Pooch
I came in for kennel duty one day to find this grey, naked, bent, horrible looking creature, crouching in the back of a kennel. His skin looked like elephant hide, his tail like cable wire and his hind leg stuck out at a weird angle. But there he was grinning like an idiot with round golden eyes. Maybe the ugliest dog I have ever seen.
"Is this the dog everyone in St. George's has been calling about?" "The one that's horrifying the tourists?" "Yup, we tracked him down and found he has some owners who are not able to tend to his medical needs but would like him back once we've sorted him out" "His name is Pooch."
Okay, at first I get upset, how can anyone let a dog get in this kind of shape! But then I have to remind myself not everyone understands animal care and some animals just get themselves into a state. I thought we would never be able to sort out this dog and certainly never make him look pretty. He is just an ugly dog, except for those round golden eyes and that big dopey grin.
Well Pooch was diagnosed with fleas, ticks, mange, heartworm, broken leg, halitosis, everything! Where to start? We put him on a health care program...one problem at a time. He was going to be around for a while. But first he needed a bath, something I was not looking forward to especially trying to get him in the tub and having to touch him, YUK!
Pooch loved his bath, grinned and slobbered.... actually Pooch loved everything, medicine, food, baths, walks, other dogs, cats, people, kids, he loved his kennel, and he loved everything with great enthusiasm. Many times when we get a dog in, we endure him with a pet name like "PoochiePie" or something silly like that. Pooch had one long name; it was "Poochwillyoupleaseshutup!"
Once Pooch got on his feet he was just way too happy, annoyingly happy, loudly happy, he didn't know he was the ugliest dog on the planet. He didn't know he was furless and bent over with a bum leg and he didn't care. Pooch's enthusiasm was a constant problem. Walking Pooch was a session of arm lengthening draggings. His eagerness would bowl you over. He would step on your feet, knock the food dish out of your hand, tip over his water dish and generally create a mess in his wake.
No one came to see Pooch, no one seemed concerned if his health was improving, if his leg was getting better, if he was unbending, if he was growing any fur. But after a few months he had straightened out a bit, his leg didn't wobble quite so much. He was looking a bit furrier and a bit less ugly. He got a clean bill of health and he was wearing us out. It was time to return Pooch. Hopefully someone still wanted him.
We pulled up in front of the shop where we were told he lived. Four guys leaning against a wall approached the car shouting, "Is dat Pooch dare?" "Look ah Pooch, Pooch come back nah!" They opened the door and Pooch leaped out into their arms flipped and disappeared down the alley. I cried, "Catch him!"... they said, "Pooch, he no where he go, donna worry".... I ran after...
Pooch bounded up the steps of one house to cries of "Pooch here nah!" then down and up to the next porch steps..."Pooch is dat you nah??!" "Lookin good boy..lookin good nah boy!" The whole neighborhood came out to hail the return of Pooch.
It was like a rock star had returned from the re-hab center! I was flabbergasted. When I asked, "Were you not worried about Pooch being in the hospital so long?" They answered, "Oh no Mom, we donna worry bout Pooch, nuttin keepin Pooch down, not Pooch!" "We know Pooch gone to come back!" "Dats our Pooch, Pooch cool mon."
Guess you don't have to be beautiful for everyone to love you, just enthusiastic. We don't miss Pooch!
