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On a late November night the man, who lived in
the country, surrounded by farmland and open fields, stepped outside
of his ranch house to get some fresh air.
To the east were foothills and to the west,
unseen, a rural California town. He looked up at the black velvet
night salted with bright-white stars and sunlit planets. The air was
chilly and as he pulled on his jacket he heard Sally’s soft
shuffling steps.
He turned and regarded the elderly Australian
Shepherd, his companion and good friend for 13 years. She drew up to
him and they walked out over the gravel drive and onto the narrow
lane that fronted his property.
Moonlight frosted the hills and cast shadows
of the man and dog as they walked in companionable silence. On the
tail of a winter breeze, the sound of sirens, faint and urgent,
wailed briefly, before quiet returned.
Christmas was just around the corner. In
years past he would have been planning what gifts to give whom, and
deciding how many guests, family and friends, he and his wife would
have over Christmas Eve. But, his wife has passed a decade ago and
what family remained had moved out of state. Friends were few and
most had made other plans this year. He sighed, his joy came from
the giving of gifts—that was his gift to himself, and he would miss
that this Christmas.
~~~~~~
Warm in a thick comforter, Sally’s pleasant
weight at his feet, morning came crisp and clear, sunlight slanted
through the blinds. He rolled over and gazed out the window. Through
the condensation on the glass he watched as a blurry shape moved
erratically in the vineyard. Curious as to what he had seen, he got
up, dressed and headed for the front door.
As he neared, a scratching sound came from
the other side. His hand on the doorknob, he paused, listening. He
heard it again, scratching. He slowly drew the door open.
There, on the porch sat a small dog of mixed
breed: short legs, long body. She stood on her hind legs, furry
forelegs pulling at the air. Short haired, with spots of different
size and color, she was adorable. Her ears hung down, hound-like and
she seemed to be grinning: happy to see a human.
He bent down and reached out a hand. She
dropped to all fours, extended her head and gently licked his
outstretched palm. By the indentation in the fur of her neck he knew
that she had recently worn a collar.
He wondered how long she had been wandering
alone in the country. She may be hungry and thirsty. He opened the
door and called for her to come inside. She wagged her tail, panted
a smile and turned her attention to the open field.
There in the mist was another animal. They
both watched as the creature neared. She wagged her tail as a dog
stepped out of the low-blanketing fog. Tentatively, the small young
dog approached. The visitor at his feet barked a happy “It’s safe!”
greeting to her companion.
This dog, too, had previously worn a collar.
Both dogs’ fur seemed covered in sooty dirt and he decided he would
give them a bath after giving them food and water.
~~~~~~
They quickly adapted to their surroundings
and thrived in the company of the kindly man. Sally welcomed the two
dogs and seemed delighted to have them follow her and her human
wherever they went. That night they all clambered on the bed,
settled into the comforter and slept as one.
~~~~~~
Two days later a group of people came to the
house. The man answered the door and couldn’t help noticing that on
each person’s face was an expression of weariness, and of hope.
They explained that they had been scouring
the area.—“Had he seen two small dogs? They would have been new to
the area, unfamiliar with the surroundings.” The man nodded and bade
them wait. He returned with Sally and the two dogs in tow.
One of the men in the group smiled, tears
welling in his eyes. “You found them!”
The man shook his head and softly said, “No,
they found me.”
The younger man, his cheeks now wet added,
“Their names are Roxanne and Libby. They are my friend’s dogs. Thank
you, this means more to us than you could know....” The young man
tried to say something else, but emotion overwhelmed him. He wept
when the two dogs came over to him and whined.
He gathered the dogs, one in each arm and
before he turned to the group he nodded his head—a gesture of
gratitude—and the older man nodded back.
~~~~~~
That night on the local TV news there was a
story about the community losing a popular and respected
veterinarian. He had been driving on a rural avenue, when his car
had drifted off the road, hit a pole and burst into flames. He was
pronounced dead at the scene.
It was later learned that his two dogs were
with him at the time of the accident. It was believed that his dogs
had died in that fiery crash. But when it was revealed, Tuesday,
that two dogs matching their description had been seen wandering the
area near the crash site, family friends began canvassing the
fields. The dogs were found with a homeowner who had taken them in,
cleaned them up and cared for them. The family does not know the
name of the man who took the dogs in, but would like to thank
him....
A family member shared this with the news
reporters; “This is invaluable to our whole family because we know
they were with my dad. I don’t know how they survived, but here they
are. They slept with him at night. They followed him around
everywhere. It’s like that’s a part of him that’s still alive in a
weird way.”
~~~~~~
That night, while Sally nestled into the
comforter and settled at the feet of her human, the man closed his
eyes, thinking back on all that he had heard about his furry
visitors and the man they loved. “How had they survived?” he
murmured.
Drifting off to sleep he did not see the
shimmering form appear in his room. “They survived because I was
there. I lifted them from the inferno and set them out in the field.
With a whisper, I directed them to find you.”
The angel moved closer, “Your act of kindness
was your gift to that family, and His gift to you!”
Sally thumped her tail and panted a smile
and, then she, too, fell asleep.
~*~
Copyright 2007 Kathy Pippig Harris
(Written, in part, based on fact. Dedicated
to Dr. Robert W. Gfeller DVM. Born 8-16-49. Died Nov. 25. Owner of
the Central California Veterinary Specialty Center, which he opened
last year, and had served as chief of staff at Veterinary Emergency
Service in Fresno.)
<http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/229336.html>
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/229336.html
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