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The Story of Lucy

December 07, 2006, 12:0AM MT

By Michelle Buckalew

HOW ONE PUPPY MILL DOG FOUND HER FOREVER HOME

HOW ONE PUPPY MILL DOG FOUND HER FOREVER HOME

By

Doc Wheeler
© 12/4/06

PROLogue

Every weekend across this great land thousands of caring animal lovers perform a wonderful life saving service to animals by organizing or driving a leg or more in the Train to Freedom known simply as Transport. Perhaps you have already done it yourself, or perhaps you would like to help and don’t know how or that this system even existed.

You may be a rescue, a retiree, a young person who is looking for a way to help animals without days and weeks of time to spare…just a few hours a week, reliable transportation , and a few extra dollars in your pocket for gas.

The need is real, as are the rewards in knowing you have helped yet another animal reach his or her new home and in doing so, saved another from death.

In the future, we on the Network hope that this Site will become a nationwide HUB for all organized Transport Groups across the country to list their orgs. as a community, perhaps by state or region (as so many transports cross several state lines).

I encourage them all to do so and am sure this will add to their lists of willing driver volunteers and perhaps coordinators and in turn will enable that many more animals who otherwise would have no chance at a new life find their way to a new loving home.
This , then, is the story of one such transport……

PART ONE

First Contact

It was early November and yet another email came through from a regular contact, one of many I would get that day. It was another transport crosspost , but this one was different.

The cities posted as the start point and end point seemed too far away to be attainable, over 800 Miles! It appeared that they must be coming through my area. It also said it was for a Puppy Mill dog, one of those poor unfortunates who had been saved from one of these Houses of Horrors.

My curiosity and concern were peaked, so I opened the email and proceeded to glean that the person who was doing the coordinating had never done one before, had laid out a cursory route and the basic info. I then contacted her directly. It was the beginning of meeting more wonderful people, and of equal importance, meeting a wonderful dog named Ginger (now Lucy) and learning her story, one with a tragic beginning, but a wonderful ending.

PART TWO

LUCY

Lucy (as she is now known) was born inside a box made of wire measuring about two and a half to three feet squared, which was joined, one after another, to many more just like it both horizontally and vertically. Her place of birth, her ‘home’ for the first five years of her life, had no floor other than more wire, and the same was true of the walls and ceiling, over her which lived another dog not unlike her and another above that one, and so on….seemingly to the sky, or what she though must be the sky, if she thought of such things at all, for she had never seen the outdoors. How does one dream of something one has never seen?

The same could be said about all the other dogs that surrounded her in this man-made beehive for dogs. To her and the others, life was one awful day followed inexorably by another .

The only break in the routine of sleeping and barking occasionally was when the MAN came in with food and water. That is when the barking would be the loudest, for they all saw him as the bringer of the food. They all noticed he wore a big black hat on his head and suspenders on his pants and had hair on his face, but they could not see him as more, perhaps as their friend, because he never spoke, never tried to relate to them. Playing was beyond their ability to understand, as no one had ever played with them.

After her meager rations were finished and she drank her water it, was time to do what all living things must do, and she did so, as did the others, one on top of the other.

The waste, of course would fall through the wire floors and they would all end up in a terrible position, totally covered, the worst of course being the dog lowest to the floor. But of course, they knew no better, and while they reviled the smell and the feel of it all, what could they do?

The MAN didn’t care….
All he wanted was to take their pups away, and who knew where they went?

All that she knew of this was that for a brief time she would be put in another box with another dog, a male, and shortly after he was done mounting her she would be put back in her cage until such time as it was her time to have her puppies which would soon vanish before her eyes, through the door of the big Barn they all called home…all 600 of them….

Finally a day came, after what she thought were so many endless days, that the man said something to her, and while she didn’t understand, the words sounded like “Come…you are no good to me anymore..”
With those words he took her out of her box and into the World Outside and then handed her to another person, along with five more of her dog “friends”. Lucy looked around in wonder at the sheer size of what she was looking at…the rolling grass, the fields, and a sky so big it had no end.
But she then looked at the person in whose loving arms she was being held.
This human was different somehow. She was female and embraced her and the others, despite their smell, their injuries, their overgrown nails , and quickly put them all in a moving box with wheels on it which then began to move.
“Oh, thought Lucy, this is something I have not done before! I wonder what it all means?
I wonder where we are going?”
….and even that concept was new to her…for she had never ‘gone’ anywhere before……
But as she smelled the air she new she smelled something new and different ……
Something she would come to know as LOVE.

