Last Saturday was a bittersweet day for all of us that work at the shelter.  After one year, one month and 28 days in our care Brutus was going to his forever home.  As I watched him trot across the parking lot of Wal-Mart and jump in the backseat of Tim's truck, I stood frozen at the curb halfway hoping he would break loose and bolt back to us.  Brutus and his little traveling partner we named  Woody came to the shelter right before Christmas in 2008.  I don't know why Woody took up with Brutus because that dog made Woody's life miserable.  It wasn't that Brutus was mean, he was just so big and rough.  For lack of space at the shelter, they had to share a kennel and Woody got knocked around on a daily basis. As soon as we could, we separated those two, but they continued to bond until Woody left us.  Brutus was with us before our dogs had it so good at the shelter.  I can remember for the longest time he only had half a doghouse.  He would curl up on his blanket in the bottom half of his house and gather all his toys and his treats beside him.  Some days it would rain in on him but he still wouldn't leave his stuff. 
Brutus had heartworms and had to go through the painful treatment.  He spent several months at a foster home, being spoiled while he recovered.  He was adopted out once, but came back after a couple of days.  They said he was too much dog for them.  Brutus likes to give full body hugs.  I guess they didn't understand him.  But on days when I felt totally overwhelmed at the shelter, a big old hug from Brutus helped put everything into perspective for me.  
 So, here we are. A kind hearted man wanted to take Brutus home.  He told me about his wife's two little yappy dogs at home.  He wanted a man's dog.  He wanted a dog to take to work with him.  He wanted a buddy to ride in the truck with him.
Suddenly, I panicked at the thought Brutus might just get adopted.  I found myself telling Tim everything bad that I knew about that dog.  You have to be careful because this dog has food rage.  Watch him close because he has toy rage.  Don't  turn your back because Brutus might just knock you down with his enthusiasm.  He's stubborn and hard headed.  Nothing I said mattered because  Tim had already  made up his mind about that dog.
Yesterday, I called to see how things were going.  Tim's wife told me how Brutus goes to work with Tim every day.  He leaves his truck door open, but Brutus lays in that truck all day long waiting for his pal to come back.  They might go through a drive-in window at lunch and pick up a hamburger.  Brutus gets his own burger.
Everything is going perfect for Brutus.  He even has a new name.  He's now called "Buddy."  It seems that Tim has found a new best friend.
--- Sandy Williams

Who would have thought that a simple run to the local Piggly Wiggly would change someone's life forever?  For one small injured soul, that is exactly what happened.  
He was just a skinny little dog with a very bad limp.  Most people would pass him by without so much as a glance.  He was that ordinary looking;  just another starving dog trying to survive off of people's throwaway trash.  But to Anna, he was worth  the trouble of saving.  As he darted around the parking lot in search of food, she became very concerned that he would get hit by a car.  So she scooped him up into her arms and brought him to the shelter.
He wasn't exactly going to be missed by anyone, that is, if he ever even had a family.  Now he was going to become part of ours.  And we loved him instantly.
There is something very special about the plain ones that come to us.  It's almost as if they have bigger hearts.  They want so much to be loved.  It's like the child at school that no-one ever notices.  But show them the slightest attention and they blossom into real treasures.  That's the way it has been for Mr. Wiggly.
We took him to our local Fall Festival in Town.  Of all the dogs at our shelter, we chose Mr. Wiggly to represent to people what we are trying to do with our rescue animals.  He is the happiest little dog.  Mr Wiggly pranced around that park like he was a registered thoroughbred instead of a little brown dog with a very  bad limp.  People reached out to touch him.  Children wanted to play with him.  Everyone thought he was adorable.  He was quite the attraction.  It was a far cry from the days of going completely unnoticed as he scrounged for food in the parking lot of the local grocery store.......
--- Sandy  Williams
 
Mr. Wiggly is now living the good life with his foster mom.... She could not let him go....