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Stormy's
Bowl
Do you believe in canine guardian angels and the kindness of strangers? You just might after reading this story. Early one morning, Yolanda Segovia's neighbor, Stacey Savige, knocked on her door and asked her to temporarily take in a stray dog she had found. The scruffy terrier mix had no collar or microchip. Segovia eyed the pooch -- burrs sticking to his belly and mud caking his fur -- and reluctantly agreed to foster him for the day. An erstwhile hairdresser, Segovia hasn't worked since 2006. At 47, she is a survivor of breast cancer and cervical cancer. A divorced single mother of two, Segovia shares her Port Tampa, Florida home with her 10 year-old son Azaiah and 21 year-old son Christian. Her elder son has Down Syndrome; he cannot speak or bathe himself, and he has had heart surgery and a kidney transplant, reports the St. Petersburg Times. Azaiah immediately took to the dog, whom he named RaeLee (pronounced "Riley"). Segovia and her sons bought the dog a collar, leash, ball and brown bed from the dollar store, and all that day, Azaiah played with the dog, laughing gleefully whenever RaeLee licked his face. "Don't fall in love with him," Segovia warned. Segovia and Savige made 4,000 FOUND flyers with the dog's picture, stuffed mailboxes and put an ad on Craigslist. When no one called, RaeLee stayed the night at the Segovias' house. His dog bed was placed in the living room, but when the boys climbed into their twin beds, RaeLee dragged his bed down the long hallway and bunked with the boys in their room. By Saturday -- four days later -- no one had called to claim RaeLee, and he was still living with the Segovias. The honey-colored terrier had started responding to his new name. He almost never barked, loved playing rambunctiously with Azaiah, and was tender with Christian. One afternoon, the dog settled himself on the floor near Christian as he watched a "Barney" video in his room. Segovia was outside watering the plants when the placid moment was shattered by the sound of RaeLee crashing into the screen door and barking crazily. Alarmed, Segovia opened the door, only to have the dog race back through the house towards the boys' room. Segovia followed, screaming when she caught sight of her son. Christian was "slumped over, his body writhing in a seizure, blood streaming from his nose and mouth." RaeLee stood next to him yelping, but suddenly went quiet when Yolanda reached down to hold her son. "If he hadn't come to get me," Segovia said, "the neurologist said Christian would have choked on his own blood and died." The dog, she decided, was a keeper. But the next day, Segovia and her sons were heartbroken when someone called to claim the dog they had come to love. Randy Cliff, 34, who lived six blocks away said he had been searching for his dog -- real name Odie -- for over a week. Odie had lived with Cliff, his wife, their four children and infant granddaughter. Savige cried, telling Cliff, "That dog saved my friend's son." When Cliff came to collect his dog, RaeLee a.k.a. Odie, leapt off the Segovias' porch and into his arms. Christian watched from a window. Azaiah stood on the porch watching the man hug the dog he knew as RaeLee. "We're going to miss you," he said, tearfully. Looking up, Cliff took in the scene -- Christian looking scared, Azaiah looking downtrodden -- and asked, "Is that your brother?" Azaiah nodded yes. With a sudden change of heart, Cliff put the dog back down. "Maybe Odie was supposed to find you," Cliff told a stunned and delighted Azaiah. "Maybe you should keep him." And that is how the kindness of strangers -- Savige for rescuing a lost dog, Segovia for taking him in, and Cliff for giving up his pet to a pair of brothers who needed the dog more -- brought RaeLee to live with Azaiah, Christian and their mother.
Dear Amy
In New York City, dog owners are enjoying yoga class with their best friend. Click here to see more!
Dear Amy, But anyway, I saw the picture of your dog, which looked a lot like mine and as I read on, I can't believe the similarities. We got out Tilly 10 years ago, at an adoption agency just like the one you described. Tilly was rescued from the local pound.
