Carrie Anne's Story

In the span of over forty years, we have owned some wonderful dogs, some purebred, some not. But when our beloved American Eskimo, Truman, died the void was especially severe. We began to explore rescue sites, and it became very clear very fast there were so many wonderful dogs in need of forever homes. We instinctively knew that from that moment on, we would have as many rescues as we could afford and could take care of.

That number for us is three dogs. So when we lost our last rescue dog due to kidney disease, and we were again down to two, the unspoken word was we would make room for one more. My husband is especially fond of whippets and whippet mixes. We already have a wonderful whippet mix named Lucy who is smart, graceful and a real diva. Of course, she was a rescue, and we took her on with her broken leg still in a cast.

Through Petfinder.Com we located a whippet mix at the Yuma Humane Society . This little girl had already experienced more than any one- year old should. She gave birth to eight babies at YHS, and was very thin and unhappy. Enter her angel foster mom, Loma Clark. Loma knew her chances and her babies’ chances at a forever home would be greatly increased if she could give little Carrie Anne a fresh start. Loma took her home and cared for her and her babies, until her babies were old enough to be adopted and Carrie Anne was much stronger and happier.

We sent a couple of e-mails to Loma, and she responded with everything she knew about Carrie Anne. It would be a 240 mile each way trip to Yuma, but we decided to make a weekend of it. We were to meet Loma and Carrie Anne at PetSmart at high noon. We had our dogs with us (so they could think this was THEIR idea).

We saw Loma and Carrie Anne get out of the van. Carrie Anne was an odd site – she was wearing her little Harley Davidson jacket (a brave front) but she looked very frightened and vulnerable. Loma invited us to walk her around the parking lot with our two kids. Our American Staffordshire/Dalmatian mix, Rocky, was pretty intrigued at the prospect of a new girlfriend, but Lucy was indignant. Carrie Anne was neither friendly, nor unfriendly. It was almost like she didn’t care anymore – just do with me what you must.

No time to think this over. There would be no driving back to Yuma again. My husband looked at me, and I looked at him. He was the first to say, “Let’s do it!” That was a hard moment for Loma. She had become very attached in the six weeks she had cared for Carrie Anne and her babies. We made a promise that we would take very good care of her. She is much braver than I.

I drove home and my husband held her all the way. That probably would have been enough to seal the permanent bond, but when he gave her a soft taco at Taco Bell – that was it!!! (It was gone in an instant – including the lettuce!) He was her new hero. During that trip home, we decided we would have to change her name, since our youngest daughter’s name is Carrie Ann. But keeping it in the family, we named her after my now-deceased mother, who was small, vulnerable, and also had great potential. We called her “Jessie” all the way home.

It took awhile before she was comfortable letting my husband of her sight. Now she has decided she can spare the time to cuddle with me also, but I may always be second. But as I write this, she is sitting right beside me. She is so special in every way. You can see the love and gratitude on her face every day! She wakes up happy, goes to sleep happy, and in between, plays with her brother and sister, and looks for more to eat!

I cannot even begin to tell you how much love and respect we have for Loma, and the many others like her who volunteer their time and attention to these special kids. To love, care for, and be able to let go of these needy ones takes a special person. As for us, our day to day reward is that our three kids think all dogs live like this!