PART THREE

MARVELOUS MARTI

Marti Houge had always loved animals. At some point in her life she had heard the brief, but poignant story of the old man who, while walking down the beach came apon a young boy who was throwing starfish back into the sea, one after another. The beach, being so covered with starfish, as far as the eye could see, made it seem an impossible task to the old man.
He walked up to the boy and said , “Why are you wasting your time? There are so many on the beach, and in the ocean…what difference could it make? Surely it can’t possibly matter!”
The boy picked up another starfish and , throwing it back into the sea from which it had come, turned to the old man and said, “ It mattered to that one…..”

Marti never forgot this fable, and one day decided she,too, could make a difference.

She , her husband Jim, and her friend Kim Fischer started One Starfish Rehoming Connections, her small rescue and Sanctuary in Columbus, Wisconsin.

Over the years there have been so many she has helped go to new homes, or has kept with her as no one else would take them in…..at last count over 125 dogs as well as some cats. This has been done with considerable sacrifice on their parts, and at substantial personal cost to the three of them, but the many thousands of dollars they have spent have been worth it to them.

Perhaps it is best summed up in the words of her long time friend Debbie Moore, who told me “Marti is the rescue person who saves the ones others seem to pass up. The special needs ones, the ones who are so scared and shy, the ones who are old and have no teeth. She rarely asks for donations or help, she is a gift to animal rescue, an angel to the animals. She is the kind of person we should all hope to be with her love and compassion for the animals.”

It was Marti who was there to pick up Lucy on that day, along with the other five mill dogs the miller had decided were of no use to him. For a brief time she became Aunt Marti to Lucy and the others, as Marti searched for homes for them all.

One day an email came through from a woman in New York State whose name is Gail Nichols.
She told Marti her tragic personal story of the loss of her Bernese Mountain Dog, Grandie, and how her other Bernese, Ozzy, was in mourning, as was her family. She also told her how she was talked out of getting a rescue when she got Oz, who is not a rescue, by her relatives and friends, who asked her why she would want someone else’s problems…as if, perhaps, dogs are no more than a second hand car.
After a brief period, and having always had two dogs in her life, she decided to go to Petfinder and stumbled upon pictures of a cocker spaniel named Ginger (aka Lucy), who was now in Marti’s care.
Gail had felt somewhat guilty about this, as she knew there were so many dogs who needed homes right in her own area, but when she saw the picture of Ginger, she felt something tug at her soul that said, “this is the one.” She couldn’t stop herself, and after waiting patiently for Marti’s approval, was excited to find out that Marti had given her the nod……and said yes to the adoption.

Now came the hard part….getting Ginger /Lucy to her new home in Clarence, NY.
Marti picked up the phone and dialed her old friend Debbie’s number in Vincennes and said,
“OK, I have Great News ! I found a home for Ginger…..but there is ONE little catch…..”

PART FOUR

DEBBIE MOORE’S VIRGIN RUN

Debbie Moore of Vincennes, Indiana, listened carefully to Marti’s story about how she had heard from Gail Nichols in New York and that she had made the decision to let Gail adopt Ginger after Gail had filled out all the necessary forms on-line and talking with her extensively about the environment at her home , her personal history, and her desire to help a rescue dog.

Having seen many emails come through in her years of working for the benefit of animals, including transport requests, she told Marti she would try to help by Coordinating a transport. Marti, of course , was aware her friend had never done this before, but believed in her and informed Gail of the upcoming attempt. Gail found it somewhat hard to believe this could be accomplished…that there were people out there who would freely give of their time (and hard earned money) to help one little dog get all the way from Wisconsin to New York, but held out hope that what she was being told was , while difficult, indeed possible.

And so, with nothing but common sense and faith in humanity, Debbie pulled up a map and started the task of piecing together the 800 mile run in one to one and -a-half hour increments, following the freeways as closely as she could through five states, noting approximate time and distance, population centers and the absence of population in some of the areas, and wondered if she could pull this off. “Jeez, she muttered to herself, I couldn’t have started with an easy one….”

