About Angie Mitchell
First and foremost, owning a pet is a privilege, not a right! I’m an animal lover in every sense of the word, especially when it comes to dogs. I’ve had a dog present in my life for as long as I can remember. I’ve had cats, birds, a rabbit, fish and even a beaver. Animals have always inspired our imaginations, thrilled our spirits, and tugged at our heartstrings. It’s a partnership that will continue as long as humans share space on earth with other living creatures.
Many animal-lovers will tell you that animals make wonderful friends—they don’t lie, they don’t judge, and they don’t hate. When we’re communicating with an animal, we humans feel less alone.
My best friend Sherman and I have a sweet history together. It was late August 2007 when I noticed a dog I’ve seen around town many times before belonging to a homeless man, her name was Feather and she was always pregnant. Feather was laying on the side of the road nursing a black ball of fur, when she was finished he slid back down into the ditch and off she went leaving the little guy all alone.
I could not stop thinking about that little black ball of fur and worried about all the possible things that could happen to him so I walked back up to where I saw him but didn’t see him anywhere so I scoured the ditch, out of the corner of my eye I saw him slithering away. I pounced! He stared up at me on the walk home and it was love at first sight… he was a healthy boy and no more than 5 weeks old with his eyes still navy in colour.
A couple days went by…. Feather found him, she would often come to check on her boy and they would give kisses through the fence. She knew he was happy and well taken care of so off she’d go till the next time.
Some of us went to the vet and told them, if Feather ever came in for any reason to let us know and we would pay to have her fixed. We felt sorry for her being pregnant all the time and couldn’t even imagine what happened to all the puppies she was having.
One day when I took Sherman into the vet’s office to have the last of his booster shots, I asked about Feather and to my great sadness I found out that she had been poisoned! She was gone and so were her next batch of unborn puppies.
I’m so thankful to have one of her babies. He’s such a good boy, he responds to my commands because I am his teacher and his leader-he doesn’t challenge me or ask questions, he gives much more than he takes, and is loyal when all humans fail. I trust a dog with my life before I would trust any man-and I’m sure a K9 officer will agree. I know many people that feel the same amount of affection for cats and other household pets.
Thank you Feather…