Thursday, July 13, 2006

Early Morning Barking Batallion

Despite the policy of no dogs in the camp, we managed to collect a number of puppies from the shelter in Jackson County just before the President's visit in April. A scraggly group of soon-to-be parvo infected pups who ranged in age from 4 to 8 weeks captured the hearts and souls of a number of volunteers and visitors, including the President's advance team (Sun Herald Article from 10 Jul 06).

Two nights ago, the dogs apparently captured the "enemy". A drunken local wandered onto the property in the wee hours of the morning. Boss, Scraps, and Helicopter came to the rescue. As described by one of the volunteers who heard the ruckus, Scraps and Helicopter had the man cornered, while Boss gave every sign that he was ready to have a late night snack.

I can only stop to wonder how drunk the man must have been to be intimidated by 3 barking puppies. By my calendar, our oldest dog is maybe 5 or 6 months old. They're not all that big, either. In any event, the drunk left the property and the dogs were able to go back to sleep.

The volunteer who witnessed the spectacle, being a former Marine, thought the dogs had gone above and beyond the call of duty. He made Doggie Medals of Honor in the shape of a bone, with Mardi Gras beads to hang the bone around their necks. He read a fabulous award letter from COMBARKMARDET (Commander Barking Marine Detachment, the military humor was lost on most volunteers) that had a photo of Gen. MacArthur giving a salute to a dog.

Ah the creativity of volunteers and the tenacity of our pups. How can anyone not love this place?

:: Chris ::

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