She finished it as best she could, filling out the contact information and detailing briefly Ginger’s health status and other “specs”. She, being the honest person she is, also noted that this was her first time Coordinating a Transport and that any and all help would be appreciated.

Looking it over carefully, she let out a deep sigh, crossed the fingers on her left hand, said a little prayer and hit SEND on her computer with a request to crosspost all…….

PART FIVE

STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE

This author looked at the sender of the email’s address on his screen and noted it was his friend Dawn Shimp. Dawn had gained much notoriety for her efforts, as had her friends, in trying to find Josie, another dog who sadly had escaped during transport and still has not been confirmed as having been found to this day. Dawn had been involved in many transports before, in addition to her other work for the benefit of animals.

Looking at the route sheet I immediately noticed that the only legs that had been filled were the first (by Marti), the last (by Gail), and the next to last (by Dawn), and that it was routed right through my own “back yard”. I also noticed some details were missing as compared to the many previous ones I had seen and assisted with before. I also noticed the plea for any assistance as it was this person’s “ virgin” run.

Although I had never contacted Debbie Moore before, I did so, along with forwarding the original email to my contacts. I made a suggestion to her regarding one of her listed leg stops and informed her of my crosspost, commenting that I had seen the distance this attempt was covering, and that I was not at all confident that this transport could be accomplished in the handful of days she had allowed.

After this initial period had nearly passed I suggested to Debbie that she would perhaps have better luck with more time, and that if the rest of the legs could get filled as far as Cleveland by the following weekend I and my bride would gladly take Lucy in for the night and continue the transport on Sunday. It seemed to me to be an awfully long way to try to go in one day….something like 18 hours or so, and even doing this, at least one driver would end up driving in the dark in questionable weather conditions, to say nothing about how hard it would be on this little dog.

While this thought had not initially entered her mind, she quickly embraced it, and both my bride and I assured her that Lucy would be treated like a queen and also make some new doggie friends at our house, should what had now become our mutual mission succeed.
Over the next five or six days we both (and I am sure others did the same) “pulled out all the stops” , making calls, sending emails, etc., requesting help for the open legs…and hoped that angels would appear.

As always happens, it came down to the one last leg…and this one was in rural Indiana, a tough one to fill indeed! It took a day or two, but then Debbie remembered a couple of groups she knew of in the area, called them, and at last it was done…all legs were filled!

PART SIX

THE TRANSPORT, THE PJ PARTY, and A GOOD NIGHT’S REST

Marti Hogue awoke after an all-to-brief sleep. The big day was finally here and she had much to do before leaving. The sun had not poked it’s head out above the horizon yet, the world was still as sleepy as she was, but she knew what she had to do to help fulfill little Lucy’s destiny.

She fed both herself and Lucy, gave her the needed time to go outside after having dressed, put her travel documents and what few other possessions Lucy had , put her and her travel crate into her Mini-Van and drove off promptly at Seven A.M.

Lucy wondered where they were going that day…would it be to see the Man called “doctor”?

Not having really been anywhere other than there since Marti took her from the Man, she could not possibly have imagined what lie in store for her that day, for on this day she would have to say goodbye to Marti, the one person in her life who cared about her, or so she thought.

She could not understand that their could be so many who cared enough about her that they would happily sacrifice a small part of their time on earth so that she may spend the rest of hers in a new home, with someone who would love her forever.

With a tear in her eye, a final hug and a gentle whisper of , “You be a good girl, sweetheart” in her ear, Marti said a final goodbye to her latest charge as she helped put her in Dee Digs’ Sonoma in Rockford, Illinois, thanked Dee, and bid them both farewell.

A little more than an hour later, Dee met Ray in Elgin, Illinois, and repeated the process. Ray drove for an hour and a half and met up with Cindy Moss in Gary, Indiana, who then drove to Laporte, Indiana and met up with Ruth from Muttnuts in her Honda. Ruth stepped up to the plate…twice….when the leg from Howe, Indiana wasn’t filled and drove TWO legs…a total of more than two hours and fifteen minutes in one direction. Anyone who has ever been to Howe could understand why this leg was not filled. It has a military school, cows, and corn as far as the eye can see…and not much else in the way of people.

