The "Hats Off To The Pair Of Good Samaritans & Police Officer" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Following online, as well as on local television, the story of a mother and her daughter who happened upon a female boxer dog along the side of a road in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania who looked to be in distress.  The sky was beginning to darken and upon farther examination, they found she was in labor and had already given birth to four young puppies next to the busy roadway.  They quickly called the local police department and shortly Officer McKernan of the West Hempfield Police Department arrived to assist the women and dogs.  He managed to put the female boxer in his cruiser and headed to Pet Pantry of Lancaster which was co-founded by Dr. Bryan Langlois who is the medical director of the shelter.  The mother and daughter loaded the newborns into their car and followed to Pet Pantry.  On the way to Pet Pantry, the female dog gave birth to her fifth puppy on the back seat of the cruiser.  

Mom and her new puppies.

Once at the shelter the mother dog carried her newborn in her mouth into the shelter where she was reunited with her other pups.  Before she was done, she had delivered a total of nine puppies.  One pup was stillborn while another didn't survive overnight.  The litter consists of five males and two females with all doing well, including the mother dog.  Dr. Langlois told the newspaper and television station that "Mom is a champ.  She knows just what to do, and that makes our job a whole lot easier here."  The mother dog and her puppies will soon be sent to a foster home until the pups mature and are ready for adoption.  Happy ending for a very stressful experience for all concerned.  Lancaster County has many stray animals that at times don't meet the same good samaritans as this lucky female boxer did.  At times there doesn't seem to be enough people to adopt all the strays in the county.  Many strays are caught and taken to shelters to be either spayed or neutered, but end up being released back into the community.  It is a problem that has been part of life for as long as I can remember and I doubt if it will ever change.  Hopefully the new brood and their mother will find people that will give them a loving home.  My wife, Carol, and I have adopted a few pets over the years and at present have two cats that found their way to our back door over a year ago.  They are so lovable and make our days full of joy and entertainment.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "My Wife: The Savior Of The Unwanted" Story

The little gray kitten making another visit.

It was an ordinary day.  Carol is standing by the rear door of our Beach House in Lancaster County, PA looking at the little ball of gray fur that is looking in the door at her.  She opened the door, but the furry creature, one of God's own creations, was frightened off.  Day after day the little kitten arrived, ate the dish of food she would put out for it, and went back into hiding.  The fall air began to get a chill to it and then the cold days arrived.  The kitten began to grow as Carol watched on a daily basis.  And then one day another kitten arrived to eat with the gray one.  This beautiful kitten looked like royalty with it's beautiful stripes, head held high and sleek posture.  Then one day as Carol was baking Christmas cookies she looked at the bowl of food on the rear stoop.

The handsome one, Mr. Snickerdoodle!

There stood royalty by the dish.  She opened the door and picked up the new breakfast attendee before it knew what had happened and brought it into the house as the little gray ball of fur stood by and watched.  The squirmy kitten escaped from her grasp and ran for the nearest door.  Shortly we had a new addition to our home who we kept in our office a few weeks until it became accustomed to us and its new surroundings.  All the while the little ball of gray fur made visits to the rear door.  And then one day it stepped into the house when she opened the door with the morning breakfast, curious as to what had happened to her royal friend.  The gray kitten rubbed against Carol and curled into her lap when she sat on the floor by the rear door.  Wasn't long before we took her to have her spayed.  

The Gray Lady napping in Carol's lap.  What a trusting little soul!

Then we took the sleek one, now named Snicker- doodle after the batch of cookies Carol had been baking when he arrived, to have him neutered.  Before long we had two new additions scurrying about the house to replace our recently departed friend, Creamsicle, who was an orange and white stray who happened to jump a snowdrift after a winter storm a few years ago and land in our hearts.  Many do not believe in feeding the feral or stray cats that wander the neighborhoods of every community in the world, but we cannot bear to see them die for reasons they cannot help.  

The sign says it all!

Both Snickerdoodle as well as now named "The Gray Lady" are growing and thriving in their new environ- ment.  They are a treat to watch them interact with each other.  The Gray Lady still sits on Carol's lap as she did that one day in January when the temperature hovered near zero.  Even finds her way to my lap from time to time.  Snickerdoodle is getting more handsome everyday as he grows.  A truly gentle giant!  But, the hero of the house is my wife who has been the savior of those that have come across her path while searching for a free meal when no one else will serve them.  It's just as the sign says that stands by our rear door: "Strays Gather Here!"  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Two New Family Members At LDubs" Story

2017 and a kitten has arrived at the back door.

