A Fateful Meeting
On my way to a test the other day, I ran across this little guy on the outskirts of campus. People were walking past him without a second glance while he sat under a tree and wagged his tail. He looked so lonely, I just had to walk over for a closer look. My original plan was to give him my lunch, pat him on the head, and continue on my merry way to class. Ha! After he devoured my sandwich, he crawled all over me, positively ecstatic. In between trying to keep him from slobbering too much on my face and putting away my lunch containers, I realized he was just a puppy. I hardened my heart as best I could and started walking away, but when I saw him chase a skateboarder into the busy street and get shooed by university landscapers towards the main road, my well laid plan to feed-and-run was doomed.
The Journey Home
Yes, that is the puppy in the back seat of my car. He looks completely unremorseful in the photo for the struggle it took to get him across the parking lot and into my vehicle (not to mention for what he DID to my car!). When I ran out of food with which to lure him, I resorted to picking him up and carrying his wiggly butt the rest of the way. With the amount of squirming he was doing, it looked like I was dog-napping someone’s pet! Did I mention he was heavy? And I was wearing my backpack and purse, to boot! I have no idea what muscle I pulled in my lower back, but it’s still on the mend today.
The Start of a New Life
As thirsty as he was, I’m surprised he didn’t jump into the pool to cool off! It must have been in the upper 90’s the day I found him. Doesn’t he look adorable? I made it back to school in time for my exam, thank Goodness! I had two hours to spare, but all it takes is one accident on the freeway and several closed lanes for traffic to slow to a crawl. I doubt “I found a stray dog” would have qualified as an acceptable reason to make up a test for my professor.
After terrorizing Mofi and Hugo, my other dogs, ALL night trying to smell their nether regions, he settled down to a nice meal of one decorative rug, three stuffed dog toys, one tennis ball, and a throw pillow. Did I forget to say he wasn’t neutered? The house was uncharted, unmarked virgin territory and it was his mission to claim it all.
One sleep-deprived night and a generous donation later, the puppy was safely admitted to a no-kill local shelter. Everyone who met him on the way fell in love with how happy and soft he was and once at the shelter, he claimed the staff’s hearts by bounding over to the admitting clerk’s desk and trying to crawl into her lap. I left them with the few dog toys that managed to survive the night and last I saw he was inspecting the computer monitor while staff cooed over his cuteness.
I HAD to check on him the next day so I visited the shelter’s website and saw his pretty little face already posted for adoption. I’m not sure if I’d have named him “Martin,” but he certainly doesn’t seem to mind the name they gave him.
Needless to say, my life has been hectic. My last post was back in August! I apologize for neglecting this blog for this long; now that I’ve adjusted to my class schedule and am unhampered by stray dogs (Sad to say, “Martin” wasn’t the first I’d found this past month, but all have happy homes now), I can get back to doing what I love: writing about writing.
Thank you all for hanging in there with me! I won’t let you down!
