Lady Hero




	WRITE 2 THE HEART Stories that are aimed "Write 2 the Heart" June 10, 2003 Cheryl Speir, Editor, moderator@write2theheart.com ----------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to your latest issue of "Write 2 the Heart" You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription or a friend generously forwarded their copy to you. To subscribe send a blank e-mail to subscribe@write2theheart.com. ------------------------------------------------------------ She had been neglected and abused. Sensing the loving and caring hearts of Bob and his wife, Ronni, she chose them. Lady was able to rise above her rough beginnings and become a hero. ------------------------------------------------------------ The Lady Was A Hero By Bob Shaw ------------------------------------------------------------ Very little was known about the dog. When she was found in a ditch next to a busy highway, she was mud covered, starved, and scared. The animal shelter cleaned her up, and found a beautiful tri- colored Collie hiding beneath all of that Texas mud. She was very shy at first, always staying at arms length, away from anyone that tried to comfort her. It was obvious she had been mistreated. It only took a few days for her to be adopted. That's how she ended up at the apartment complex where I worked. My first introduction to her was through the gate on the fenced patio. She was almost as surprised as I was, but I've usually been able to make friends with animals. Looking around, I noticed she didn't have any food or water, so I took care of that for her. Her owners were at work, and I figured they had just forgotten. I decided to keep an eye on her for the next few days, and living just across the street, it really wouldn't be a problem. We were sitting in the kitchen one morning, and heard a noise at the window. Looking up from the paper, I saw a dog looking in from the outside. It was the tri-color. Somehow, she had gotten out of the fence, picked up my scent, and followed me home. When Ronni went to the door to let her in, she backed away, then even further when she saw our sable and white Collie, Duke. When I went out to see about her, she recognized me right away, and came to me. I brought her in to meet Duke and Ronni, and in no time at all, she felt right at home. Ronni held out a bite to her and jumped back with a yelp, more out of surprise than pain, as she snapped at the food. A Collie is known for it's "soft mouth", and almost never acts that way. Even Duke could sense she was hungry, and backed away from his bowl to give her room. As she edged up to the food bowl, she gingerly took a few bites, and backed away. I noted that she was acting like the Lady now; Ronni looked at me and smiled. We both came to the same thought, the perfect name. She became "The Lady." I went across the street to check with her owner, and found the gate standing open, and her food and water bowls empty. I told him that if he couldn't take better care of her than that, I was taking her. He said I was welcome to her. Her barking was keeping him awake. I figured he didn't have enough sense to know why she was barking. That was when we became the owners of another Collie. Besides, Ronni had already decided that he wasn't getting her back. We watched as the two dogs bonded. They were almost like a matched set of bookends. Duke wouldn't bark outside, but would inside. The Lady wouldn't bark inside, but would outside. We figured we were covered now, either way. It was so cute to watch them together. There was almost an adoration between them. Duke was Ronni's dog. The Lady became mine. She went with me on my rounds of the property at night. It seemed like nothing missed her gaze. Then one day, I took her with me to check the mail. She was street wise, knew the dangers of the road, and had more common sense than a lot of people I've known. When Lady took off, I had no idea what was going on. She had seen a toddler wander out of the open gate at the pool. When the baby went out in to the street, she ran to her. Blocking her path only slowed her down a little, so Lady grabbed her by the diaper and pulled her back toward the fence. As she was pulling her back, one of the residents, an elderly lady, saw what was happening, and thought Lady was attacking the child. Coming to what she thought was a rescue, she raised her cane and brought it down across Lady's shoulders. By the time I reached the scene, she had raised the cane for a second blow. As I caught the cane, Lady crept around behind me, cowering from the beating. She screamed at me to leave her alone, that the dog was attacking the baby. I just looked at her and said she was an idiot. I reached down to touch Lady, to reassure her, then got down to her level, and gave her a big hug. She leaned in to me, almost melting. Her soft dark eyes seemed to say thank you for the kindness. I promised her she'd never be hit again. Whether she understood or not, I didn't know, but the look in her eyes was that of unconditional love, something I wondered if any human really deserved. Just then, I heard Audrey, the manager of the complex ask what was going on. The woman told her that the dog had attacked the child and that I had insulted her. I figured unemployment at best. Audrey smiled and informed her that she had been making coffee in the clubhouse kitchen, and had seen the whole thing. She had been heading for the door when she saw a black, white and tan blur take charge of the child. Then Audrey, in her very proper and very British accent, looked at the woman saying, "and Madame, you ARE an idiot"! The following night, Lady and I made our rounds on the property. As we walked, people started coming out of their homes, and letting the kids meet and pet the dog. Lady was in Seventh Heaven. She loved all the attention. Word had spread around the complex about what had happened, and it seemed that everyone knew "The Lady was a Hero." Three months later, we lost our Duke. There were some problems with a surgical procedure, and our big friend was put to rest. Lady was there for us, to fill the void, and made a special place for herself in our hearts. In the corner of every pet lovers heart is a special place just for certain pets, whether they're fur, feathers or fins. Their time with us is far too short, but leave us with a lifetime of memories. Just on the other side of this existence, is a place called The Rainbow Bridge, with a most joyous welcome for old friends. Bob Shaw CapeRabbit @ semo.net You are encouraged to write to the authors to let them know what you think of their story, just remember to remove the space before and after the @ symbol. The space is placed in the address to protect our writers from viruses and email harvesting programs. Have a comment on today's story? Send it to: moderator@write2theheart.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- Bob Shaw CapeRabbit@semo.Net Bob and wife, Ronni live in Cape Girardeau, Missouri -------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- Letters From Our Readers -------------------------------------------------------------- Hello Betty, what a touching article. I too was raised in those days and so I can appreciate your testimony even more. God bless and encourage you. Dazey Betty's story is a great testimony about how a mother's influence and keeping your children in church has a lifetime payoff! Someone had to help her memorize all the scripture, bet it was mom. Can't you just see her mom beaming with pride every time Betty came to her to recite? Can you imagine the joy and pride she felt about having her little girl win a Bible. I think there were two winners. Kate --------------------------------------------------------------- Military Prayer Reminder --------------------------------------------------------------- As you read over this list of names, please take that moment to pray for these young people and their families: Chris Speir Tim Speir Alan Thaddeaus Howard Todd Holland Graham William Julie Sagel Jessie Marshal Thompson Jason Eric Hernandez Kristin Danielson Ken Prieur Please continue to pray for our country, our leaders, and our troops at this time. If you have loved ones in the military, or who are being called to go overseas, send their names (first and last or first only) to be included in our prayer reminder. --------------------------------------------------------------- Chocolate Alert! I know that got your attention! I am working on a chocolate cookbook to be given away on Write 2 the Heart's web site. This work in progress is tentatively called "Write 2 the Heart of the Chocolate Lover." Anyone who would like to join in the delicious fun, send a chocolate recipe with a brief bio to be included after each recipe. Send as many as you wish. --------------------------------------------------------------- Cheryl's Corner I have been tearing the house apart, trying to get all of my books organized. When I decide to organize something, look out, that means the house is going to be terribly disorganized until I am through. I have a huge collection of cookbooks. Because they are not in one place, I can never find what I am looking for. Soon, they will all be in the kitchen on the shelf that held my cast-iron muffin pan collection. Now I have to find the collection a new home. I think I have started a domino reaction here. Every time I move one thing something else has to be moved. Where will the displacement end? Or more to the point, when! God Bless, Cheryl ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- © 2003 Write 2 the Heart Nothing may be reproduced or published without the written permission of the individual author or copyright owner. All rights belong to the authors.