Another Rescued Dog

It was the longest, hottest summer on record that sister Mary and I spent in Ft Worth, closing out Aunt Louise's apartment and settling her affairs.  At the end of the summer Mary headed back to Hawaii and Daisy and I started our return to Tucson for my annual rounds of doctors and dentists.

 One place I usually spend the night is at a casino on the New Mexico side of the border just a few miles from El Paso. The casino has about 8 spaces with hook ups for RVs where they charge a very nominal fee.  No, I never play the slot machines or sit at the poker tables--mostly because I cannot handle the smokey air, but I also don't see the pleasure in the games.  Now, if the casinos should have a table for Mexican Dominoes or perhaps another for party bridge,  then I might be able to ignore the smoke.

I had just finished breakfast and was preparing to pack up and continue on our way to Tucson when suddenly I heard horns honking, tires squealing and people shouting, all from the very busy thoroughfare in front of the casino.  I looked over to see a lady leaning way out on the driver's side 

window as she inched her car along the road, all the while coaxing this beautiful dog to follow her.

She pulled into the casino lot, stopped her car and jumped out to make sure the dog was safely out of the traffic.  The dog seemed to want to go with her but then looked at me and decided I looked more interesting.  "I almost hit him!" She frantically explained.  "If I left him on the road he would surely have been killed. "  

We checked the dog for tags and found none, though clearly the dog was well cared for.   "I have to go to work," she said, "so I don't have time to take him to the animal shelter.  Can you take him?" she asked as she quickly jumped into her car and sped away.

Daisy was not at all sure about this sudden interloper.   A young man drove up and said he had seen the dog on the road.  He wanted to take him but he was a soldier on his way to report for duty and said he didn't think they would let him have a dog.  

I used Daisy's spare leash to keep him from running off but clearly he was ready to stay right where  he was.

And Daisy was quickly warming up to this new friend.

I could not handle another dog in my somewhat small and crowded RV so I called Pet Smart for some advice.  I told them I would not turn this beauty over to any animal shelter that might kill him and they gave me the phone number of a rescue center in El Paso and suggested I try them.

The person in El Paso reassured me they did not kill animals and several hours later someone drove over to New Mexico and took him away.

It was sure hard to say goodbye.  Daisy had quickly bonded with him and the rest of the trip to Tucson I think my own little 'rescue dog' was heartbroken and depressed. Ah, such is life.