Carolyn Wolfe- Storyteller
Miracle Paws, A Love Story
Chapter 1- The Rescue
Dark eyes, dark hair, a matted mess. That is all Sallie could see peeking out at her from behind the fence. But it was enough to get Sallie’s rage up and put her in fighting form. It was a dog, a terribly brutalized or neglected dog. And the fence was electric. “Fine!” She thought angrily, then she would just have to find another way to get the dog out.
Sallie was on a mission.
Hackles raised, she went around the fence to find the so called owner of this poor dog. Just her luck, when she found the office door, the sign said “Closed“. No hours were posted, and the office itself looked neglected. Did the owners just leave that dog behind, fenced in and helpless? Sallie experienced a slow burn of intense anger at such disregard for this animal. It was obvious that this dog had been terribly wronged by the people that were supposed to be its protectors. Such betrayal was unconscionable, yet happened all too often.
Sallie looked around for a clue as to how to get to the dog, and found nothing that was any use. She needed to call on a miracle and luckily new just how to do it. Her cell phone quickly dialed her animal rescue group, “Miracle Paws Rescue” and she breathlessly left a message for the rescue facilitator, Sheila Reynolds. She asked Sheila to get a hold of her, giving her the address of where she was and a short description of the problem. That accomplished, she jogged back to where she had first seen the pup, and crouched a safe distance from the fence in order to keep the poor canine in her sights. The dog was still there and shivering even in the mild Virginia Spring weather. Sallie knew that the animal needed to be out of there and at a Vet’s office as soon as possible.
As she watched the dog shiver, she pictured the owners roasting on a spit, and she was the one turning the handle, ever so slowly. She was interrupted from this dark fantasy by her cell phone ringing. Sheila, bless her, was on her way.
Moments later, Sheila’s beat up, old gray pick up truck, was coming to a halt right beside her. A second later, Sheila, a sixty year old, grey haired, large boned woman was standing beside her.
“Where is the poor baby?” Sheila asked in a gruff whisper.
Sallie pointed, “Over there behind that broken shed. I do not see any food bowls!”
Sallie’s rage turned to pity as she wondered how long the dog had been there without food or water.
Sheila looked over at Sallie and said “Steady now, help is coming. I called Butch and Barry, and they have emailed this address to Tom.”
Sallie smirked as she thought of Tom, Sheila’s one hundred and eighty-five pound nephew and his Chihuahua Charlie, riding to the rescue. He was on the Planning Commission and knew a great deal about the businesses in the area. He would have the resources they needed to switch off the electric fence. Luckily for all of them, Miracle Paws was connected. They had members on the School Board, the area animal shelters, the electric company and the Sheriff’s Department. The members of this organization did not hope for miracles, they created them!
The dog had not moved, just sat shivering and looking at the two females crouching just outside the terrible fence.
There was no hope in its eyes, no longing, just despair. It shivered, then sneezed, the wet sound of a respiratory infection in the dogs lungs, reached her ears and tightened her gut. Tom better get here soon or electric fence or no electrical fence, she was going in.
Even as she thought of this, she knew that it was a hopeless wish, as these damn fences were high voltage and dangerous!
Tom pulled his Jeep into the parking lot, and parked right behind his Aunt’s vehicle.
He jumped out of the car and shouted, “ Barry got the electricity turned off, he and Butch are working on finding the owners, let me get my tools.”
A minute later they were all three crouching before the fence, with Tom cutting into it with brute force. He was channeling all the anger that the had for the owners of this dog, into cutting open the fence. Finally, a hole was big enough for all three to crawl through, and they were running toward the dog.
The dog just sat there, waiting for whatever was going to happen next. Not barking, not even whining, just watching, wet eyes glued to these three new tormentors that were coming fast in its direction.
Tom reached the dog first and picked it up, noting from the size and breed of the dog, that it seemed to be a Border Collie, and it was a female. Sallie and Sheila took turns cooing and petting the poor animal, as they all walked back to the fence. Slowly Tom, his ginger hair falling into his eyes, looked at his Aunt and tensely said, “ This dog’s breathing is very ragged, Auntie, call George at the animal hospital and tell him we are on the way.”
“Oh Tom, I have already taken care of that!” Sheila said with an exasperated sigh, and added a bit acidly, “This is not my first rodeo you know.”
Sallie had to smile, despite the circumstances, because these two were as thick as thieves and all the bickering was just a cover for worry. After crawling through the fence, She crouched down outside of it and extended her arms. Gently, Tom put the dog into her arms. As Sallie raced to the back of Sheila’s truck, where the dog carriers were stacked, Sheila and her nephew climbed through the fence opening and followed her.
There was no trouble getting the unresisting dog into the carrier. That was the huge worry to all of them, the dog was too sick to fight. Maybe even too sick to save, but damn if they wouldn’t do everything they could to save its life. All three truly believed in the Rescue Missions name, they had seen too many miracles happen to discount them.
They would save this dog, period.
.
This book is available in both paperback and Kindle editions. To order please click on this link: