Bessy's Story

I was driving up Vineland on Saturday morning having just stopped at McDonalds for the super deluxe breakfast complete with pancakes, hashbrowns and bacon, when I noticed a large black dog running in the street. I made a U-turn and pulled over to see if the dog had a collar.  I'm not really a hands-on rescuer although I have helped my share of dogs with I.D. find their way home after a night out.

The dog immediately ran up to the car and anxiously looked into the window.  She appeared to not find what she was looking for and stepped back out of reach. She was very thin except for the sagging breasts which made me think she had recently had puppies. I could also tell she was pretty young.  I tried to approach her several times but to no avail. Then I remembered my McDonald's deluxe b-fast.   I tempted her first with the hash brown patty by tossing it to the ground in front of her.  In two bites it was gone. Next came the bacon, strategically placed slightly closer to the car.  Next, the first of two pancakes.  With each item she came a little closer.  I put the plate on the ground so she could get the eggs.  While she ate, I got the a leash out of my glove compartment. I had one item left, the second pancake. I held it out in my right hand and she walked right up to me and started to eat.  I slowly slipped the leash over her head with my left hand. She didn't try to run or pull. She didn't bark or growl, she just sat down.

I called my friend, Noreen at the Bill Foundation, to ask what I should do next. I knew from their website I should take her to the shelter so that her owners could reclaim her if she was lost, but I was worried about the puppies. I wasn't sure if they were born while she was out on the street or were safely back at her house.  Noreen told me if the puppies were born on the street, they were most likely dead by now and if they were at home, hopefully her owners were looking for her. I decided to walk around for awhile to see if anyone recognized her. 

For the next 30 minutes we stopped at all the local businesses.  She walked beautifully on the leash, sat when I stopped and behaved like a dog with some training. She didn't try to get away or anxiously head in any one direction which made me think her puppies were not near. When no one knew her, I decided to go to the shelter.  I helped her into the van, without incident, and off we went.  Again, she rode like an old pro all the way. She must be someone's pet and I guessed they must be desperately trying to find her.

I checked her into the Shelter under the Bill Foundation, so that they would be able to get her out, should her owners never be found. But I was certain that would not happen. Here was a beautiful, good natured dog who was surely someone's beloved family pet.  The shelter attendant was very nice, we took a wonderful photo of her and she shook my hand before I left.  Now I knew, she was someone's pet. 

I checked on her each day, and each day I was told no one had called.  By the end of the week I started to lose hope. Then I had an idea.  One of the girls at work wanted a dog. She had a young son, so they wanted a young, larger dog that could keep up with a five-year-old, but was also gentle for someone so small. I thought of Bessy.  However, her son was really too young for a dog and the parent wished to wait a couple of years.

The Bill Foundation sprung her from the pound and after she was spayed, I fostered her at my house over the weekend.  We decided to have her attend the Sunday adoption fairs and to enroll her in a basic obedience class.  She was very young and energetic so we also took her to doggie daycare twice a week to use up some of that puppy energy. But fate stepped in again for Bessie.  She was only at her second Fair when Richard & Brian met her and it was love at first site. Recently relocated from New York, the two were looking for a dog after having lost their beloved pet of 13 years.  They never expected to fall in love so fast and were in the process of renovating their home, certainly not the place for such a young dog. 

Knowing this was the perfect home, I agreed to foster Bessy for an additional period until work was complete and she could enter a truly safe environment free of paint, workmen and construction hazards.  The two visited her at doggie day care, spent Sunday afternoons together and began her obedience training as a family.

After just two weeks, Bessy made the transition to her new home.  The three became so attached to each other that Richard & Brian decided they wanted her home with them.  So now her name is Angie, she goes to doggie daycare everyday until construction ends and lives with
                                                 her two new dads.