Pet Party Line is a column written by Beth Byrd and is featured weekly in The Citizen News, one of our local newspapers.

Canine Compassion

I was asked to overnight a rescued dog being transported to her new home in Boston. Though I was a tad worried that my own two dogs might not like this intruder in our home, I figured we would manage somehow. The visiting dog’s name was Meadow, and she was an extremely sweet soul. She has been abused and had suffered some severe head trauma causing her to teeter on four wobbly thin legs. I immediately thought of the great actress, Katharine Hepburn, who also suffered from Parkinson’s. Katharine Hepburn had not allowed her illness to get the better of her, and obviously, neither had this sweet old girl.

As Meadow peered nervously around my house, she heard my two dogs growling, snarling and scratching incessantly inside of the closed bedroom door upstairs. Unexpectedly, they managed to pry the door open and came charging down the steps wanting to rid their home of this unwanted intruder. Then I witnessed something truly remarkable. Suddenly, both my dogs stopped in their tracks and gazed wide-eyed at the quivering stranger below. Instinctively they knew that this guest of ours was not a threat to anyone. They approached each other sniffing, greeting with a kindly welcome. For afternoon naptime, my dogs always find a comfortable piece of furniture to do their snoozing on. Today, however, they both watched as Meadow wearily plopped down on a blanket I’d set out for her knowing she couldn’t reach a sofa or chair. To my amazement, my pets lay down next to her and slept there all afternoon - very protectively. Late that evening my two dogs sped upstairs to hog “our bed” and Turbo, our dog, grabbed his favorite teddy bear as he does each night. He then stood at the top of the stairs gazing down at our overnight guest, descended and slowly approached Meadow, and gingerly dropped his prized possession on her blanket. She quickly placed her wobbly head on the teddy bear’s plush softness and let out a contented sigh. Turbo stayed the entire night with her. The next morning Meadow’s new loving owners came, we all bid our goodbyes, and I was so proud of my own pets.

Ed Kostro, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul.

Pet Quotes: If you think dogs can’t count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then giving Fido only two of them!

- Phil Pastoret