Heads of scrawny dogs pop up in the
weeds along the road. They recognize the sound of my engine. Low held tails wag
furiously, while waiting for the food bin lid to pop. Dogs with disease, cuts
and injuries I can’t attend to, wolf down kibble while I pour the water. Few
will chase the car. It breaks my heart to see them in the rear view mirror
wanting more kindness than I can give.
The hardest days are those I see
old friends coming to the car, when I have no more food. The look of disappointment
when I drive on by haunts me until I go back with more, only to find them not
there. Wondering their fate until I see them again burdens me more than you can
imagine.
Darla, the puppy abandoned along
the road in a bucket, plays happily in my driveway with black coat shimmering
in the sun. Lucky and Robert Redford, now almost yearlings patrol the perimeter
of their property with assurance they’ll defend this house from all comers.
Healthy and well fed; their world would be doggie bliss if they just got more
petting.
Blondie and Chi-Ping were adopted
by me because neighbors wanted them gone, but now these same folk put out food
and show me with pride where they put rugs for my dog’s comfort; go figure. I
say, “Please don’t feed the dogs in the road; it pulls them away from my house
and it’s dangerous.” They feed and even sometimes water just off the road. The dogs sometimes check there before eating
their kibble. This place confounds me to say the least.
Darla had to be kept in the house,
at six and seven weeks of age to keep her out of the street until she could
process things like danger. Puppy road kill, a common cause of death happens to
a fair percentage of young. She now looks both ways before stepping into the
street.
Chi-Ping sleeps in my bed with
Smoki, the cat. Blondie spends her time at the neighbor’s who said she wanted
her gone. Love can be blind in more than one species.
Today I’m leaving; my rescues will
stay at my friend’s shelter, even the cat. My heart is broken, my life
shattered. In a week I’ll be home with my aunt, where I can be loved and cared
for; it’s time for me. It has to be.
