Community Service

Well, as you've been reading over the past year on our blog, we've tried in many ways to truly become part of the community in which we are now living. Going to coffees and teas with neighbors, attending special get togethers to celebrate holidays and such, trading plates of sweet treats with our neighbors, etc. This week we are getting to be good community members in a whole new way.

There have been a couple of litters of puppies in a field directly behind our apartment building. Oh my, are they cute!!! Slowly, slowly the puppies have been weaned, and now the mommies are gone, as are all but three of the puppies. These puppies have sort of become community pets. While Mark was out watching and talking to them yesterday morning, a lady with a bunch of raw chicken and other treats for the puppies told him that she would not be here for the next week and asked if we would be willing to make sure they get fed and watered. Of course, he said yes immediately! You know we're dog lovers, so there's no way we could refuse!! We've already named the cutest puppy Hershey.

This afternoon we decided it was about time to take some food and water out to them before it got too dark. When we got to their little make-shift shelter (built by an anonymous member of our neighborhood) no one was home . . . just a stray cat looking for some food, no doubt. We put the food and water in the bowls inside the shelter and started walking away. As we started up the hill, we heard some grumbling and yipping. We looked over to the other side of the field and saw the three of them playing or something. Mark walked over to them to see what was going on because only one of them ran over to us when we called. He found that our dear, sweet Hershey was hogging a leg of lamb! No matter how much the other two dogs pounced and yipped he wasn't going to let them have any of it!! We finally got the attention of one of the dogs and got her over to the food bowl. She started chowing down immediately.

So we know that at least two of the dogs had something to eat today. Maybe the poor dog that had Hershey and the leg of lamb treed finally realized his other friend had made her way home to find a bowl full of delicious treats. If so, I hope she hadn't eaten all of it herself!