Many of our younger leaders have noticed that we have not had any Dog Tales recently. Well, that is very true. You see, we have been quite busy here because a pair of dog pals arrived. It has taken some time to get them settled into their new home.
Today I am going to tell you about Leon. He is one of the new dog pals. Fair warning, however. In the first part of this story it is a little bit sad. Do not be upset. No tears! I tell you this because, as you see, this story has a very, very, very happy ending.
Jet and Joan
One day a little brown dog arrived in the Capital Region of New York. It was a very cold day and this little dog was afraid. There was snow on the ground, and he had never experienced snow. It was terrible! He traveled for two days and two nights in a van. He had to be in a cage. He did not like it. Everything was scarry.
Nobody knows very much about the little dog. The people who brought him to town only knew that he was from Kentucky. These people were very nice and gave him a name, Jet.
Now, if you are a rock and roll fan, especially what is called “classic” rock and roll, you will chuckle when you learn that little Jet’s sister was named Joan. Joan and Jet … get it?
To some of us this is a silly pun. If you are not a classic rock and roll fan, well, I guess you will just have to ask Mom or Dad. If they do no understand the pun, there is nothing I can do and I suggest you do some research.
To Jet and his sister Joan this pun was not too funny. I guess they were not fans of classic rock and roll.
The very day that these dogs arrived in town they found themselves in a big building with concrete floors. There were lots of other dogs around. Some were in big, fenced enclosures, some dogs were being led around by people. It was very confusing. The people were using words such as “adoption” and “forever home”, but Jet and Joan did not understand those words.
Then, all of a sudden something funny happened. Not “funny ha-ha”. I mean “funny odd”. Joan was in an enclosure when some people walked up and looked at her. There was a mother, father, and two children. The children were both teenagers. Joan learned that later. Joan was very excited because these people seemed really nice and it was obvious that they liked her a lot.
The next thing she knew, Joan was going home with this human family. She discovered that life could be pretty good with these folks, and she is living with them today as you read this story.
Unfortunately, Jet did not seem to be so lucky. He was so scared, and it was too cold. It was much colder than Kentucky. Little Jet did not know where he was. He did not know why he was in that place. It was terrible!
Did something bad happen to Jet? We do not know, and he is not telling us. You see, dogs don’t usually talk about the past. They are mostly interested in the present. Although, I must admit, it is known that many dogs are interested in the future. Specifically, they are especially interested in future breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dogs are funny that way. Little Jet was to scared to think about the future. He tried to hide in a corner. He would not look at people. He was having an awfully bad morning.
Rescue
There was another dog with Jet. That other dog was named “Sasha” and was very outgoing. Sasha seemed to like everyone, and everyone seemed to like her. If Jet would have watched Sasha closely he would have learned something important.
Sasha’s philosophy was “Don’t Worry, Be Happy!”
That is another musical reference that you can look up if you do not know it.
Two people were walking around the building and they noticed Sasha. It turns out that they were actually looking for Sasha. They had driven for over a half-hour to find Sasha, and there she was!
They found something else, too. Do you know what it was they found?
Right, they found Jet!
This little brown dog was shivering, and these people found him at the same time they found Sasha.
Who were these people? Why, they were Anita and me! Who else did you think they were?
I played with Sasha and we got along very well. I will tell her story at another time. This is a dog tale about Jet, so I will finish this story first.
Anita decided to see if she could talk to Jet. No luck. He was too frightened. He would not even look at her. Do not worry, my young friends. Anita does not give up! Anita kept talking to Jet and tried to convince him that he was not in trouble and everything was fine. Finally, little frightened Jet looked at Anita and sniffed her hand.
Well! And again I say, “Well!”
Anita and I had an emergency conference. Could we, would we, go home with two dogs?
We knew that Sasha could come home with us, but what about little Jet? Was he too scared? Would he get along with Sasha? Would he play with the cat? Did we know how to help him?
So many questions and so few answers!
In the end, we decided that both Sasha and Jet could come home with us. We would make them part of the family. Somehow, we would build up Jet’s confidence and we would make sure he was happy.
There you have it. After a great deal of paper-signing (Anita and I signed the papers because most dogs cannot spell their names) they got into the car and came home with us.
New Stuff and Stairs
To continue Jet’s story, let me tell you that it was a very difficult time for him. Our home has stairs and he did not know how to go up or down them. We had to teach Jet how to climb stairs and then go back down. Did you know that dogs and children have the same problem? It is true. Children and dogs all must learn how to go up and down stairs. But little Jet was a puppy, a dog child, and like human children he learned quickly.
There were lots of other things that Jet found upsetting. He had a new bed, which as a surprise to him. It was his own bed. That was something he had to think about. And there was a cat. Oh, my, a cat! I have some stories from that department that I will have to tell you some day.
Yes, sure, it was very scarry for Jet. The good news is that he soon discovered that there was some good stuff, too. Food! He had as much food as any little brown dog could ever want. Warmth! The house was warm, and he liked that. Playtime! Sasha loved to play, and that was perfect of Jet. He is a real play-dog.
Jet learned to take walks. When he took those walks he met new friends. Now that he has been here in our house for several months he has lots of new pals. Those pals include Zaga, Cooper, Mercury, and even Clancy. They all love to play together and Jet has a lot of fun.
Jet Gets A New Name
There was one tiny problem.
Jet was not a Jet. Do you ever get the feeling that some people have the wrong name? No? Well, it happens, and it happens with dogs, too.
After much consideration, Anita concluded that Jet was not Jet. Jet was somebody else. Jet needed a new name.
Jet really did not care. He never thought of himself as “Jet”. As most of you know, if you have read the earlier Dog Tales, dogs have secret names. Jet has a secret name, and that is how he thinks of himself. Jet has not told us what his secret name is yet, so I cannot tell you what it is. Someday he may tell us, or maybe he will not. It is fully up to him.
Meanwhile, Anita tried to come up with a new name. Here are the facts:
- Jet was a brown dog.
- Jet looks like a sort of dog called a Redbone Hound, and they are brown just like him.
- Jet has a rather deep voice and sometimes it seems like he is trying to sing. This is especially true when he sees Zaga, Cooper, Mercury, Clancy, or the wild turkeys in the neighborhood.
- Jet is very mild mannered.
With these facts in hand, what could Jet’s new name be?
Honestly, it is so obvious I wonder why you even have to ask.
We changed his name to Leon. He is now officially Leon the Redbone hound.
You DO get it, right?
If you do not understand I suppose you will just have to spend some time on YouTube.
Happy Leon
Leon is an incredibly happy dog. He seems to like his new name and always pays attention when you say it. He and Sasha are very close pals. Every day is play-day. He runs and jumps and looks forward to hanging out with his friends. Leon is even learning how to talk to the cat. Riding in the car is now a super-cool thing for him to do. One of his favorite places to visit is Thacher State Park.
Leon has come such a long way in the past few months that it is hard to believe he is the same dog that was scared and shivering when we found him. He is happy, we are happy, and all is good.
Oh, and Leon has adventures. I think we will have to tell you about some of them in the future.
