A Dream Come True

A Dream Come True

Happily I lived with my room mate and three birds in my apartment inside the old mansion. Surrounded by acres of land and plenty trees. It was nice, but, something was still missing.
When I opened up the papers one Saturday morning I knew exactly what it was that I needed to make my life complete and I decided that I had to go and get it, now!
My friend and I had been talking about to get a dog, well, I admit, I did most of the talking, but he did say that we would, one day, get one.
And, One Day had come!
All my life I had been dreaming about having a dog, a special dog, a Collie.
One of the big department stores advertised that they had a Collie puppy for sale, for a fraction of the price a Collie usually would cost, with kennel papers! Now I finally could make my dream come true!
To make sure this One Day would not be endangered, I decided to discuss the subject with my room mate upon my return from the store.
The only problem was that at those times, you could not just run to the next ATM and draw out the money you needed. For cash I had to wait until Monday. I called the store and verified that the puppy in question was still there and that they would accept personal checks.
When I arrived at the store, my heart sank. I could not see the little puppy anywhere. There were lots of other little puppies, but not one Collie. For a moment I felt as if I was falling into a deep hole.
A sales associate came my way and asked if he could help me. I told him, with little hope left in my heart that I had come for the collie puppy they had advertised in the paper.
“Oh, yes, he’s in the back, he is too big for the display cases and too wild,” he informed me.
Now, normally I would never buy a dog from a department store. I don’t think that it is the right place to keep or sell a dog, but in this case, costing only a fraction of what I would have to pay somewhere else, I overcame my silent protest and proceeded.
The young associate took me to their office, where I saw him for the very first time. A bundle that reminded more of a giraffe than a dog, a nose way to long and paws so big, with skinny legs and a long, skinny tail.
He had been tide to a table with a very short leash and looked up at me with the most beautiful brown eyes I had ever seen.
I hurried up to pay for the dog and the few things I needed for him, so I would get him out of there as fast as possible.
He was three months old and very shy and there were a lot of things that he was scared of. The short ten minute ride to my apartment in the back seat of my car caused him to whine and whimper in a way that could break one’s heart. I think that I actually was more relieved than the little dog when we finally arrived.
I quickly noticed that he avoided walking and was even limping. Having him cradled in my lap I checked out his legs and to my great dismay I found out that his paws had blisters from burns.
When I called the pet store to inquire about what had happened to him, I was told that it was a measure to ‘keep them calm’, which of course outraged me.
I had a lot of first aid supplies at home and took care of his paw. When I was done I put baby socks over the bandages to avoid any danger of infection.
The following Monday I took him straight to the veterinarian and had him checked out. The blisters were already healing very well, but he still was under weight. I received medication for him and a list of food supplements that would support his growth and development. In exchange I left a signed report about the blisters and where I had picked him up, so the store would be thoroughly investigated for negligence and cruelty.
It did not take long and the puppy, who had been named Gonzo, for his long nose, had found a way into our hearts and those of our friends. But, he still had a few surprises left for us.
He grew fast and picked up a lot of weight and he had a tendency to play pranks, which developed with age into his favorite pass time.
So far he had not paid a lot of attention to the birds and I had no reason to worry.
One day Quax had been throwing stuff at him all day, nuts, toys, ink pens, whatever his little beak could pick up and throw. Vulture and Rock supporting him the best they could.
Gonzo barely eve looked at him.
Finally Quax started flying through the room, two, three rounds and then he started to descend in is flight, barely missing the dog’s head.
Now he had his attention. Gonzo, still young, but big with a big mouth and long, strong teeth. He got up and watched the bird as it landed on top of the cage and took off again, descending, taking aim and flying right through the space between Gonzo’s ears. And again and again.
And then, my heart stopped! Gonzo raised his head and --opened his mouth, catching my precious bird in mid-flight.
I was frozen, time had stopped, and the world around me had seized to exist. In horror and disbelieve I stared at my dog and while I watched, he walked toward me. I held out my hands and he carefully dropped the bird into my hands.
I had tears running down my face, my legs were shaking and I had to sit down. The little bird in my hand was not even wet!
Gonzo had grabbed him so carefully and gentle that he had not even left spittle on him.
Curious he was standing in front of me, studying the bird, his head tilted, his ears pricked and his tail wagging.
In that moment I had the feeling that this dog was more than just a dog, he had a special heart, a special love for all living creatures.
Gonzo and Quax bonded so well that they spent hours playing together, often Quax would sit on the dogs head and ‘catch a ride’.
My dream had come true; I had a Collie, a very special one. How little did I know how caring he could be!
Months had gone bye and not too much out of the ordinary happened. Gonzo was my steady companion and had made a lot of friends.
We were outside the giant mansion in the huge yard, playing and enjoying the wonderful day when, suddenly, Gonzo dashed off, barking. I wondered what had gotten into him and followed him. Before I could catch up with him, he came back out of a set of thick bushes, holding something in his mouth.
Excited he came to me, wagging his tail proudly. I held out my hand and received a pigeon! He had found the young bird with a broken wing. He must have heard the desperate cries of the hurt bird and reacted on it.
Carefully I took the bird inside the house, where I found a box that could be it’s home until the wing was healed. Not once did Gonzo stop watching the bird while I was busy putting soft towels in the box.
After the bird was securely in the box I called up a friend, who was a veterinarian. He told me to come right over so he could have a look at the bird.
Of course Gonzo had to come along. He would have been heartbroken if I would have left him behind. Just like a protective mother he watched over every move while my friend took care of the bird.
For two weeks the bird stayed with us, my room mate, Gonzo and I nursed it back to health very successfully. Then we let it back into the yard. While it was happy to be free again, it still came around a lot and was not afraid of us or the dog.
Over the years Gonzo brought home a lot of animals he had found, either lost or hurt, and expected us to take care of them. Later we moved into an empty apartment in the house of a veterinarian, which made it easier to take care of all the animals he brought along.



By Birgit and Roger Pratcher


Copyright © January 2006