As I drove the wooded driveway leading to my sons home I was nervous but determined. On the seat beside me was a little golden face with trusting brown eyes that I couldnt resist.
The little golden retriever puppy was only four months old - but had seldom known a day without pain or hunger. Locked in a storage shed for days at a time with no food or water in temperatures over 90 degrees, he was punished as "bad dog" for puppy behavior. He was fed and watered only when someone remembered to do it - and when someone had remembered to buy cheap dog food. He survived mainly due to worried neighbors who sometimes left food and water for him to find.
Running to greet his "owners", he was kicked out of the way repeatedly, used as a ball to toss, tied in the hot sun. I had spoken out to the adult in that home about the treatment the pup was receiving in her absence and she agreed it needed to stop.
I talked to her a second and third time and she told me she would probably have to take the dog to the pound because she knew her kids and their friends were abusing it. Another week went by - and nothing changed.
When it could get away, the little guy would bound across to my house for a meal and a quick drink and the optimism of this pup amazed me. No matter what he suffered - he approached every person with full trust and a wagging tail.
On a 95 degree day I watched as the puppy staggered out of the storage shed. I learned he had been confined for 2 days and a night for "barking".
Not too long after that I put the dog in my car and we were off.
My son had talked of getting a pup for my grandson - but that was for "later". I was prepared to persuade and argue as long as needed.
In the end, alll that was needed was to say "we have to save this dog" - and for my four year old Grandson to say "Can he be my dog, please?".
Seven years later - now living in another State - my grandson rides skateboards and rollerblades, plays baseball and hockey. Never far away and always with an eye on his "friend", is a handsome Golden Retreiver named Skyline.
Small for his breed, the pup required special nutrition and supplements for a year to heal the damage of poor nutrition and care in his early puppy months. He loved his obedience training and learned quickly everything he was taught.
This brave little puppy lived up to the promise of those brown eyes. Gentle, devoted and always ready for some fun, Skyline has a great life in a forever home and is referred to by his family as "the perfect dog".
I hope this cute little puppy video is also a good choice for all dog owners to check:
I hope this cute little puppy video is also a good choice for all dog owners to check:
When I confessed my theft a few weeks later, I learned the previous owner was relieved to have the "puppy problem" solved.
