S.D.

Jennifer and S.D.

Greetings from Lancaster, PA! While visiting family and camping over Fourth of July, 2009 we were greeted by a very friendly, but shy dog. Everyone at the picnic referred to him as "Stray Dog". He had a red collar and name tag on and we found out that he "lived" and belonged to people in the house next door. He was very sweet and timid but gladly accepted all the attention we gave him. He was around our campsite and food all weekend but was the complete gentleman and never begged or tried to take food even though he was clearly starving. His ribs and hip bones were easily felt and his body was very lean. He was not quite 40 pounds. He had really bright white teeth and a beautiful coat despite living alone outdoors in the woods. He spent the day with us on the 4th of July, running, playing fetch, thriving on the attention we showered him with. He was there until we set off fireworks, he got scared and ran, we didn't see him the rest of the night. Early Sunday morning he was spotted laying outside our tent and then he disappeared again. We were all excited that "Stray Dog" came back around later that day. We played with him all day and he seemed just as excited to play with us too! We wanted to take him home with us but he did belong to someone and we knew it wasn't the right thing to do. We packed up to go home and the family member said she would look out for him until we return 3 weeks later for another camping trip. She looked for him daily and "Stray Dog" came over to the house daily. He got food and water and even a flea & tick treatment. This continued for 1 week and we got updates every couple days on him. Back in Lancaster, we were telling everyone about the sweetest dog we just met, like he was already ours. I even had a picture of him as my screen saver on my computer. "I wonder what stray dog is doing right now..." was a common thought and we would get sad knowing he would be much better off with us. About two weeks before we were set to go back Stray Dog stopped showing up at the house. We were all sick just thinking about what could have happened to such a sweet, innocent dog. Is he alive or did he die somewhere in the woods all by himself? Who knew? We held onto hope that he was still around, that we would be able to rescue him. We returned to the area as planned late on a Saturday night and set up camp, still no sign of "Stray Dog". We woke in the morning and decided to go looking for him. With heavy hearts we walked thru the woods and around the house where he was supposed to live. We called for him and looked everywhere. At this time we were expecting the worst, was too late? After a time of searching, we returned to the camp emotionally drained and very upset. We decided to call the shelters in the area for one last shot. "Stray Dog" deserved that. First shelter, no luck. Second shelter. Any male border collies? Yes. My spirits soared, I was reminded not to get too excited. From the area? Yes. Neutered? No. Perfect! This had to be him! Black and white? Yes! I was so excited! We got online and scrolled thru the shelter pictures looking for the dog she described. This dog was too black and didn't have the same markings, it wasn't Stray Dog! I was devastated. We deserved this dog, this dog deserved us and a loving life. Just a few moments later I heard "IT'S HIM!" Stray Dog was a few pictures below the other dog. We screamed with joy! He had been at the shelter for 2 weeks, the whole time he was missing from around the house. We rushed to the shelter. We were led out to the kennels and there he was! He jumped right up to greet everyone like he remembered us, and to say thank you! We were soooooo thankful and made arrangements to take him home that day. His new name, S.D., short for "Stray Dog". He has been the joy of our lives and has adjusted very well to life in Lancaster. He plays ball everyday, sleeps comfortably on his bed, and always has a yummy bowl of food available and now weighs 47 pounds. He goes to doggie day-camp where he runs and plays with many dogs. On the weekends he goes to the boat in Baltimore, MD to relax. He enjoys the local dog park and walks along the waters edge. He has completed his first round of obedience training and was happy to learn every lesson. Soon he will be enrolled in agility classes. He is a fantastic co-pilot and goes everywhere. He is such a sweet little boy and we are very thankful to have him in our lives. He seems to appreciate us too:) Sincerely, Jenn & Nick Lancaster, PA