The story ends, "Hug dog, hold dog. Good old dog!" However, on the final page, the author writes, "Few dogs are as lucky as Pole Dog. Hundreds of dogs and cats are left on the roadside each day by people who don't want them or can't care for them." By the way, the book is dedicated by the author ~ To my mother, who named him.
TODAY'S BIG STORY: My pole dog's name is Jack. His story is different from the old dog in the book, but it has no less of a happy ending. Jack's owners moved into an abandoned building across the road from my house. Within a few days of the new neighbor's arrival, I first saw Jack. He was chained to a utility pole with a heavy eight-foot iron chain. The pole was located near the entrance of the driveway...no shade, no protection from the elements, no place to potty except where he slept and ate. Because the pole was located so close to the highway that separated our properties, I had to witness his misery every time I pulled in and out of my driveway.
One night, I was awakened by Jack's howling and barking. Then I heard claps of thunder and pouring rain. I thought, oh my God, that poor pole dog is exposed to all this stormy weather. I looked out my window, and there he sat crying for help. I checked the time, which was about three o'clock in the morning. I lay in my bed for another hour and listened to his relentless pleas. Then, at 4:30 a.m., I said, "Forget this!" That isn't exactly what I said, but it is what I can write on paper. I put on my boots and a heavy raincoat. I walked down my driveway in the thunder and lightning, pouring rain and gusting wind. I crossed that highway, and I took Jack off that chain. He and I crossed the highway together, and Jack said goodbye to that eight-foot mud hole and twenty-foot light pole forever!
Dianne ; )
