November 18, 2010

White Dog knows that we are incredibly blessed, especially during these troubling economic times, to have our home, an income, adequate health coverage and food on our table. We know many in the Blogging Community who are unemployed, who are struggling to make ends meet, who have been challenged by unexpected medical/vet costs.

She and Quinn listened in horror as I discussed with Steve an Eskie breeder who only 6 years ago had an idyllic farm in Kansas and bred happy healthy brilliant pups who lived with the family in their house. Seems the farm fell on hard times financially and in a misguided attempt to generate enough money to save the farm, the breeder started mill breeding. As the nation’s situation has worsened over the past few years, the demand for expensive purebred puppies has decreased. The farm went into foreclosure. At about the same time, the breeder discovered she had brain cancer and as it has progressed she has lost mobility and the ability to function. The farm was lost, and the family was forced to move into a rental trailer where the dogs were not allowed by the landlord. Consequently, for some time, the animals have lived in dog houses in the yard…their once sparkling white coats matted and their shining eyes dimmed from hopelessness.

A rescue acquaintance discovered the situation and bought four of the pups and the sire and rehomed them (keeping two himself). He teared up as he described the conditions and lamented that he had to leave the 12 year old dam behind because he had no more room. “No one in that small town is going to take in a old broken down Eskie, she is sleeping outside in the dirt because she is afraid of the dog house and it is getting so cold at night,” he shared.
When he said the name of the town, we started. We asked him to repeat and then asked if the one-time kennel had been named after the surrounding hills. His answer chilled us…this was the kennel White Dog had come from! The same breeder who had so carefully screened us. The same breeder who took such pride in her “babies.” The breeder that gave us such a loving, wise, incredible companion in the form of Siku had been reduced to this!

Without even needing to debate, and despite the fact that we had just agreed to adopt Nuka, we told him that we would take in Puff, that we owed a distant relative of WD—and her birthplace-- that much. So from a family who had at one time said with certainty, “We are a one dog house!” we have become the White Dog Army (and are at our limit in terms of city ordinance).

Tomorrow, weather permitting, Steve flies with Terry in his personal plane to rescue Puff from any more nights of sleeping in the dirt in 30 degree temps. And tonight we say a prayer that someday no pup will ever sleep out in the cold, hungry and abandoned by hope.