Delta Dreaming March 19, 2014

Animals represent a large part of the rural south, some raised for food and some just raised.

Others aren’t raised at all, but abandoned. How anyone could leave a helpless animal to perish evades understanding.

But they do.

Take for example, our latest “foster dog” Blossom. She was abandoned in front of the police station in Carlisle, Arkansas, an old farming community in the Delta.

She spent the next week, during a cold winter, in an unheated cage at the local animal shelter, its only guest. Fortunately, Lonoke County has an active rescue group, so Blossom wound up at our farm awaiting adoption.

She was no longer cold or lonely. It didn’t take her long to make friends. Permanent residents, Suzi and Betty, took to Blossom immediately and they enjoyed much wrestling, running, spin games, and what Brenda calls “mouth fighting” during her stay. I also think they shared secrets, for there was much "girl talk" going on.

A vet in Carlisle donates his time to spay the foster dogs, so Blossom was soon wearing the “cone of shame” to keep her from worrying her stitches loose.

Then, the day came.

A group in Connecticut had agreed to find a home for her. Another group of animal saviors transports animals from overpopulated areas to underpopulated ones, hence Connecticut..

So we said goodbye to a happy and expectant girl, still wearing her “cone of shame” for the trip north. All three of us miss her.

Yesterday, we received word that a happy family had adopted Blossom and taken her to her forever home.

We will miss her, but we have four permanent guests already. Actually, we have five, for on the day Blossom left our home, another emaciated and abandoned stray found us.

It may be like the days of hobos when they would secretly make marks in trees at houses where the families would feed them. Dogs are smart that way, you know, as well as loving.

I sometimes wish people were.