For the Love of Dog

Some day when I have one home and am no longer shuttling back and forth from our coastal home to our urban dwelling, I shall have a dog…and a cat or two.   And when the day comes, I will look for a dog like Winnie in character. She is ever so loving, loyal, and sweet.  She is a joy to walk and hike with.  Winnie is a rescue dog and she has brought so much joy to her adoptive parents as well as to me.

I just might take thousands of photos of her looking out the window from the back seat.
I just might take thousands of photos of her looking out the window from the back seat.  She is taking in the world and smelling the fresh ocean air at.

Winnie is a rescue dog and is from the Wenatchee shelter.  When the time comes for me to select my furry companions, I will go to a shelter and rescue them.  I did a little research on the cats and dogs found in the shelters and I was a bit shocked at my findings:

  • Only 1 out of every 10 dogs born will find a permanent home.
  • The main reasons animals are in shelters are the following:  owners give them up, or animal control finds them on the street.
  • Homeless animals outnumber homeless people 5 to 1.
  • Around 689,000 dogs and cats are euthanized every year because shelters are too full and there aren’t enough adoptive homes.
Feelin' free at the ocean
Feelin’ free at the ocean

Winnie is perfect in every way!  She is:

Wonderful

Intelligent

Nice

Necessary

Into Taking Walks

Into Smelling Everything along the Trail and Beach

Energetic

Big Hug: I know it looks like I am choking her, but I'm not. Both of us are smiling.
Big Hug: I know it looks like I am choking her, but I’m not. Both of us are smiling.

My dad used to tell the story about a dog his family had when he was a boy.  Late 1920s and hard times hit.  My father’s parents were struggling to put food on the table and in the dog’s food bowl.  Some days, they all went without a proper meal.  And some days, Nonna managed to scrape up some bread and meat scraps to make a broth.  No matter how little they had, they always shared their meager meal portions with their beloved dog.  One day, Nonno (Grandfather Gallo) announced he couldn’t stand it anymore, the dog was skin and bones.  At this point in the story, my father’s lower lip would tremble.  He’d try hard to compose himself to finish the story.  The next morning, Nonno carted the dog off to a farm many miles away.  The owner of the farm was a friend of Nonno’s who raised and butchered beef.  At least, the dog would have enough to eat.  My father’s composure broke down completely at the end of the story:  About a month later, the dog showed up again at my father’s house.  He had found his way back on his own!  The arduous journey took a huge toll on the dog, but my father’s family nursed the dog back to health.  They decided right then and there that they would keep the dog and make do, meager scraps and all.  They would all survive together.

Happiness (Ocean Shores winter walk)
Happiness (Ocean Shores winter walk)
Winnie has a little crook in her tail.
Winnie has a little crook in her tail.
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A Dog’s Dream:  Sniff Sniff…all kinds of pungent organic matter in the seaweed

By Fran Gallo

READ ABOUT THE AUTHOR: FRAN GALLO

17 comments

  2. Fran — so wonderful to meet you last night, and wouldn’t this post have fit right in with the other readings? I’ll email (when I fetch your business card out of my parka) so I can put your book in the mail to you. Bethany

  3. Fran, another terrific post and photos. Loved the story about your father’s dog as well. Yes, dogs are special. When I’m meditating and think of unconditional love, it always conjures up the image of our dog Azby.

    1. Hi Larry, Azby is very special indeed. Please bring Azby to Yoga in the Park next summer whenever you can. Dogs are very special! -Fran

  4. very touching, fran, especially the story about your father’s dog, so much that i had the urge to run out and get a rescue dog, and then remembered that we already have jackie robinson, plus mr. frank the cat.

  6. Love the story about your dad and his dog!! Winnie is lucky to get out of the shelter, sadly most dogs aren’t so lucky. Its a horrible reality. Spay and neuter programs are so needed everywhere. I hope I get to meet Winnie some day. She’s beautiful inside and out. I would love to help you look for your future furry pals Fran and Rick. Cant wait for that day too. You’ll be saving a life or two.

    1. Linda, I want you and Leslie there with us! We will be saving three lives if we get one dog and two cats! I also learned (but didn’t include in the above blog) that non-spayed dogs can have up to one litter per year and each litter can produce up to 6 puppies. Non-spayed cats can produce two litters per year and each litter can have up to 6 kittens. Spay and Neuter programs are definitely needed. Thank you for all the work you do for the dogs you help foster and find homes for!! Your work makes a huge difference and has a powerfully positive impact.

  7. Wonderful story and pictures Fran! Dogs just LOVE the beach don’t they? We have recently adopted a pit bull mix. She is such a sweet girl I feel blessed she become part of our family. Enjoy your time as Auntie Fran.

  8. One of my Dad’s new friend’s Eric lights up most when he talks about his boyhood dog Butch. He doesn’t remember teaching at Columbia, or the five languages he spoke, but I don’t think he will ever forget “oh how we loved that dog.”

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