King--a petwarmer

[lovemyshiba]

I just read this story this morning, and it brought tears to my eyes--what a wonderful dog King must have been

KING
by Barbara Hergenroder

My elderly grandmother had a beautiful, huge German Shepherd that
wouldn't let anyone other than her, and one of my uncles, near him.
He was very calm until someone encroached on his comfort zone.
Then
he warned them with a low, rumbling growl to move back.
I was about eleven years old the first time I saw King. I thought
he
was gorgeous and wanted to pet him. My uncle had warned everyone to
steer
clear of the dog, but I just knew that couldn't possibly include me.
After
all, I made friends with every animal I saw -- even wild mice. I
figured
if I sat near him and talked to him in a soothing voice, he would come
to
see me as his new friend.
I tried it. He got up and moved away.
Over the next few hours, I tried to gain his trust a couple more
times. He just walked away. Finally, he lay down behind the heating
stove
in the living room. There was a woodbox on one side of it. I could
see
the only way out from behind the stove was right past a chair, which I
eased into.
I tried again to make friends with him. After a few moments, he
started to look a bit nervous and I heard the low rumble start deep in
his
throat. I continued to talk to him gently. He quieted and watched me
with
his piercing eyes. After a while, I slowly lifted my hand towards him
to
pet the top of his head. He sat stone still, muscles tensed, and
suddenly
he turned into a blur as he lunged at me with a deafening growl! His
expression was truly demonic and I knew without doubt that this was no
ordinary dog to be swayed by sweet talk. I was a goner.
Then I heard Uncle Ed yell as he yanked me backwards away from
King.
That was the only thing that saved me.
As I crumpled into a terrified heap, Uncle Ed took King outside.
His
face was ashen when he came back. He said King had been going for my
throat!
"Why do you keep such a dangerous dog?" I shakily asked him.
"He isn't dangerous to us. He just doesn't like strangers," he
gruffly answered.
No one had to tell me to keep my distance from King after that,
and I
decided he was pretty useless as a pet.
A couple of years later, while she was home alone, Grandma went
down
to the garden to pick some vegetables for supper. The doctor said
later
that her hip probably broke BEFORE she fell. So, there she was --
helpless, badly injured and alone. Even if someone drove into the
yard,
they wouldn't be able to hear her feeble cries for help. But King did.
He ran to her at once. Grandma wrapped her arms around the big
dog's
neck and said, "King, take me to the house."
That "useless" animal gently dragged her out of the garden,
through
the farmyard, up several steps to the back porch, and on into the
kitchen.
Grandma was in a lot of pain, so it must have taken a long time. Then
he
lay down close to keep her warm.
Grandma didn't have a phone to call for help, but she said she
knew
she would be ok until Uncle Ed came home, because King would take care
of
her.
That changed my opinion of King.
He and Grandma had a special bond that no one else, not even Uncle
Ed,
shared.
A few years later, when Grandma died, King found her grave in the
cemetery and lay on it until Uncle Ed dragged him off and took him
home.
He stopped eating and returned again and again to the gravesite. He
finally just kind of faded away.
After his amazing display of devotion, I knew that King never had
been
a bad dog. All he wanted was to be left alone so he could take care of
his
mistress.

[ellensy]

my sentiments exactly.........

i just read it a min. ago in my e-mail..... the story is very touching

[*LabLoverKEB*]

THE LADY WAS A HERO
by Bob Shaw

When this dog was found in a ditch next to a busy highway, she was mud
covered, starved and scared.
The animal shelter cleaned her up, and found a beautiful Tri Colored
Collie hiding beneath all of that Texas mud. She was very shy at first,
always staying at arms length, away from anyone that tried to comfort her.
It was obvious she had been mistreated.
It only took a few days for her to be adopted. That's how she ended
up at the apartment complex where I worked.
My first introduction to her was through the gate on the fenced patio.
She was almost as surprised as I was, but I've usually been able to make
friends with animals. Looking around, I noticed she didn't have any food
or water, so I took care of that for her. Her owners were at work, and I
figured they had just forgotten. I decided to keep an eye on her for the
next few days, and living just across the street, it really wouldn't be a
problem.
We were sitting in the kitchen one morning, and heard a noise at the
window. Looking up from the paper, I saw a dog looking in from the
outside. It was her. Somehow, she had gotten out of the fence, picked up
my scent, and followed me home. When my wife, Ronni, went to the door to
let her in, she backed away, especially when she saw our Sable and White
Collie, Duke.
When I went out to see her, she recognized me right away, and came to
me. I brought her in to meet Duke and Ronni, and in no time at all, she
felt right at home. Even Duke could sense she was hungry and backed away
from his bowl to give her room. As she edged up to the food bowl, she
gingerly took a few bites, and backed away. I noted that she was acting
like the Lady now. Ronni looked at me and smiled. We both came to the
same thought, the perfect name -- she became "The Lady".
I went across the street to check with her owner, and found the gate
standing open, and her food and water bowls empty. I told him that if he
couldn't take better care of her than that, I was taking her. He said I
was welcomed to her. Her barking was keeping him awake. I figured he
didn't have enough sense to know why she was barking.
That was when we became the owners of another Collie. Besides, Ronni
had already decided that he wasn't getting her back.
Duke was Ronni's dog. The Lady became mine. She went with me on my
rounds of the property at night. It seemed like nothing missed her gaze.
Then one day, I took her with me to check the mail. She was street
wise, knew the dangers of the road, and had more common sense than a lot of
people I've known.
When Lady took off, I had no idea what was going on.
She had seen a toddler wander out of the open gate at the pool. When
the baby went out into the street, she ran to her. Blocking her path only
slowed her down a little, so Lady grabbed her by the diaper and pulled her
back toward the fence.
As she was pulling her back, one of the residents, an elderly lady,
saw what was happening, and thought Lady was attacking the child. Coming
to what she thought was a rescue, she raised her cane and brought it down
across Lady's shoulders. By the time I reached the scene, she had raised
the cane for a second blow. As I caught the cane, Lady crept around behind
me, cowering from the beating.
She screamed at me to leave her alone, that the dog was attacking the
baby. I just looked at her and said she was mistaken. I reached down to
touch Lady and to reassure her, then got down to her level, and gave her a
big hug. She leaned into me, almost melting. Her soft dark eyes seemed to
say thank you for the kindness. I promised her she'd never be hit again.
Whether she understood or not, I didn't know, but the look in her eyes was
that of unconditional love, something I wondered if any human really
deserved.
Just then, I heard Audrey, the manager of the complex, ask what was
going on. The woman told her that the dog had attacked the child and that
I had insulted her.
Audrey smiled and informed her that she had been making coffee in the
club house kitchen, and had seen the whole thing. She had been heading for
the door when she saw a black, white and tan blur take charge of the child.
The following night, Lady and I made our rounds on the property. As
we walked, people started coming out of their homes, and let the kids meet
and pet the dog. Lady was in Seventh Heaven. She loved all the attention.
Word had spread around the complex about what had happened, and it seemed
that everyone knew "The Lady was a Hero".
Three months later, we lost our Duke. There were some problems with a
surgical procedure, and our big friend was put to rest. Lady was there for
us, to fill the void, and made a special place for herself in our hearts.
In the corner of every pet lover's heart is a special place just for
certain pets -- whether they're fur, feathers or fins. Their time with us
is far too short, but leave us with a life time of memories.
Just on the other side of this existence is a place called The Rainbow
Bridge with a most joyous welcome for old friends.



Here's another Petwarmer, I got this in a E-mail. That's a great story! Thanks for sharing!