Punkin! :)

by Jordan
(Dahlonega, Georgia)

One afternoon, I was out on a ride with my horse when my dogs, Darcie and Daisy, started barking their heads off! I turned my horse around and saw this beautiful dog. I immediately jumped of my horse, which was a stupid decision since I was riding bareback and had no way to get back on!

I walked up to the skiddish dog to try and find a collar or any sign of an owner. She was very jumpy and, even under her winter coat, I could tell she was skinny. I took off my other dogs collar and put it on her and asked my neighbor for a leash. I checked to find out the gender. It was a girl! Yes, now maybe there was a possibility of keeping her, I am 14 years old and every time I see a stray animal its the first thing i think of! :)

So I lead her home, which proved to be very difficult. She wasnt afraid of my horse, so every five seconds I had to make sure she wasn't in front of him about to get trampled, and she chewed through the leash TWICE! I finally had to trade out the weak leash for my leather horse rein.

When I got her home I gave her an insanely long bath. She has such a thick coat, I couldn't believe it! After that, I got right to making posters. I hung them up everywhere in my small town and waited. No one ever replied to the posters and that was months ago. I took her to the vet and she had no records or chip. It was like a miracle come true! I had always wanted an Australian Shepard, and here one fell in my lap. And what a great one she is!

She is my best friend, sort of like my guardian angel in a way. Every time she sees me arrive home she gets excited and has to give me a hug. It's so cute because she jumps up and really embraces the moment. And she is deff the one who decides how long the hug is. haha. We have created a bond that she has with no one else. She really is nervous around a lot of people and for her to have so much trust in me really means a lot. I am not sure what I'd do without my Punkin! :))