The Story of Reggie

                My daughter and her fiancé are rescuers.  They often take in stray kittens and motherless litters and act as surrogate parents.  I admire their generosity and willingness to get involved.  This blog tells the story of Reggie, one of their most involved rescues. 

                Reggie is a dog from Kansas that my daughter read about on social media.  The post was a plea for someone to save Reggie because the area husky rescue group didn’t have a place for him and the shelter that held him deemed him “unadoptable” because of his condition.  Reggie was slated for death at noon on Saturday.  At this point it was Thursday afternoon.

Reggie fresh from the shelter

                My daughter and her fiancé both felt this dog was meant to join their pack of two huskies.  The problem was that her fiancé had to work all night Friday so they couldn’t leave until Saturday morning for the eight hour drive to the shelter.

                My daughter pled with the shelter workers.  “Can you hold him until Monday?” 

                “No.  You shouldn’t bother coming.  We’re sure you won’t want him once you see him.” 

                “Can you hold him as late as possible on Saturday?” 

                “We can try.”

                So they raced to Kansas on Saturday, arriving shortly before closing time.  Reggie had not yet been euthanized.  His condition was bad—malnourished, ears infected and mite-filled, skin rotted and fur patchy, teeth worn flat from rooting among rocks for grubs, stench worse than a restaurant dumpster in the sun.  His muscles were too weak to jump into the back of the car or walk more than a block.  Despite all the neglect, Reggie was the happiest, best-natured dog they had ever met.  How could you let a golden spirit like that die?

Reggie (on the right) after a year with his new family

                They loaded him up for a very smelly ride home and spent months and a small fortune on his recuperation.  Today Reggie is healthy and extra fluffy.  He will always look a little goofy with his tongue flopping out the side of his mouth (his worn teeth can’t hold it in place).  He loves playing with his new brothers and running in wide-open spaces.  He can keep up with the other huskies, but often gets side-tracked, stopping to smell flowers and watch birds.

                There are so many abandoned and abused animals that need rescuing.  There are many abandoned, abused people too…your heart may break if you look at them straight on.  I’m so thankful for people like my daughter and her fiancé who don’t turn a blind eye but do what they can to help.