This is the story about how several organizations and people came together to save the life of a very special sheltie. Little did we know at the time how much she would touch all our lives.
The webmaster of this site (Sue) received an email from Judy Wilson early one Sunday morning asking if she knew of a missing Shetland sheepdog, as one had been brought to All Creatures Animal Hospital by one of their employees. Sue responded that she didn't know of any missing dogs, but she would come to the clinic first thing on Monday to see the lost dog.
Monday arrived and Sue visited with this dog and was shocked at what she saw. The sheltie was obviously injured, had recently had puppies, was very thin and it was apparent that she had been "on the run" for a while. It was initially decided that if the owner couldn't be located, that the dog would be taken to the humane society.
Sue asked to get the dog out of her cage, and when she did, the pup immediately sat down in front of her and calmly gave her her paw. Sue knew then that she had to do whatever was necessary to save this very special dog.
Sue and Dr. Dan Meakin of All Creatures Animal Hospital agreed to do everything necessary to find this dog's owner, or find her a new home.
Dr. Meakin biopsed the dog's lip, as it was first thought to be cancerous. The biopsy came back negative, leading them to believe that this had to be some horrible injury instead. So the dog was placed on antibiotics, was spayed, heartworm tested, vaccinated and given a full health exam. Judy and Sue spent most of Tuesday bathing and grooming her and boy did she love it!
In the meantime, all local humane societies and animal shelters were contacted to no avail. Ads were placed in all local newspapers and even Veterinary offices within a 40 mile radius of where the dog was found were called.
No record of any missing sheltie was placed with any of the vet offices or humane societies contacted.
Sue couldn't stand it anymore and Tuesday afternoon, brought this special dog home with her. But she was in a quandary as she was leaving on vacation the following Sunday and had no idea what she was going to do with the dog.
In steps White Oak Shelties, quality breeders of Shetland sheepdogs in the Cincinnati area. Myra and Tom Flynn readily agreed that this dog should be saved and drove an hour to pick her up to spend the week in their home among all their shelties.
Upon Sue's return from vacation, she picked up "Lady" as she was named, and brought her back home with her. Lady had won over the Flynn's with her love, devotion and outgoing personality.
Sue knew that Lady had recovered enough by then to make the attempt to find a new home for her. Luckily, she knew of a very special person that was looking for a sheltie so she contacted him. She emailed him pictures so he would know what she looked like and told him all about her personality and the treatment of her lip and he fell in love with her "sight" unseen. Now the problem was how to get her to her new home. Why? Her new owner lives in Jacksonville, Florida.
In steps the Clermont County Humane Society. The humane society readily agreed to donate a crate so Lady could safely fly to Florida. Arrangements were made with Delta Airlines and on Wednesday, April 15, Lady was taken to the Greater Cincinnati airport by Sue and Kathy Vicory of Vicory Ventures Digital Photography. Delta Airlines has to be commended for the care that they showed to Lady. They allowed Sue and Kathy to remain with Lady until 20 minutes before takeoff.
After Lady "took off", and lots of tears shed, Sue and Kathy headed for home. But the adventure wasn't over. Sue received a phone call at 10:15 that Wednesday evening from Lady's new owner, eagerly awaiting at the other end for her arrival.
Lady, ever the perfect puppy, eagerly greeted her new owner and within minutes, had wrapped him firmly around her paw.
As of today, 7 months later since Lady "flew" to her new home, she has gained 15 pounds, her lip is fully healed, and she has firmly engraved her presence in her new home. She makes friends wherever she goes, loves to ride in the car, loves to take walks on the beach, and even enjoys going boating on the St. John's river. She is a student in obedience classes, and is eagerly learning!
It never ceases to amaze this webmaster that special dogs just like Lady (her full name is Lady Gator now) arrive at the Clermont County Humane Society on a daily basis. Dogs so full of love that despite everything that they have been through, still have a heart full of love to give.
This is the story of Lady Gator, and how a community of people came together to give her another chance at finding love and that perfect home. And thanks to Bill Miller of Jacksonville, Florida, she has found it.
Please, if you lose your dog, contact your local humane society or animal shelter immediately. Place a lost ad in the local paper and even leave notices with local veterinary offices. It can make the difference between life and death!
And for the previous owner of this very special sheltie, you won't begin to know what you so carelessly gave up. You don't deserve to own any dog!
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