Pleas from the pound

Cesar

Many people would consider five-month-old Cesar handsome, with his Boxer color, coat and wrinkled face. Cesar also has a social nature, ready to introduce himself with a hopeful wag. But no good looks or personality plus helped Cesar. His people were evicted. They needed to get their 16 dogs and puppies out of the house.

Their solution was to gather up all the canines who loved and trusted them. Then, in the middle of the night, they drove them deep into the country, to an empty field. Since the pets must have tried to stay by their humans, the people must have dragged and carried them far into the field.

When the shelter staff arrived, Cesar was one of the first to greet his rescuers.

Jake

Jake must have looked at the people whom he’d known his whole life, with the pleading, puzzled, eager-to-please expression his photo shows. The five-month-old, tan and black pup looks to people for guidance. He wouldn’t have wandered away from his humans. They must have planned how to discard Jake and make it back to the getaway vehicle without him.

Maybe that’s why they left an open bag of Gravy Train in the field with their 16 unwanted pets. The pets were probably hungry. They would have felt grateful for the food, and it would have distracted them so their people could escape.

By the time the shelter staff arrived, Jeff wasn’t distracted. He and many others were watching loyally, trustingly, hopefully for their owners’ return.

Ivy

When 16 puppies and dogs try to hide together, in a pile, in an open field, they attract attention. Yet five-month-old Ivy, did well at going unnoticed. That was partially because her coat, one that would be labeled calico if she were a kitten, a blend of yellow, white, brown and black, was good camouflage in a winter field.

But, sadly, it was also because Ivy was so frightened and sad that she collapsed into the ground. In her short life, Ivy’s learned to apologize for using any space, to try to be invisible, to let people know that she’s sorry for any inconvenience caused by being alive.

But, even with her secret sadness, Ivy came to the strangers from the shelter.

Stark

His people weren’t good to Stark; he’s another one of the 16 abandoned canines, but they did bless him in one way. On purpose or by accident, Stark learned to trust people. That saved him. After nearly three hours of coaxing, the shelter staff and a helpful resident managed to rescue 10 animals, including little Stark.

Now Stark is hopeful. Even his face shows it. The tri-colored fellow wears a perfect white wishbone around his nose. Maybe that means that Stark will finally get the wish that he deserves.

Part of that wish would be for his own home. Yet, Stark might also make that wish that for his entire family, especially the six dogs who were too frightened to come to the people who wanted to help them.

Hillary

There is so much sadness in 10-year-old Hillary’s story. The saddest is that, even if her owners were determined to discard their sweet, perfectly behaved, unconditionally loving pet, they had a kinder, life-preserving way of doing it.

Shelter directors and rescue group members communicate. The Grant County Shelter director learned that a rescue group had offered to take Hillary. Instead, her people chose to abandon the still-pretty, white-boot-wearing lady on a rural road. There, only the sweetness strangers saw saved her.

The shelter staff adore Hillary. She has no drawbacks, except her age. The Boxer may not have many years left to love someone. Still, Hillary’s love would be a blessing for someone who understands it is the depth of love, not its length, that matters.