Rainbow Bridge

     It was a lovely day in South Texas , March 5, when the "Rescue Wagon" (disguised as a Toyota Venza, loaded up with 3 kennels, all large enough to hold 2 dogs,  furnished with soft beds & four brand new plushy toys) pulled onto Old Katy Road.......merging onto Highway 10 headed west.  It was on a mission.

    Word was out that a little gang of four, 3 intact females, 1 intact male, were about to have their 'tickets punched' .......saved at the last minute by a vet in a small mid-Texas town who knew about a "halfway" group known as HavaneseRescueInc.   

    Over four hours later the "Rescue Wagon" pulled off the I-10 onto a road that even the GPS got thouroughly confused & gave up trying to give directions.  Pulling into the little dusty parking area, there was a bit of a 'pause' by the driver about what she was about to see.  Well, as you can see from their mugshots (attached) they were a bit of a gnarly bunch........."Rode hard & put up wet" is the term we use in the Lone Star state for those that have had a bit of a tough life.....possibly unappreciated for nothing more than how they could serve and work for their keep.  

     In one of the steel cages  was Kelly, weighing in at just over 6 pounds, clinging for all she was worth to pretty little Petra (also just over 6 pounds) who was doing all she could to greet & meet yet still keep Kelly calm &  consoled (it was later discovered that little Kelly is blind (that story will be told later by Judith, keeper of the 'halfway house", aka foster mom @ their new foster home.

     In the steel cage next to theirs was little Katie, weighing in at a bit over 7 pounds, barking for all she was worth (funny little bark, possibly 'barker' removed).........it was very clear that she was the social one of the bunch, wanting so much to be acknowledged, eager to dance & lick the hand that reached in to give her some attention.

     Big Echo, the male (9 pounds earned him the nickname 'Big') was in adjoining steel cage, tail wagging, wanting to reach out yet too scared.  One could immediately see the beauty that would soon unfold in his coat, stance and disposition........when allowed to blossom.

     Collars fitted, adjusted, rescue tags attached, harnesses fitted & adjusted, leashes attached.......all four of this seemingly sad & lost bunch were taken outside for a potty stop (too scared & anxious to do so), loaded into their kennels........the relief of being put onto warm, cozy doggy beds, good smelling 'cabin' of the 'Rescue Wagon' seemed instantaneous (oh, yeah, forgot to mention that the driver is an aromatherapist, etc. in her day job....).  The calmness, quietness, curiosity continued as they headed down the country road to get to the road that lead to Austin.........NEXT stop!!!

    Thank goodness for ventilation & aromatherapy because they all had atrocious breath!

     It was in a Target parking lot in Austin that the two other foster 'moms' met up with the "RescueW" .  Judith, from Austin, graciously took on Kelly & Petra......to separate them during that time would have been cruel.........Judith, I'm sure, will gladly fill the group in with their 'rehab' stories.   Marilyn had driven all the way from Burleson, outside the Dallas/Fort Worth area to slide into the Target in Austin, load up Big Echo and drive back over 2 and a half hours in the dark of night to get home.........(at this point , I think it's worth mentioning that in Texas.....heck, any state that deer are prevalent.....to drive after sundown....even just befoe sundown is a brave thing, indeed......deer love to graze around the roads and, for some unknown reason, seem to think that oncoming, full speed ahead (in Texas it's 75 to 80 miles per hour and, the aforementioned Houston 'Rescue Wagon' driver....me...always takes advantage of the allowed 5 miles over limit......can't speak for Ms. Marilyn for sure.....but I'd bet that she might do the same....I myself saw 3 different herd with 5-8 in each heard)   

     Moral of the dangerous deer story is that the Tiny Gang of Four have challenges to overcome, learning to allow love & sweetness, boundaries with caring...........and if we, by golly, can take on deer herds until 1 in the morning (Marilyn & I arrived at our respective homes at about the same time!).......we can take on the Tiny Gang of Four, convincing them that life is pretty amazing when they  are darlin' Havanese angels......get used to a whole new life, where they don't have to earn their keep with anything but the sweetness that they hold in their little DNA!!!!

  Anyway, Big Echo gave me little sideways glances as Marilyn was holding him preparing his car 'bunk') and gave me quick, shy little tail wags......as if to say, "I think that this may be a real good thing!" *shy little head down smile"

   Katie, the little ringleader with the Elizabeth Ashley bark, and I headed to Houston to end the day and settle in......in the wee hours of the next morning.....taking long curious looks.......we were both too wound up from the experience so I checked emails, Katie got curious about the light coming from the computer.......she sat in my lap & discovered youtube Havanese videos......we went to bed around 4 in the morning.....I had to go pick up the 'Texas Carboys', Murphy & Oliver,  from their boarding ranch (yes, literally called a Dog Ranch with their own air conditioned little bunkhouse )  in a few hours so that they could all meet & greet!  More of Katie's saga will follow in another email.....the Little Miss Prissy Britches Katie-Did who does cuteness so uniquely......the vet says "she is going to make someone a very happy person, she is a delightful little trouper!"......no doubt about that statement!   

       Some of you may be interested to know during the Tiny Gang of Four's ride to Austin, (only because their driver was clueless on how to work her new iPhone4 that she had somehow managed to put 'Pandora' app in to play through the 'blueteeth' thang! (insert sound of frustration toward anything techno)...........she hit the wrong button & Christmas music played all the way to Austin...........the Tiny Gang of Four didn't complain at all , just remained silent and cozy on their soft beds..........Austin Judith said that was so appropriate anyway.....these furbabies were headed to new beginnings.......and, in hindsight, Josh Groban sang 'You Raise Me Up' at least 3 times on the ride to Austin.........and, yes.......Judith was right.........because the Tiny Gang of Four is ready to stand on love mountains, like they've probably never known before......they deserve new lives of pure love &  joy!

Brie
Driver, Foster to Katie
Houston, Texas