Wednesday, April 21, 2010

CASSIDY




All righty now, finally a "happy" alert.

John and Debbie were good friends. John and I worked together and his wife Debbie and I shared a love for animals. She had worked for a veterinarian but was now content to be a stay at home mom. They lived about 15 miles away in a large 5 acre parcel subdivision. It was just a bit more up scale than my area and was closer to town.


Not a picture of Cassidy but her image.


Their main pet was a white miniature poodle with three legs. Cassidy had been brought into the veterinary office where Debbie worked. The poodle had been struck by a car and the people who had hit her couldn't find the owner. Panicked they drove her to the nearest vet where her crushed leg had to be amputated. Debbie exhausted every means to find the owner and when no one claimed her, Debbie took her home rather than turn her over to the Humane Society. Thus Cassidy became a family member.

I previously had written about Twiggy who was terrified of thunder and Cassidy was the same. She would go under a bed and press herself against the wall during a storm. She hated loud noises. Then came the 4th of July.

John and Debbie were in their yard watching their neighbors fairly elaborate display and just enjoying the evening. The impressive private display was a surprise and they forgot Cassidy was out. When the fireworks were over, they went back in to find Cassidy but she was not in any of her usual haunts. Then Debbie remembered that she had been outside and the loud noises must have terrified her.

Together, she and John toured the property, looking under every building, but no Cassidy. That night they drove up and down the streets calling for their lost baby. Nothing. Debbie called me to help look and I was glad to. Cassidy was a dandy little dog and I hated to think she was somewhere in a state of terror.

We did not find her so Debbie had posters made and she stuck them up around the neighbor hood. She contacted the Humane Society, animal control and all the vets. Again nothing. Each day, she and her preschool daughter would go up and down the streets knocking on doors and looking for anyone who may have seen her little dog.

Methodically she questioned everyone she could find. It was about a 8 square mile subdivision so it took a while to cover all the territory. Debbie was closing out her first week of searching. As she started down the last street, her hopes were pretty crushed. She had the poster in her hand when the lady answered the door. Before Debbie could start her speech, the lady said. "Oh my, is that your dog?"

It seems, her daughter was visiting from Pennsylvania for the 4th weekend. On the morning of the 5th, Cassidy had been seen at her cat's water dish on the porch eagerly lapping her fill. She was covered in burrs, stickers and dried mud. She had to have run about 5 miles through the woods on those 3 legs. The daughter fell in love with her and decided that since she was so sorry looking, she must be stray. So she cleaned her up and took her home to Pennsylvania that Sunday as her new pet.

Debbie and the lady immediately called the daughter to tell her the news. It seems Cassidy was showing signs of depression and the daughter had been quite worried. When she heard the story, it all made sense. Now there was a distance problem. At first the lady said she would ship Cassidy back by air but Debbie thought Cassidy had experienced enough trauma and said she would come get her.

The lady then said she would not hear of it. Feeling responsible she insisted on bringing Cassidy back to Florida by car the following week. She said she felt badly about taking the dog with out trying to find her owner. They agreed on a compromise and decided to meet in South Carolina for the exchange.

Cassidy was so happy to see Debbie at the rest stop in South Carolina that she wagged herself right off her three legs. The woman was heart sick that she had taken the dog but Debbie just hugged her neck and thanked her over and over. Cassidy was home and Debbie had a new friend.

See, sometimes, dog stories do have happy endings.

25 comments :

  1. I love happy endings! Cassidy got lucky twice!

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  2. So glad Cassidy got to go back home. Nice to see a story with a happy ending.

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  3. That was a touching great story. I am so glad that Cassidy was found at last! Thanks for your stories, Patti!

    You aske if we are effected by the ashcloud. Well, we don't notice anything of it, but travelling from our main airports do.Some passengers have been waiting from Thursday until now.

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  4. Reminds me of my last German Shepherd, Gabby, named for tennis star Sabatini, who was terrified of firemworks.

    One night, (near July 4th) while we were at church, boys were throwing fireworks at her inside her own yard, a neighbor told me. She found a way to dig under a chain link fence and escape. I could not believe how small a hole it took, as she was nearly full grown. The police found the place and some of her hair was on the wire.

    I was devastated. I bought her as a 6 week old puppy in Mena, AR and carried her home on my shoulder.

