8 State Hurricane Kate

The Noah’s Wish training was near my birthplace, Davenport, Iowa. I stayed with my aunt and uncle in nearby Bettendorf, Iowa the night before the training began. It was fun to visit with them and see my cousin and two of her daughters. I hadn’t been down there for a few years and it’s really not that far away. They all took very good care of me and I wondered why I don’t visit more often. I guess we all just get busy with our own lives, myopic at times.

I finally got to meet their two little dogs, Chewie (short for “Chewbacca”) and Rudy. You see, they didn’t have pets before.I had last seen my aunt and uncle at my mom’s 70^th birthday party in Florida in 2007. My aunt mentioned that my cousin was thinking of breeding their husky and I told her that there were so many homeless dogs, even more since Katrina. I didn’t think it was a good time to be breeding your dog for fun. I told them about Petfinder, where you can search for animals looking for homes. I think I even showed them the Petfinder website (www.petfinder.com) on my computer. Funny thing, I don’t remember even talking to them about getting a dog. My aunt is a fastidious housekeeper and hadn’t had a dog before. But I learned that after they returned home to Iowa, they got on Petfinder and adopted a dog from the local animal shelter. They loved him so much that they got another dog and Chewie and Benji became fast friends. My aunt and uncle enjoyed taking the dogs out for walks several times per day and the exercise was good for all of them. Benji was an older dog. Eventually he became very ill and they realized that it was his time to go. L Chewie was lonely without his canine pal. My uncle searched Petfinder again and found Rudy, a wire-haired Dachshund, at a shelter in a town 90 miles away. Chewie and Rudy have now become fast friends and they are the nicest little dogs.

I was floored when I first heard that my aunt and uncle had gotten a dog, and then had two dogs. They proudly sent me photos and even named their e-mail address after their dogs. The conversation that we had in Florida, when I told them about all the dogs needing homes, had influenced them to go out and adopt. Even though my intention was to prevent more breeding when there are so many wonderful animals in need of homes, I apparently influenced them to adopt! Now they have given a safe and loving home to three wonderful little dogs. I can’t take credit for that, but I sure am glad that I mentioned Petfinder to them and told them about all the beautiful animals in need.

I was so happy to see my family, and yet I forgot to get out my camera that evening. I did snap a photo of Chewie early the following morning before I left, when my uncle and Rudy were still asleep. My uncle had stayed up later with me the night before, telling me all about the dogs and how he had driven to Illinois to pick up Rudy. I could tell how much he loves those dogs! My aunt had gotten up very early to make me a special breakfast before I left, and Chewie was there to keep us company. Isn’t he cute? Testimony to the power of one.