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

[Dixie_Flyer]

Glad Molly is home with you and the fur kids. Hope she and the crew adjust to each other. Sounds like they are off to a good start.

[Hoops]

Gary, glad she made it home fine. It will be a while before she settles in and stops wanting to go home. Keep us posted.

[dogdiva]

Gary Give Molly time to adjust and lots of positive reinforcement and love and keep us posted

[SGTJOE]

Well done Gary. I'm glad you were able to take her in. Hopefully everything works out between the furkids. It sounds like they may not have any problems eating together like Molly had at her previous home. Please keep us posted on how it works out, they'll just need time to become familiar with each other.

[Code2High]

Do you have any Rescue Remedy in the house?

[Dashonthedash]

Molly keeps wanting to get back in the car. I think she misses her home.

[kokosfriend]

Rest easy tonight, Molly.

Barb

[Dashonthedash]

Molly's home and investigating the house. When I picked her up at the airport, she was very nervous and wouldn't come out of her crate until I got her leash. We managed to coax her out and she sat for me and even gave me her paw. She is very sweet and travels very well. She was very well behaved on the ride home and even waited while I did some shopping.

When we got home, I introduced the dogs in the yard. Dash and Lily welcomed her immediately, but she growled at them, not surprising since she is quite stressed right now. I remember Willow growled at Max several times when they were first introduced, but they became inseparable. Dash and Lily have been very good, and I was able to feed all 3 without any incidents, although Dash is a very fast eater and I had to keep him away from her bowl. Molly tends to go back several times to her bowl before she is finished.

Right now, Dash and Lily are with me in the family room, but Molly has disappeared. She already knows how to use the pet door, and may be outside. She has now come back in and joined us. I think she is still a bit stressed and may need some time to settle in, but things are going well for a start. I have to go and keep an eye on her, and hopefully she will settle in when we go to sleep. I will keep the pet door available in case she needs to go outside.

[Dashonthedash]

I'm picking her up after work. If I have any time tonight, I'll post an update.

[dogdiva]

Yeah I have been wondering about Molly also

[SGTJOE]

Gary, isn't today the day Molly flys in to her new forever home??

[Dixie_Flyer]

Good morning everyone.It will be a busy day today with a lot of traveling. I have to go to Piedmont to deliver some of the yard stuff and then to Lowes to buy some shelves to put in the garage. I feel much better and will see about the Gall Bladder as soon as I can. I am looking for a doctor in the Piedmont area so I can be close to our new home for treatment.

[Dashonthedash]

Checked the tire out at home, apparently it's the valve. I should be able to stop at the tire store on Thursday.

[Dixie_Flyer]

Glad you are home safe Gary. Sue and I have had a lot expierence at changing tires on the side of the road, not much fun especially when it is 90+ degrees. I have never had a blow out in a nice shady spot where there was a Diary Queen close by.

Have a great rest of the week.

[Dashonthedash]

Just got home from camping and read about your gall bladder attack. Not to understate the seriousness of the attack, but was relieved it wasn't your heart. Hope they get everything fixed up and you're feeling better soon.

Had a bit of a problem today. Got up early at the campground this morning, hoping to beat the holiday traffic home. Checked everything out before leaving, including under the vehicle, and noticed that the right rear inside dual looked odd. Got a closer look, and it was flat; I mean, it was so flat it had sucked in on itself, and wasn't even touching the ground. Called AAA, but by the time they got back to me, I contacted park maintenance, who were able to change the tire for me, and put air in the spare. It was good enough to get me home, although the delay got me stuck in a massive traffic jam that turned a 3 1/2 hour trip into a 5+ hour ordeal. I plan to take the tire in ASAP to see if it can be repaired. The spare is doing OK, and has all its tread, but I don't trust it because it is pretty old, so I can't drive around on it much longer. I'm just glad to be home, hope everyone had a safe 4th of July.