because of Old Fella I became involved with this forum and this is another outgrowth.

Barb

Thank you Barb. It is always great to hear of something special happening because of Old Fella. If he only knew what an impact he has had in this world.

[Dandy_Dan]

kokosfriend wrote:
I know what you mean about visiting the animal shelters. I did that once. Now I take food, toys, towels, etc and drop them off.

I want to tell you about something else coming out of the Old Fella thread. Starting in Feb, our church will have an active Pet Ministry including a prayer request email site and a facebook site. Holy Trinity UCC is caring for animals and their companions. I pushed for this because of the great support that the Pet Stop forum has been through losses, illnesses and the sharing of joy with one another. Because of Old Fella I became involved with this forum and this is another outgrowth.

Barb

What a nice thing to do Barb. Course you are special.:B
We might possibly be in your neck of the woods mid March if all goes right. We want to try to cut out around the middle of February for a few weeks.

I can't believe the weather we are having. today it rained a bit and was around 54* with tomorrows high being a sweltering 28. Its no wonder people get the sniffles and the droopies. Oh Well enough about the weather. You all have a great rest of the week.

[kokosfriend]

I know what you mean about visiting the animal shelters. I did that once. Now I take food, toys, towels, etc and drop them off.

I want to tell you about something else coming out of the Old Fella thread. Starting in Feb, our church will have an active Pet Ministry including a prayer request email site and a facebook site. Holy Trinity UCC is caring for animals and their companions. I pushed for this because of the great support that the Pet Stop forum has been through losses, illnesses and the sharing of joy with one another. Because of Old Fella I became involved with this forum and this is another outgrowth.

Barb

[Dixie_Flyer]

Good morning. Well it is not so cold this morning, warming up for a day of rain. Just think, spring isn't that far away. All we have to do is get past next month and things will start warming up. Mama is a concern for me as she is showing signs of really slowing down. She has trouble climbing the steps outside that lead to the inside of the house. The steps from the yard to the patio are the hardest for her, taken one at a time and hesitating on each step to get herself in position to put her front paw on the next step. Sue mentioned the other day how much she struggles lately.

I know the day is coming when she will have to go to Rainbow Bridge, but it doesn't make it any easier to face. I think if all the dogs we have lost in the past few years, but then the reward is in knowing they had a better life in their latter days than they would have had. I think of Old Fella, Charlie, Levi, Blackie and some of the others that had a lot of love and care to help them cross over.

I have to confess that in my Golden Years I find it harder to get as involved as I was in the rescue effort. I have to limit me efforts to helping from a distance, my heat just can't take it. When I see all the pain, suffering and neglect it just breaks my heart. One walk through an animal shelter will cause me to have a bad day knowing all of the animals that will never find a forever home is more than I can take. So I do my part by sending donations of food and money and promoting the Old Fella cause. I know things are hard for a lot of people, but for those who can give please do, these helpless animals need our help and support.

[Dashonthedash]

Patriots and Giants. Always go with the "hot" teams (and "hot" quarterbacks).

[Dixie_Flyer]

Good morning everyone. Today is supposed to be a better day as far as weather with warmer temperatures and plenty of sunshine.

I hope you hade a blessed weekend and enjoyed your family and friends. So what do you think, 49's, Pat's Ravens, or Giants? Next weekend will decide the Super Bowl players.

[Martyn]

Dashonthedash wrote:

Dixie Flyer wrote:
Good morning everyone. I hope you have a blessed day and you enjoy your family, friends and fur kids. What an exciting game yesterday with the Saints and the SF 49's. Teabow and the Broncos had a rough time, but then there is next year.

...........................

Nuff said, Gary 😞

[Dashonthedash]

Dixie Flyer wrote:
Good morning everyone. I hope you have a blessed day and you enjoy your family, friends and fur kids. What an exciting game yesterday with the Saints and the SF 49's. Teabow and the Broncos had a rough time, but then there is next year.

...........................

[Dixie_Flyer]

Good morning everyone. I hope you have a blessed day and you enjoy your family, friends and fur kids. What an exciting game yesterday with the Saints and the SF 49's. Teabow and the Broncos had a rough time, but then there is next year.

We have bright sunshine this morning with the hope of a beautiful day. We will be going to church this morning and then we will be at Ava's house sorting out some beef packages for the freezer. The girls along with Sue and I went in and bought a side of beef so we are dividing it up today, lots and lots of hamburger meat.

Dan we will be leaving for Waynesboro on the 12th of Feb. on the 15th we will be headed for Florida. We really hadn't decided where in Florida we were going but not too far into the state so we won't have so far to drive back home. We only have a week before having to come back home and then go to West Virginia.

[Dixie_Flyer]

Dandy Dan wrote:
Where in Florida are you planning on going? We thought about trying to get out of here if all goes well around the 20th

St Augustine maybe???

[Dandy_Dan]

Where in Florida are you planning on going? We thought about trying to get out of here if all goes well around the 20th

[Dixie_Flyer]

Good morning. Boy it was cold last night, at least for the Deep South. It was twenty degrees this morning when I got up but it has warmed up fast now that the sun has come up. I had a fire in the fireplace all day yesterday, it was nice to settle down in front of a nice warm fire and just take in the day as it came around. Yesterday morning when we walked the girls the wind chill had us at nineteen degrees. You should have seen me with my heavy coat, ear muffs and a scarf on. I looked like the Pillsbury Dough boy walking down the road being towed by two large dogs. It is supposed to be warmer today but there is a chance of some snow tonight. So far we have had a mild winter up until now, but maybe we won’t see the cold hard weather we had last year. It was quiet a welcoming for us with our first winter here with the heavy snow fall. It was nice for a while but it got old after a while.

Hobo and Suzie liked it, but Peaches and Mama didn’t care for it. When they would go outside with us Hobo and Suzie would run and plow into the snow while Mama and Peaches would look for the opportunity to go back inside the house. Right now I am looking forward to spring and camping. I think Sue and I will go to Florida after the 14th of next month for a week. The kids want us to go to West Virginia the third week in February for a snowboarding trip. I don’t think I am going for it remembering the hiking trip to Turtle Back Falls last summer. The kids don’t seem to realize I am getting older and not so agile anymore. It is hard to relate to older folks when you are young and still in your prime. It never crossed my mind when I was young that someday there would be things I would not be able to do later in life. Now that I am there it is hard to remember what it was like to have endless energy and feeling ten feet tall and bullet proof.

Okay, it is time for me to get ready to face the day. There are things to do such as walk the girls, prepare lunch, clean out the ashes from the fireplace and start a new fire, then get ready for the football playoff games that will be on this afternoon. Talk with you later.

[kokosfriend]

Good to hear!

Barb

[Dashonthedash]

Glad to hear that it cleared up, Richard. Balancing blood sugar can be quite a juggling act for a diabetic.