From Montpelior, Ohio, Karen and Ed Nofziger drove to Toledo, Ohio in there Mazda Six and met Liz Gaulke, who then drove to Sandusky, Ohio. These legs were a little more easily accomplished…a little over an hour each. The next seemed reasonable enough, and would have been in one direction, but unbeknownst to me, the driver of this leg (from Sandusky to my home near Cleveland) was started in reality in Berea, Ohio….south of Cleveland, as that is where the driver of this leg is from. Yet another incredible effort was made by this person, Lynnea Berr, who so loves animals she drove all the way from Berea to Sandusky to my home ! The time for this leg was over two and a half hours ……

This is how Lucy’s day went, in a dizzying spin , from one car to the next, from one person to the next, quick hellos and goodbyes, with the brief stop for water and nature’s call in places she had never been, and surely will never see again. She sensed, however that something exciting was happening, in between naps as the boxes with wheels rolled along, taking her…where?

Her day had started in the dark, she had seen the light of day shining in through the rolling box she was in frequently when she awoke from her sleep and better still when she was let out of it. She was then able to enjoy all the new smells on the ground for a short period of time before being put back into the rolling box again, and now she noticed it was again growing dark.

Finally the one she was now in came to a stop in front of a house she had never seen before and another person came out of the house as the sliding door on the rolling box was opened. They said something to each other as the person who had been in the box with her opened her crate door and let her out. This man helped her to the ground , bent over and held her gently and said hello to her, another person came out of the house and, after her lead was put on walked her behind the house where she was allowed to stretch her legs and take care of business. The woman then took her inside of the house and said , “ Hi Sweetheart…make yourself at home…I have some friends I know you will want to meet and I know they want to meet you!”
One by one she met her three new friends…Dogs!

After having helped Lynnea out with some car troubles she was having I walked inside and, to my surprise, Dee (my bride) had already introduced Lucy to Hobbes, Gypsy and Barney, our rescue dogs. I watched in amazement at how quickly they adjusted to each other, doing the usual sniffing and wagging…it was as if Lucy had been here before and had stopped in to visit her old pals! I carried in her few belongings and put her crate in the back bedroom where Dee had said she would sleep with her and Gypsy that night. (The boys were banished to another bedroom, including me). Dee fed and watered Lucy while I let our crew outside as they had already eaten.

I then volunteered to give Lucy a bath so she would look extra nice (and smell nice, too). Unfortunately, in the confusion, we failed to take into account that she would need to do her business almost immediately after eating. While she enjoyed her bath immensely, she just could not stop herself and christened our living room rug with an unfortunate and very LARGE gift as soon as we were finished drying her. While I cleaned it up, Dee ran her out again and gave her ample opportunity to complete the task she had begun in the living room. “No matter, I thought to myself, I should have known better given the environment she spent nearly her whole life in”.

As we all settled in for the night in front of the TV, Lucy quickly was showing signs of being exhausted after her strenuous day . She enjoyed the big hard smoked bone we gave her to gnaw on for awhile, but her jaws grew tired quickly as she, we thought, had never had one before. Dee took her and Gypsy into the back bedroom and showed her crate (which we had taken the towel out of to wash and replaced with another). She happily crawled right in as Dee changed into her PJ’s. (Gypsy is fortunate as she doesn’t need them…Border Collies come with plenty of their own which they wear full time.)
I covered Lucy with another towel , said goodnight to all of them, and quietly closed the door behind me. I smiled to myself and thought about what a cute dog she was, then reminded myself I had some driving to do the next day to the Pennsylvania State Line.

Before we all knew it , it was morning , and having fed the clan including Lucy , it was time to get them out back and then be on our way.

I loaded her belongings, included a note to Gail, and packed her smoked bone for her in her travel box. Dee kissed her goodbye, wished her well and our crew tail-waved goodbye from the front window and barked out a loud “ Nice to meet you! Come back any time!”
…and off we went.

An hour and a half later we were there, meeting Dawn and David Shimp at a convenient and prearranged stop at a hotel along the freeway. We chatted briefly and then it was time for Lucy’s last leg to be run. I told her to have a great life and be a good girl, Dawn put her on her lap, and off they drove. Lucy would meet her new Mom an hour or so later, as she of course was excitedly driving from New York towards Pennsylvania.

