Musical Trucking Dogs Adoption Program salutes the heroes of the highways aka the truckers of our nation. They saved our very special dog, Delilah, and nine other dogs this week. These people are amazing as we watch them adopt the dogs week after week.
Delilah, our little one-year-old beautiful pure white pit with a beige spot on one eye that was in her last phase of her adventure. She arrived on an army military armed guarded truck and has found her home for life with a trucker. What a journey!
Please see the earlier story of her journey and her photo gallery on this site.
The miraculous situations that happened to bring this dog to the person who would be her lifetime protector took my breathe away and seemed beyond a miracle. Charles, a trucker from Florida, had dreamed of owning a dog just like Delilah. Little did he know his dream was about to come true. He was delayed in a miraculouos and strange way at the TravelCenters Of America-East this past week in Ontario where we were meeting this precious animal coming from Ft, Lewis, WA.
I was standing inside the store waiting for her arrival and holding her picture in my hand. It was raining heavy outside. I was just hoping to find her a good home even though it was not one of our regular show days because fostering her here in California was going to be a challenge. Charles walked up to me and seeing the photo of this gorgeous dog he asked me if that was my dog. I told him no and then he said, "That is the dog I dream of owning someday."
I had shivers go through my body and emotions swelled as I said to him, "Her name is Delilah, she will be arriving in a short while, and she needs a home immediately. If you are interested in adopting her, I would be honored to put her in your arms." Looking dumbfounded, he said, "Oh my gosh, yes." I said I was just going to announce her arrival to be on the speaker.
He stopped me and said she was the dog of his dreams. Delilah is one year old, and female, which in dog world, make the perfect couple. He then said, but I want her to be my truck dog, and we will go home together, but she will be with me otherwise. With tears I told him, "From what I know Delilah loves being in the truck, that is where this dog is happiest, she just loves to ride!" And, so here was the man who was going to finally make this dog safe.
The army military truck with the armed guard (one more miracle) who picked her up out of St. Peters where she was being safely watched had decided to help in getting her out here to our show. They had never met this baby girl, only heard about her story and out of love made a decision to get permission from the Pentagon to allow them to be rerouted to pick her up and now were delivering her to us.
Little Delilah is held in the strong arms of Charles, her forever Daddy, who cherishes her, and she is learning to be a real "Truckin' Dog". As soon as he had her in his arms, he dropped his trailer, which is a tremendous lot of work, and went to Petco, giving Delilah a day at the spa, after all his load out of California mysteriously was delayed. And, his family so excited that Dad has the dog of his dreams on his truck, heading home.
When we saw her for the first time we understood why everyone has loved this dog. Her beauty is stunning. She sparkles. Her eyes, after all she has experienced, still just bubble with love and her kisses embrace you. When she saw Charles, a stranger just standing there waiting to meet her, she ran to him, put her paws on him and looked up at him with all the love possible. When he picked her up, her kisses would not stop. She knew she was safe. We all shared our stories of what this dog meant to each of us. Delilah just stayed at the side of Charles. As Frank and Karen Marsh are the wonderful folks who had gone thru so much to pick her up in Missouri and as they left you could see the love she held for them. It was an emotional moment, but immediately she turned to Charles, and almost kissed him to death. What an angel. Everyone whose life she has touched has fallen in love with her, they just had no way to keep her, but now we know she was on her way to Charles. It just took a nation to help her get to him.
Please read the story about her journey and know that even when we think God is not working, He is at his best. Things just come in His time! We are so thankful for everyone who has loved this playful and loving dog, after all she has been thru, who helped one dog find its way to safety. Charles and his wife, who stays home with their other dog and to care for his mother, have three acres of fenced land where when at home now she can run her heart out with her new "boyfriend" dog. Then get back on the truck and do her job as a "Truckin' dog.
And, our regular weekly concert show day this week where lots of dogs are brought that are on death row for our Musical Truckin Dog Adoption event was another success with NINE dogs adopted by the most wonderful people I could ever imagine.
Please click here to see a gallery of photos taken at this week's show. These of the dogs have been given a new chance in life and the folks who have taken on this enormous responsibility of being a parent to a little doggie with only love in their hearts.
I call these people our "Highway Heroes":
After the dogs are adopted we always try to call each person in a day or so to see how things are going. It can be difficult during the first few days for everyone. But this morning I spoke to the wife of the couple who adopted Pierre, a French poodle at the show, and her stories were so great, especially how she explained what had happened in such a sweet southern loving way. They already had a French poodle, Warren, in their truck. When these folks saw Pierre, they just knew he would be a perfect companion for their doggie. They immediately adopted him. We did not get pictures, as they were already late to pick up their load. Anyway, this lovely lady tells me how they had left the two pooches in the truck just for a couple of minutes and came back out to find Pierre had opened a new loaf of bread, and a box of cotton swabs. She said they had to laugh as it reminded them of years now long gone when their children were little. Then they stopped at a rest area and Pierre got off his leash, and started running, then suddenly they saw him stop, look around, and come running back to them. Her husband was just panicked, but Pierre did not want to leave. Warren, their other dog, at first growled at Pierre, but within hours these two were now sleeping together. The warmth in this lady's loving voice loving told my soul this was another great adoption, and wished the world could understand that dogs are just babies, and mean no harm.
We will keep you updated, our love to all. Please visit our http://www.susannespirit.com and our new site: http://www.musicaltruckindogs.com. We are also on Facebook under Susanne Spirit or our community page: http://www.facebook.com/musicaltruckindogs/. And, stop by one of our events any time.
What a blessing to be able to help save precious dogs from anymore harm or abuse, and death. We are still in need of another shelter to come join us at our shows.
Susanne and Michael
