Today we're getting a weather mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain that's significant enough in Kentucky to close schools, businesses, and cancel fun evenings like dinner with friends. Before all the excitement hit, I had a mission to complete. I left just as the sun was rising for a quick trip from Louisville to the Harrodsburg animal shelter and back.
Mac,the first Nice Guy, was waiting for me to pick him up at the shelter. Mac is a three year old red heeler who had been accepted at a cattle dog rescue place in Nashville, Tennessee. I'm familiar with blue heelers, but Mac was the first red I'd seen. What a great little dog he was--so study and utilitarian. And, amusing. He stood quietly in his cage for the hour and a half ride back to Louisville. I suppose he just wanted to be ready in case we should encounter any cattle who needed a heel nipping!
Mike, the other Nice Guy, was waiting for us in the Garden Ridge parking lot back in Louisville. He had agreed to drive Mac the additional three hours on to Nashville and his half-way house at the cattle rescue organization. I had never met Mike. We had e-mailed back and forth about pick up arrangements--for Mac--and potential weather difficulties. He was an ordinary kind of John Denver looking guy with round glasses and a laid back manner. His car was equipped with Mac necessaries and a sleeping bag in case they got stranded on the road. You can see from the photos above that Mac thought he was a Nice Guy too. The two of them
had a brief leg stretch and potty break before getting back on the road. . .
Chances are, I won't meet up with Mike again, but I was glad work with him--another person who loves dogs enough to make the extra effort to help them find a good home. Not a lot of fanfare, just one Nice Guy doing a good thing for another Nice Guy. I hope they enjoyed their drive together today.
12 comments:
He's such a good looking dog! I love blue heelers; I had one when I was a girl. There's a story on my blog about it called "birthday surprise" or something like that.
I had a big smile on my face after reading this. Our heeler was named Dottie. I swear, they never ride in a vehicle sitting or lying down. They must always stand. I think it's in their blood.
This is such a great thing you do.
I hope the two-legged Mr. Nice Guy made it back home before the ice storm!
that is so cool.
and that is one good-looking dog.
good for you!
And one nice woman doing a good thing for Mac (and the Border Boys).
I love what you do. Never heard of a 'heeler' before but he looks so damn cute:-)
The funny thing is, we only call the Blue ones heelers (as in Blue Heeler), we normally just call the red ones Red Cattle dogs. Don't ask me why.
The thing about Cattle Dogs (besides their intelligence) is their unwavering loyalty, but here's where the Reds are generally better dogs. Blue cattle dogs are regarded as a one man dog (meaning they will sometimes snap at family members), whereas Reds are regarded as a one family dog and are loyal to everyone in the family.
And despite those damn Queenslanders asserting that the breed was developed there, it was in fact, developed about 20 miles from here at a place called Scone in the Hunter Valley, NSW.
You chose well, they are great dogs.
I've never seen a red one either. How cute he is.
And what a nice thing for you two to do on a nasty winter day.
Oh here you go.
Mac Update--just had message from the cattle dog rescue group that he's settled in his halfway house, sitting for photos, and writing his bio to go up on the adoption web.
He's already passed the good personality test. He and Mike were stranded for 3 hours on an icy inter-state getting to Nashville. He waited patiently in his cage until they could drive on. Can you imagine other dogs--say border collie--doing that?
WT--interesting point about his breed name. I was surprised when the shelter described him as a red heeler. Like the rest of you, I'd only heard of blue heelers. He certainly didn't act like a one owner dog as you say blue heelers may be. He may even qualify as one of Laurie's frat boys!
Hey Faye, I've got a question about dog rescue, but I didn't see an email address on your profile. Can you please email me - my address is in my profile.
Thanks!
Ann
PS - I love blue heelers too, although they are a bit too smart for me.
Sorry, Faye, I thought I had my email address enabled but apparently, I did not. You can find it in my Rebel County Contest post. (And while you're at it, you can even enter. :))
What a sweet looking dog. I hope he finds a great forever home. He looks like a dog ready to be someone's best buddy.
I don't know much about dogs, especially service dogs. The dog look nice and friendly. Thank you so much for dropping by CoolChatBlog.
Serena
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