    Friends and I spend hours driving streets calling her name.

    One afternoon as I sat on my deck mourning her absence, the police called to say she was sitting on the porch of a home 3 blocks from me. The owners called because she was so friendly.

    When I drove up she ran and jumped in my car in joy. After that I sedated her on holidays.

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  5. That brought tears to my eyes!! How nice it was that the woman told the truth about the dog, so she could be retrieved.

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  6. What a great story with a very happy ending. A good friend of mine just adopted a chihuahua from a humane rescue place. The poor thing had to have one of its legs amputated because of a chemical burn. Yikes. This pup, now named Luz, is in a fantastically loving home. Some dog stories really do have happy endings.

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  7. Now that is an amazing story. Wow.

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  8. oklhdan
    Me too. I sometimes wonder about her original owner and how they either had the heart to dump her or if they had just lost her also through loud noise.

    SVB
    She sure didn't go as the crow flies but she made it home. I do love happy endings with animal stories. Too bad they all aren't.

    Reader wil,
    Thanks Wil. Thanks also for letting me know about the ash cloud. It looked so destructive. I wondered about you and am so glad you all were spared.

    nitwit,
    I think the most agonizing thing is to have a pet become lost. The not knowing is brutal. Your story had a happy ending also. That makes my day.

    kenju
    It was pretty special of her for I am sure she was embarassed and could have kept quiet. The daughter really went the extra mile driving the pet so far to get her home. Good folks all around.

    robin,
    I am always impressed when dog owners don't get put off by the asthetics of amputation and soon realize that dogs do fine on three and sometimes 2 legs. Sandra Bullock gets kudos from me for she has two dogs with a combined 5 legs. Bless your friend, bless Sandra and bless all who do what ever is necessary.

    Linda,
    Thanks. Cassidy was a special dog and was lucky to have been loved by so many.

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  9. Oh, I'm soooo glad!!! Cassidy sounds like such a sweet dog...and I'm so happy she was found! You write such wonderful stories! I just LOVE THEM ALL...even the sad ones...but this one really made me smile! Thank you! Love, Janine XO

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  10. thank goodess Cassidy came home to roost.

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  11. Sweet story - I know guys aren't supposed to use the word sweet, unless of course it is to discribe a sweet catch or a sweet rifle or a sweet ride...
    Cassidy reminds me of some people I have knows where everything seems to go sideways. The little fella gets his leg amputated and then is forced to run a marathon just so he can be kidnapped. Life is just wrong sometimes.
    Great story and so well told!

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  12. I love a happy ending
    thanks!!

    Cassidy sure is a lucky dog

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  13. Sniffles and Smiles,
    Thank you Janine. I am a sucker for the happy endings also. Wish there were more.

    Linda Star,
    She managed to cover lots of miles and make new friends but she finally made it.Phew.

    Grayquill
    Now that was a "sweet" comment, in the masculine sense for sure. Loved your synopsis.

    Dianne,
    For all her tribulations, she was indeed a lucky dog.

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  14. I am so glad this story had a happy ending. What a great story too. Cassidy is a lucky little dog..so glad she made it back to those she loved and they who loved and missed her so much. Hugs!

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  15. I was needing a happy ending, and there you were, Thanks.
    Cassidy is a cutie, and that lady's daughter is special as well.

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  16. Mumsy,
    Cassidy had a lot of problems in her life but it was still a charmed one.

    Brighid,
    I really was impressed with the lady and her daughter. A lot of people would have just kept quiet about taking the dog out of embarassment. Kudos to them.

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  17. What a WONDERFUL Happy Ending it is, too! I'm so glad this all worked out for Debbie and Cassidy...Sometimes things truly do work out the way they are supposed to---Thank The Lord!

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  19. OOLOH
    It really worked out because Debbie would not give up. Had she quit looking the day before, this would have had a sad ending. Sometimes I wonder if we unknowingly miss somethings in life because we give up too soon.

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  20. Carol,
    Thanks. Thought you might like it.

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  21. Hello, dear Patti! Just checking in to see if you are feeling a little better! Hope so! Love you! Janine XO

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  23. Sniffles and Smiles
    Thanks so much Janine. The pollen is still around but the rain knocked it down somewhat. The pollen can't last much longer.

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