I helped save 8-Lost my heart to 1!

by Melinda Johnson
(Coldspring, Tx)

I'm the president of the Coldspring Area Animal Organization, I sell advertising for newspapers and magazines, and I love and have owned poodles. I never had had a Standard however. Recently, I helped to rescue from a backyard breeder who was bad down on her luck, 8 standard pups. They ranged from 2 months to 5 months, apricot to white to black, and they were skin and bones.The hair had to go immediately, and then you almost wanted to put it back on when you saw how thin they were!
I took 1- 5 month old black male into our rescue: after all, I figured I could bring him back to health and adopt him out. I had had poodles before, so I KNEW I was immune to their charms. HAH! By the time I had that pup neutered, taught him to shake alternating paws, and brought him into first my kennels, and then my house,
I was in love. He had horrible hookworms, bloody stool,
and almost died on me once when he just stopped eating.
No, it wasn't parvo. He spent this last Christmas, New Years, and Valentine's Day in my house. He was the most fun, and the sweetest bit of poodle fur I had been around in years. When I started contacting groomers who might donate a poodle clip, so he could be more adoptable, the second one I talked to wanted him for her own. Her standard had just died of old age, and -here's the spooky part-she had been looking for a male black pup. Yes, we had a moment of silence on the phone about the strange coincidences of us meeting just at this time. After all the proper introductions and home visits, today I took Tobie, originally known as Killer, to his new forever home. He will have new dog friends,
shiny rhinestone collars, and be clipped and bathed to bring out all the beauty that a Standard Poodle can possess. I get to be Aunt Melinda, and check on him occasionally, but I think I saw some sadness in his beautiful eyes when I left him today. It was kind of hard to see though, because I was crying pretty hard. So goes Rescue!
This is why I do what I do, but Tobie, I will miss you.