Cecily

Cecily - Beautiful and affordable land is one of the advantages of living in a poor rural county in Texas. Unfortunately, the poorest counties seem to have the highest numbers of abandoned animals.

Driving home one evening, I noticed something dart across the gravel pavement in front of me. A skinny Sheltie mix ran into a barren ditch and stared apprehensively. When I pulled over, she disappeared. She'd probably just been abandoned and was staying on the road, waiting for her useless owner to return. 


I went home and brought back a dog trap baited with tuna fish. The dog promptly went in the trap and began eating. I waited for the trap door to spring, but it didn't. I kept waiting and she kept eating. The old metal trap was rusty. The Sheltie finished her small meal, turned and walked out. Not discouraged, I borrowed oil from a  neighbor, lubed the trap and caught the dog. 


The Sheltie was shy but not unfriendly. She was taken to our vet where they found two deep burns on the dog's back, possibly made by a cattle prod. Fur was imbedded on her spinal cord. The burns may have been intentional, but dogs remain loyal to their owners and keep their cruel secrets. The dog wore an unusual clothesline harness, one obviously handmade and not commercially purchased, so we assumed she had also been tied.

Cecily blossomed into an outgoing, playful dog. An older couple adopted Cecily, sweetly stating "that they wanted to protect her from the harsh cruel world." The couple had just euthanized their beloved old dog and they were terribly lonely without a best friend.