EPILOGUE

HOME AT LAST

While I was not there to share in the joy of that first meeting I have imagined it many times since , and it fills my heart with happiness, knowing that I, along with so many others, helped Lucy find her forever home. I have, of course, heard from Gail Nichols, Lucy’s new Momma. She has sent her many thanks to all and kept us posted about how Lucy is doing, told us what a great dog she is and how the whole family loves her, including Ozzy. Lucy goes to work with Gail every day at Gail’s office and is incredibly happy and well adjusted, despite her sad background.

As for me, I have dreamed of Lucy’s face, her pretty eyes, happy smile, her wagging little nub of a tail, and in my dream she has looked at me and said, “Thank you, thank you all…for everything….I am finally home…”

In the end it mattered…to this One Starfish…

POSTSCRIPT

I personally would like to thank all of the wonderful people who made this story possible.
To Dee Digs, Ray, Ed and Karen, Cindy Moss, Ruth (who did TWO legs!), Liz Gaulke, Lynnea Berr (who drove so far to help!) , Dawn and David Shimp, Debbie Moore (who is a virgin to transport no more!) , Marti , Jim, and Kim, who took Lucy in and without whom Lucy would not have found her home, and of course Gail Nichols, who was kind enough to want to share her home with Lucy for the rest of her life….. You all have my deepest admiration. Thank You……

Doc

A Personal Note from Dee: I am very proud to have played a small role in this true story and I hope that those of you who have small children (or grandchildren) will share this with them, perhaps as a bedtime story. One day, I hope, we may achieve the mutual goal we all seek…

A Better World Through Kindness To Animals.
Teach your Children Well….
Dee Wheeler

Pictured: Gail Nichols and Lucy

Comments

Posted December 08, 2006, 11:40PM by GailNichols

Thank You Doc, your story has put more than a tear in the eyes of almost everyone I talk to who has read it. But it also is a commendation to everyone who has involved themselves in these worthwhile efforts...not to mention, an inspiration to all who may read it and consider becoming involved.
And... Thank you, ALL, who were involved in making this miracle happen.
Angels, all of you.
They walk among us.
It was truly amazing to watch it come together and this effort HAS to give us all hope for the genuine goodness and decency in humanity. With all the depravity & malice we all witness as we watch the evening news unfold, you can't help but get a warm feeling and a genuine smile in your heart that these wonderful folks can see the value of one sad dog's right to have a chance for a happy life. Marti & Kim...you are Lucy's fairy godmother's ;^} ,
for you were the one's that saw her worth and saved her. You put yourself out there. You gave her a second chance (AND you picked me!! YAYAYAY...but I digress..LOL) And Doc and Dee , I can't thank you enough for your part in making this happen and the effort..not just for Lucy and me, but in this story's ability to inspire and touch people to make the effort...
The kindness extended to us have left me speechless (rare, for me, believe it! LOL) And I want to extend a DOUBLE thanks to Ruth AND Lynnea who extended themselves doubly, hugs to you! You are awesome! And ALL of you, who sacrificed your time and money to get her to me from so far . And in a loving and unselfish way. Without expectations, without ulterior motives, but like our canine buds, unconditional. This experience has been such a revelation to me. In fact, I look forward to doing my first transport leg (not counting Lucy's!) tomorrow. I need to...I WANT to ....'Pay it Forward'. It just feels good...... It DOES make a difference. One Starfish...one at a time. Uplifting...all of it. Blessings to you all. May we ALL live the salutation: Peace on Earth, Goodwill Towards (Wo)Men. And Dee...You're ending phrase is not only poignant, but really our future, our hope, our salvation: "A Better World Through Kindness To Animals. Teach your Children Well....."
Everyone, Enjoy the Holidays, Stay Safe and May You All have a Happy AND Healthy New Year!

Posted December 08, 2006, 1:1PM by kathy_g

Wonderful, Doc...just heartwarming!

Posted December 29, 2006, 9:33PM by roxxy

i love you story its sooooooooooooo heartwarming

Posted December 07, 2006, 6:24PM by soccergirl

I am so happy for Lucy...and more than a little enthralled at her amazing tongue! :-)

Best wishes for a long, happy life Sweet Girl.

Posted December 11, 2006, 5:20PM by michelle

Click here for more info from Doc on transport and how to help in transport.

http://network.bestfriends.org/MessageBoards/Forum.aspx?f=902