"Will You Help Me?" - Special Report

Prelude!

Hey! Folks! Trader here! This beagle was left to die beside the road after being hit by an unknown driver. When found she was taken to the Colbert Animal Clinic where Dr. Joe Cobb made a life or death decision. Put the beagle down or give her another chance at life. This is a call for help to do what little you can to help cover some of the expenses for the hip surgery of this small beagle. I took the liberty of telling this story in first person so you could see the situation from her point of view.


Trader


Her story:

I really don’t remember much about what happened. One moment I was walking on County Road 228 near the Central Community in Lauderdale County when I heard the screeching of tires, then the hard slam which sent a massive wave of sharp pain through my back legs. The next thing I know I am lying beside the road and I can’t get my back legs to work. I really don’t know how long I lay there but I kept wondering, “why doesn’t someone stop and help me?” Car after car passed and time after time I watched the rear end of the cars fade into the distance never even slowing down to check on me. I know they could see me, but why would they not stop and help?

It was breaking into a grey morning light when I heard a car stop and saw the legs and feet of a man walking toward me. He knelt down beside me and starting stroking my head. As he talked to me in a kind voice I could feel his hands running across my head, my neck, down my back and then my back legs. I could hear the tone of his voice change as he told me I was hurt real bad. As he moved his hands underneath me he explained he was going to have to move me. He knew it might hurt and he was sorry to cause me more pain, but he would be as gentle as he could. He placed me in his car and talked to me as he drove. I was just grateful to get off of the hard gravel I had been lying on and wished I could tell him that, but it hurt to wag my tail. The Car had now stopped and I could hear a woman’s voice as she talked to the man. I could hear them talking about what they should do with me and how bad I was hurt.

The next thing I know, I am being carried into a into the room where the lights were real bright and I was laid on a cold metal table. A man wearing a blue smock came into the room and told me his name was Dr. Cobb and he was going to look at my injuries. He started feeling of my back and legs and listening to my chest with this funny looking flat thing that had tubes sticking in his ears. I am embarrassed to say when he stuck that glass looking tube up my poop shoot, I thought “ H e l l o ! ” Doc, if you want to take my temperature my mouth is on the other end!

This is when I heard for the first time the names of the kind people who had just gone out of their way to help me. He said his name was Steven Wriston, this was his wife Vicky and they lived on County Road 228 in the Central Community. He told the Doc when he found me I was not wearing a collar so they did not know who I belonged to or even my name. I wish I could tell them my name but they can’t understand my language, so as of now they have listed me as “John Dog Unknown”. I heard the Doc tell them I appeared to be around 8 months old maybe a year but no more. He said I did not appear to have any internal injuries but my right and left hips were broken, so I guess that is why I can’t move my back legs.

The good news is I can be fixed up like new as I appeared to have no paralysis, but the bad news was the medical bill would probably be around $500.00. I saw the look come across their faces as they told him they could not afford to pay that type of bill. There was a long silence, and it seemed like forever as the Doc looked at me. It appeared he was thinking or maybe making a decision. He said something about euthanasia, whatever the heck that means, but he really did not want to do that unless something else really showed up later. He told them to leave me with him and he would see if he could get some other people to pitch in to cover some of the cost. He went on to say other than my hips, I was not really injured anywhere else. Now that was a relief to me as I hate needles.

There are three real nice ladies here who hug on me all the time and for the first time in my life I get to eat all I want. Boy! I wish my brothers and sisters could see me now but I lost contact with them a long time ago.

Yesterday a real nice, handsome, movie star type character came to see me. He told me his name was Trader and that he wanted to take some pictures of me so I could be put in an article about how I needed help with medical expenses for my hip. He told me since I was not covered under the Obama Medical Plan it would depend on the kindness of other humans if I ever walked again. I want to be honest with you before you decide to help me. I am just a little beagle who does not know who my owner is. The Doc said I was thin, so he thought I probably had been thrown out to fend for myself. He also told me if he and the other docs could get my hips repaired that I could live a normal life.

What really got me excited is he would find someone to adopt me as a member of their family and not a pet. He explained the difference between a pet and family member classifications and it appears to me it depends on the luck of the draw whether someone who wants me as a pet will treat me right or not. Naw! I like the member of the family classification better.

Presently, I have no way to pay you back if you help me. My legs won’t let me go pick up the paper for you, jump in your lap and lick your face, snuggle with you, lie at your feet, ride in the car with you, play with your small humans, or be a good brother or sister to another animal. The Doc told me I had a non-aggressive personality which he said was good because I would get along well with other animals.

I thought Trader would never quit snapping pictures cause you can’t show your best side forever without getting tired. But he was nice during my modeling session and afterward I got a treat. It really bothers me to be asking for help as I have done pretty good at depending on myself. Trader understood this but told me this is one time that I would need some serious help in order to get back in the game of life. He said, I could say anything I wanted to say to you and that he would write it for me.

I don’t want you to take any household funds away from your family to help me. But if you could do without a coke, candy bar, a pack of cigarettes, etc., to help me, it would be greatly appreciated. Trader said, to tell you, if you did not have any extra money and had something you didn’t need that he could sell at a yard sale or at the Flea Market he would come get it.



Trader asked me why I got so sad all of a sudden? This caught me by surprise as I didn’t know what I was thinking showed. I asked him, what if no one helps me ? What then?

He reassured me there were a lot of loving human beings who would take the time to help if they could. All we had to do was get the word out and I would see just how loving and generous human beings could be when told of my situation. He said, Look, it doesn’t take much out of anyone’s time or pocket if a lot human beings pitch in together. He was certain that before too long I would see the kindness that he was telling me about.

Trader said if anyone sent cash, (he preferred a check and he didn’t care how much--$1.00, $2.00 or more), be sure to put a note in the envelope with your name, address or phone number so you can be kept up on my surgery’s progress.

You can send it to Trader at 102 West Grandview Drive, Muscle Shoals, Alabama 35661. If you are going to write a check, please make it out to the Colbert Animal Clinic. He will make sure they get those funds immediately.

Don’t forget Trader said if you don’t have any extra funds but have something you could give to him to sell he would be happy pick it up. His phone number is 256-366-5483.

Thank you for reading my story,

John Dog