| A journey is to travel, to take a trip from one place to another. Most
times that journey is a physical one, but occasionally it is spiritual
as well. Leah's journey is both of those things, taking her literally from
the doorstep of the local shelter, nearly 2,000 miles up the east coast
of America to Canada. But also taking her circumstances and turning them
into a golden opportunity to prove that love and compassion still exist,
to be extended freely and without expectations of any return.
Leah is an eight-year old Golden Retriever mix with a long head, Roman nose, overweight and thin legs from lack of exercise. Her owner, an older man, died and the only relative in the vicinity, took her unwillingly and had been trying to give her away for a month. They finally decided to hand her over to the local shelter. In many of these facilities, owner surrendered dogs are the first to be euthanized. The chances of an elderly dog finding a home are very slim. Everyone wants a puppy. In one of those accidents of fate, it just happened that a neighbor of the couple trying to give the dog away knew a person who did private rescue. And at the same time, I had joined an online message board for Golden Retriever lovers, in my search for a senior dog. Jenna, who did rescue, was also a member of the board. My search to fill the hole left by the passing of my last Golden Retriever, was about to end in an unbelievable way. Not only was Leah looking for a home, and I looking for a companion, but in between us lay a host of strangers ready to make sure that one elderly dog went home forever. Within 24 hours of her surrender to Jenna, a chain of Golden lovers was in place, and five days later she was on the first leg of her trip. Chance? We'll let you decide. |
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