She watches over us like it was her only job in life and follows us everywhere we are in the house. She helped me stay grounded while suffering from post partum depression and keeps us feeling safe in our home. We also came by her by accident. We already had a new greyhound who was having terrible anxiety. We thought another dog would calm him down. We never would have thought about having two dogs but we had to either give the hound up or try another dog. So, she came to live with us. She did calm the hound down and had a two dog home for many years until the hound passed. Now, Tilly is an only dog and I think she likes it. She has the cat to torment (actually be tormented by) and us to watch over. I heard that the oldest living dog on record was an Australian
Cattle Sincerely,
What does Stormy eat? From Patricia Vaughn Hi Patricia:
Dog
Bite Saves Owner ORLANDO, Fla. A 17-pound beagle named Belle is more than man's best friend. She's a lifesaver. Belle was in Washington, D.C., on Monday to receive an award for biting onto owner Kevin Weaver's cell phone to call 911 after the diabetic Ocoee man had a seizure and collapsed. "There is no doubt in my mind that I'd be dead if I didn't
have Belle," said Weaver, 34, whose blood sugar had dropped
dangerously low. Belle had been trained to summon help in just
those circumstances.
Dear Amy, |
Really, he doesn't act that crazy even for catnip. I'm lucky he left the pattern on the bowl (yes, I let him lick it when I was done). From Sharon H
STORMY, Amy’s dog |
The Rescue: Jane Smith* from Second Chance Rescue turned to the woman who held in her arms a Blue Heeler/Australian Shepherd mix. Jane eyed the puppy and considered whether or not to take her. It was a cold, wet night and Jane already had a dozen or more dogs in her van that she was taking. Jane had come to the Animal Control Center to rescue dogs that were soon to be euthanized. Second Chance Rescue is a Bay Area organization that rescues stray and abandoned dogs and puppies from high-kill shelters, placing them in caring foster homes and facilitating adoptions into loving, life-long homes. ** This puppy was blind in one eye, and Jane had thought it might be difficult to find her a home. She needed to choose dogs that were easily adoptable. “Please take this one last dog,” pleaded the woman. “OK, sure,” Jane relented, giving the dog a second chance at life. This was just the beginning of Stormy’s long journey to find the perfect home. The Meeting:
“What’s this dog’s name?” I asked the girl’s father. “Stormy…because she’s black and white and gray like a stormy sky.” “How come you have two dogs?” “Oh these aren’t mine. We’re fostering them until somebody adopts them.” “Adopts them? Could I adopt Stormy?” I asked. “You can if your parents want her, and if the people at Second Chance Rescue believe you can give her a good home.” Stormy jumped up and licked my face, and I knew that she and I were meant for each other. I had wanted a dog for years, but my parents had been against it, partly because we already had three cats, one of them almost 21 years old! This time, though, I was determined. This dog had found me, after all. The Adoption: I was still determined. I convinced my parents to meet Stormy again. The next time Stormy visited, she was another dog altogether. She didn’t act wild or hyper. It was almost as if she knew that she had to charm my parents into falling in love with her. And she did. It seemed Stormy had finally found her new home. Then there was the matter of arranging for the adoption. Second Chance Rescue requires that all prospective families go through a rigorous screening process. In Stormy’s case, we also had to convince Jane that we were the perfect family for Stormy because Jane herself had fallen in love with Stormy. Jane had a hard time giving her up, because Stormy had become her favorite of all the dogs she had rescued. Finally, Stormy was officially adopted and became a much-loved member of our family. Stormy’s Second Chance: Stormy is very intelligent and loving, and an all-around great pet. She is also extremely happy with her life at the Berliner Ranch. She says so when she smiles at you. *For privacy, her name has been changed for this story. |
Here is Stormy with the whole family
Dear Amy,
My
beloved dog, Stormy is an important part of our life. Stormy
is truly a member of our family and even has her own seat on
the family-room couch. However, Stormy traveled a long road before
we finally found each other. Here is what happened before I met
Stormy. 
Stormy
very quickly took to her new home, our large ranch in Sonoma County.
She was 5 months old when we adopted her, and has become a vegetarian.
She eats canned vegetarian dog food, and “people food” whenever
she can get it. She loves “Broccoli bones” (the thick
stalks of raw broccoli). Amy’s Pizza is her favorite, of
course. She doesn’t get too much pizza, though, because no
one wants her to get too fat.  |
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