Everyone loves to cheer for the underdog, especially Lara, a four-year-old purebred English lab used as a backyard breeder who was confined to a small concrete slab before being rescued by a Good Samaritan. Join us in following Lara, now 30 pounds lighter, with her new family: Lillian Cox, a freelance writer; Joey Pearson, a sophomore at Georgetown University; Barney, a once severely neglected St. Bernard; Ollie, a rescued dachshund-mix; and Lucy, an umbrella cockatoo - and head of the pack.
This weekend Lara, Barney, Ollie and I met up with friends and their rescue pups at Dog Beach in Del Mar. We had the greatest surprise when Alison Hardison walked up to us. She saw Lara and Barney first and thought it was too much of a coincidence that an English lab and a St. B would be hanging out together.
Alison was their guardian angel who, through a rescue group, pulled them from the Carlsbad shelter last summer -- Lara in June and Barney in August. She also arranged for them to be spayed and neutered when the time came.
The lady who introduced me to Alison described her as an "angel" and she really is. She had 4-year-old daughter, Zahara, in tow and was pregnant with her other daughter, Asilah, when she extended herself to help Lara, Barney and scores of other distressed pups last summer. Today, Alison has some health issues that are causing her to slow down, so we're wishing her all the best. She's a favorite of ours. Here is a video of Lara and Barney playing in the surf over the weekend.
Joey took a midnight train from (Jessop) Georgia the evening of Thurs., August 26 carrying three suitcases and three bags en route to his first year at Georgetown University. We talked a couple of times during the trip, in between a visit to the dining car and reading "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," required reading for incoming freshmen.
After arriving at Union Station around 7 a.m. ET, Joey made friends with a porter who gave him a ride to the terminal. Joey had time to grab a savory croissant at what he described as a posh restaurant and give me a call. Afterwards, he took a taxi to the front gate at GU where he was greeted by a representative from the Georgetown Scholarship Program (GSP) who presented him with a gift bag chocked full of toiletries and other goodies and a bed set from Target. Joey called again after checking into his room, on the 8th floor of the dorm which boasted a panoramic view of the campus. "It couldn't get any better than this!" he told me, almost breathless. Since he was one of the first freshmen to arrive, he took a few minutes to chat with his new resident assistant. A short time later, she ran up to him and said, "Are you a singer?" He responded, "Yes, I am." She explained that a security guard recognized Joey and said to her, "Do you know who that is? That's Joey Pearson! I have his CDs!"
I called late that evening to say good night, and introduce myself to Patrick, Joey's new roommate and a fellow freshman from Connecticut. Patrick sounded like a great guy! He said he was an introvert himself, and was grateful that he was matched with Joey because it will make it easier for him to meet people. I said, "Oh, yeah! You will definitely meet a lot of people hanging out with Joey," and added that he hit the jackpot in the roommate department. Joey feels the same way about Patrick.
The photo above was taken after Joey set up his room. Note the traditional "Wall of Scarves" over his bed. I wonder if Joey will donate his scarf collection to the Smithsonian upon graduation in 2014!
You can follow Joey's adventures as a freshman at GU on his YouTube channel.
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FOSTERS & DONORS NEEDED!
Happy endings like these are few and far between.
Only a handful of animals can be helped unless the general public is willing to get involved.
If you want to be part of the solution you can do so in several ways: fostering, adopting, donating money, public relations, fund raising and screening/placing prospective foster and adoptive families.
* 3 Free Cheese or 1-Topping Pizzas from Flippin' Pizza for Encinitas residents at Encinitas store only.
Must present San Diego County - Animal Services Adoption Agreement dated June 24, 2009 or later along with a valid drivers license with a signature that matches the one on the contract. Offer expires 90 days after contract date.
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Central Shelter 5480 Gaines Street San Diego, CA 92110-2887 619.236.4250
North Shelter 2481 Palomar Airport Road Carlsbad, CA 92011-1531 760.438.2312 or 760.746.7307
South Shelter 5821 Sweetwater Road Bonita, CA 91902-2219 619.263.7741
Hours at all County shelters are: Tuesday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed Sundays, Mondays and Holidays
This weekend Lara, Barney, Ollie and I met up with friends and their rescue pups at Dog Beach in Del Mar. We had the greatest surprise when Alison Hardison walked up to us. She saw Lara and Barney first and thought it was too much of a coincidence that an English lab and a St. B would be hanging out together.