It was an ordinary day.  Feeding the new additions to our home.  The two kittens were constant visitors at our back door for a few weeks before Christmas of 2017.  Then a few days after Christmas when the outside temperature was close to "0" Carol opened the door to put some food out for the hungry kittens and grabbed the male kitten and brought him into the house.  We kept him confined to one room in the house for a week or two and finally allowed him to explore the house.  We then enticed the second kitten into the house and after a day or so took her to have her spayed.  

"The Gray Lady" reaching for the camera.

In order for her to recover before we re-introduced the kittens once again, Carol had a good friend, who loved cats and had quite a few of her own, take her to her home to recover from the surgery.  By now we had named the two kittens.  

The handsome boy "Snickerdoodle"

The male was named after the cookies Carol was baking at the time he was brought into the house, Snickerdoodle, while the female was named according to her demeanor and smallness... and naturally coloring...The Gray Lady.  Shortly, Snicker- doodle  was taken to the vet for neutering and brought to our home to recover.  Wasn't long until the two were reunited once again.  

The Gray Lady loves to sit on her mom's lap.

We are not sure if they are brother and sister, but they certainly are different in coloring as well as size.  Doesn't matter since they are the best of friends.  They are still exploring the house and learning new places to hide and nap.  The Gray Lady is the smaller of the two and more sociable while Snickerdoodle is much larger and a handsome guy, but still somewhat afraid.  

Playing "Footsie"

They love to play with the myriad of toys we have purchased for them and love to tussle.  They do tend to get a bit rough and usually Snicker- doodle gets the short end of the deal, but The Gray Lady did have to make a trip to the vet a few weeks ago when we noticed her one front paw was swollen.  

Snickerdoodle hiding from his sister.

Seems she was bitten or clawed and the vet had to lance her paw to drain fluid from it and give her a shot and pills to help with her recovery.  

They are a never-ending storm of activity.  We get tired just watching them play.  The Gray Lady loves to sleep on your lap while Snickerdoodle is now just discovering that he can jump.  

This looks innocent, but what follows is mayhem!

The only trouble we have with them is they decide to play "rough" most mornings at 5:00 AM and we need to "shush" them from the bedroom so we can get another hour of sleep before feeding time.  I already have a slew of photos, but not wanting to be like a new parent, will only post a few photos for now.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The Gray Lady sleeping in Carol's lap.

The "Don't You Just Love 'Em?" Story

Larry's new family.

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting on the floor with my camera taking photographs of Larry's new kittens.  Story began a few years ago when this adorable little stray cat appeared on our back deck looking for something to eat.  

Larry

This was soon after Carol and I had watched an episode of "Modern Family" on television where the youngster Lily sees a cat she wants and has plans to call it Larry.  Cat looked almost like the cat that appeared on our back deck so we decided to call it Larry.  Wasn't until a year later that we realized the cat was a female.  Eventually she had a kitten which she reluctantly brought to our back door with her to feed.  Carol sat on the deck and played with the kitten while Larry sat closeby with a watchful eye on Carol.  We managed to catch the kitten and take it to the local shelter.  Before long we also caught Larry who was visibly pregnant once again.  

Larry's first kitten

Carol called a good friend who had said she would take Larry until the kittens were born so she could try to find a home for Larry and the kittens.  Four days after we dropped Larry at Debbie's house she had four kittens.  It's been four weeks now and we finally made a trip to visit with Debbie, her daughter Katie and Larry's new family.  

The new kittens love to be held on their backs.

They are adorable, just as Larry was when we first saw her.  Three look just like her first kitten while the other one looks much like her.  One of the kittens has already been claimed and there are others who plan to visit to see if they too may have one.  If it was only that easy at the Humane League in Lancaster.  

One of the kittens was interested in my camera.

Too many of the cats and kittens end up being euthanized after being brought to the center since there are not enough of people willing to adopt a stray. Carol and I can't bear to see the strays in the neighborhood starve so we feed them and then try to catch them with hopes they may be adopted.  

Cute!

We realize that doesn't happen with all that we have caught and that is the reason we gladly gave Larry to Debbie, since she has many friends who are willing to adopt the strays and their offspring.  We would love to keep one or two ourselves, but we already have a cat that was a stray at one time and he wouldn't appreciate a roommate.  Here's hoping all the kittens, as well as Larry, may be adopted in the near future.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

PS - An update!  Held this post in queue a few extra days and now can report that all the kittens have been adopted.  They are all litter trained and are eating on their own, but one seems to be a momma's baby and wants to still nurse from time to time.  So glad all will be welcomed into new homes and now hope Larry will find a home as well.