My pitbull Cinnamon turned up as an injured stray nine years ago this month. The vet thought she was 1 to 2 years old and had been hit a glancing blow by a car that threw her face-first into the ground and broke her front teeth between the canines. She had been bitten by something, probably another dog, and she was covered with ticks and fleas. But she was so sweet and smart, and I kept her. Advertisements for an injured pit bull didn't bring any response, and in addition to the vet bill I had to replace the stockade portion of the fence on the property.

Our catahoula/blue heeler mix was also a rescue, from the Humane Society. Cinnamon craved other dogs to play with and would break out of the yard, or when we walked she would strain to meet other dogs being walked. In September, after Hurricane Katrina, the shelter put the "local" dogs on sale so they'd have room for some of the Katrina dogs. Cinnamon by then had learned to walk on a leash, and I picked a dog I thought would be good then took Cinnamon down to meet her. Cinnamon is a gorgeous red nose American Staffordshire Terrier, and I didn't leave her in the truck while I waited to sign the papers (it was 100^o that afternoon). The staff were making everyone who wanted to adopt answer questions - "do you really want a dog, or do you just feel sorry for the Katrina dogs?" "Do you have a yard for a dog?" "Do you know how to care for a dog?" etc. As I waited my turn Cinnamon lay quietly on the cool concrete floor and wagged at people who approached to pet her. Some people crept around the room, fearing she would be the pitbull on the news and tear them limb from limb, others asked if I was giving her up for adoption. There is such a range of feelings about these dogs, but for me, she is the smartest dog I've ever owned, and is a total sweetheart.

My turn came to talk to the volunteer and she could see that my dog was well-behaved and well-cared for, and I was looking for a companion. We filled out the papers without all of the questions. When Poppy finally came home (after they spayed her) she wasn't allowed to run around for an entire week. Cinnamon was outside and knew Poppy (originally named "Sister") was in the house and was dying to meet her. Poppy couldn't go race around, but I compromised - I got a folding kennel and at night I put Poppy in it and let Cinnamon in the house, and she would sleep leaning up against the wire to be next to Poppy.

Zeke, my big goofy lab, came to live with us because his original owner, my best friend Susie, was critically injured as a pedestrian struck by a car in a parking lot. She was four months in the hospital and rehab, and Zeke had been a handful before she was injured. We'd met every morning to walk for a year or more, and over time Poppy finally accepted Zeke as a friend (she used to snap at him). Cinnamon adored the big galoot. After a few months we formed a routine - Susie would walk to my house and we'd eat breakfast and drink tea while the dogs ran around like crazy in my 1/2 acre yard. He started coming to stay over the weekend with us when Susie took her husband down to Houston for his cancer threatments. And he stayed with us for 2 weeks when she took Ray on one last good family vacation. Ray died in October, and Susie was hurt in January.

I got a call from Susie's daughter on January 12, 2012, around noon, telling me that Susie had been hurt, and would I mind going up and getting Zeke? They'd arrange for a kennel for him, but for now, could he stay with me? Of course! We all loved Zeke, and after a couple of weeks her son apologetically said he'd make arrangements to board Zeke. I told him there was absolutely no need, he was happy with the girls and he wasn't too much for me to handle (he used to break out of Susie's yard and go looking for dogs to play with, he wandered into my yard when I originally met him, and through him, Susie). I got a Gentle Leader head collar for Zeke and he walks perfectly with us now.

I took Zeke down to see Susie when she was able, but she is kind of like a stroke victim, weak on the left side (they did a craniotomy on the right and she wore a rubber helmet for months until they put the bone flap back in May of that year). Zeke knocks people over in his enthusiasm, and there came a day when Susie called and tearfully said that she was going to have to find a new home for this dog. I told her that if it was anywhere else than my house everyone would be very unhappy. So Zeke lives with us, and Susie's grandson makes play dates - he comes to get Zeke and they go play in Susie's pool.

Susie still wanted a big dog, she just couldn't have a young big strong pushy dog. A co-worker of mine with inoperable cervical cancer had three dogs and was in hospice when she finally announced that she needed to find them homes. I'd told Susie about them because I knew they would need a home, and because they were sedate dogs. Susie had expressed interest in at least one, though it turned out that she ended up with all three, plus her daughter just had given her a little King Charles Spaniel rescued from a ranch where a horse took exception to the dog and kicked her.

Someone spoke for the golden retriever, so Susie and I picked up Bug and Piper at my friend's house. Puddin' wanted to get in the truck also and didn't understand why she wasn't going also. That home for Puddin (the charismatic golden) fell through and she was so unhappy in a foster situation that she made herself sick. The friend who was managing the adoptions asked if Puddin could visit the other two, and I spoke to Susie about it. We decided that Puddin needed to come to stay, that if she just visited they'd all be unhappy. So she came to live with the others. Facebook video of Puddin reunited with Piper and Bug. At the time they met, none of the dogs had ever been around a big swimming pool, only a child's wading pool. Sorry for the noise and the chatter on the video. :)

SRS