We spotted Brownie one day on outreach. He had a nasty wooden dog house, a huge collar around his neck and was on a heavy, twisted chain. He had no food and no water. Definitely a dog we needed to pull over and talk to the owner about. The owner was nice enough. We explained our program and the benefits of neutering his dog. He was not interested at that time, but we decided to hang in there and continue to assist this dog and hopefully we could eventually talk the guy into neutering him.
We took Brownie an igloo dog house, got him a new collar and put him on a cable tie-out as opposed to the heavy chain he was on. He was a sweet dog and didn’t deserve this-like so many. We began stopping by, especially in bad weather. One day, we were surprised to find that the guy had put the dog house in the garage with some hay in it and was keeping Brownie in the garage during the bitter cold. At least we were getting somewhere-although slowly.
After about a year, the guy moved and took Brownie with him. We were hoping that Brownie would be set up better at his new place, like maybe a fenced yard. But oh no-he was still tied up. We visited Brownie at his new place a couple of times. He would have water most of the time and was not skinny, so we knew the guy was feeding him. He had a good igloo thanks to Chain of Hope, so compared to a lot of the dogs out there, Brownie was doing ok. He was, of course, lonely and sad tied up outside, but he loved the van when we came pulling up! We were his friends and we always brought him goodies We would never walk away from Brownie, despite the refusal of the owner to neuter him. It turns out that we didn’t have to. Brownie came to us, in a way. Keep reading!
The next spring, we received a phone call from a woman that had moved into the old house where Brownie had lived. She said that there was a stray dog in her back yard. She said she went out to give him some water and was trying to figure out what to do when the neighbor stepped out of her door. She told the woman that that was the dog that used to live there! She told her that Chain of Hope used to come there and take care of Brownie all the time and to call us about coming to get him. She did not want Brownie going back to the owner! We were so happy. We really hadn’t visited with that neighbor before, but it was a great thing that she was aware of who we were. The woman who had moved into Brownie’s old house called me and I was so excited. I told her I’d be right over to get him!
It was great to see Brownie and even greater to know that he was now free. No way was he going back there.
Apparently Brownie had been out running for a few days. He was filthy and had obviously rolled in a whole bunch of stinky stuff! This boy was rank!!! We rode with all the windows down. When I got him back to Chain of Hope-it was bath time first thing! I took off his old collar and it was caked with feces and mud.
We changed Brownie’s name to Sarge and he began his new life at Chain of Hope. He received lots of love, attention and walks, which he really liked! We just loved this boy! He had the most soulful brown eyes.
Sarge tested positive for heart worms, so he underwent heartworm treatment. That is why his back is shaved in the area that he received his injections.
Here is Sarge trying to get cheese out of the squirt can he stole! Give him time, he’ll figure it out!
Sarge went up for adoption, but we quickly figured out that he did not care for other male dogs. With females he was fine, but not with males. We continued working with him at Chain of Hope. He did eat a piece of the privacy fence! Sarge was putting some weight on and beefed up to close to 70 lbs. He was an extremely handsome dog.
We finally transferred Sarge out to a boarding facility that we use at times. April, one of our fabulous volunteers, wanted to work with Sarge and she lived close to the boarding facility. April dedicated her time and attention to Sarge. She got him out and about, took him for long walks, took him out for cheeseburgers and ice cream! She enrolled him in training classes and paid for them herself. Thank you, April! You are the best! You really are Sarge’s angel that he needed.
Sarge was soon doing very well with all dogs in his class. April had worked with him and helped turn him into a highly adoptable dog! One day we received an email from Melanie, asking about Sarge. I sent her back his entire story and pix. She said her family was very interested in meeting this great dog. They all met, Sarge did great with everyone and Melanie and her family decided they wanted to proceed with adopting Sarge!
April brought Sarge down that next week so that I could tell him good-bye. We wished him a great life! We couldn’t be happier for this boy. It had been quite a journey.
We had Sarge for close to a year and he is now in his forever home where he is greatly loved! Here is a quick note that Melanie, Sarge’s new mom, sent us recently:
Hi, Kate! Attached please find pictures of Sarge with our family. He has fit in beautifully and we couldn’t adore him more! His full name now is Sargeant Pepper Prouty (I’m a huge Beatles fan!) He loves walks, chew bones, bunny chasing, playing ball, sleeping with mommy in bed, and learning tricks. He also loves to go to the baseball field and sniff around and watch the games.
Just look at these pictures of Sarge with his new family. They will make you smile.
Sarge has landed in a great home-all because he ran away and went back to his old house! See why we call him the smartest dog ever? Way to go, Sarge!
