A Simple True Story About a Lost Dog and a Little Evansville Girl’s Love

This is a true story of a desperate lost dog and how she ended up with the perfect human.

It happened several years ago when my wife and I lived in Slaughters, Kentucky. It was a somewhat rural area where folks would sometimes drop off an unwanted pet, hoping someone would take them in. Late one night the most pathetic looking animal showed up on the front porch. I wasn't even sure it was a dog. I could tell it had long hair which was terribly matted  and  laced with mud. She almost crawled with her rear lowered and her head and tail down. The little lady had either been horribly abused or had been living in the woods for a while. I put bowls of food and water for her on the porch.

You have probably predicted what happened next. She was still waiting by the dishes the next morning and was still there when we got home from work that afternoon. During that day my wife Beverly had a chance encounter at her job with a fellow employee. The two ladies were talking about dogs, and Beverly mentioned we seemed to have an extra one that is really sweet but physically a mess. The lady said she was looking for a nice gentle dog for her young daughter. Arrangements were made for the lady and her husband to come to Slaughters that night to take a look at our foster dog.

While waiting for the couple to arrive, Beverly became concerned they wouldn't take the dog. And we had two dogs already!  She decided to take the little dog to the bathroom and do what she could to make her presentable. She went to work with soap, water, scissors, brushes, and combs.

The dog presented to the couple was an absolute beauty!  The mud-caked, fur-matted, miserable little animal had transformed into a elegant lady. Her coat was silky and beautiful. She walked with her head up and her tail held high. The couple couldn't believe what they were seeing. They quickly agreed this was the perfect pet for their young daughter. (They had not brought their daughter along just in case this was not the perfect pet. They didn't want to get her hopes up). They left for Evansville with their new family friend but that night got a terrible scare.

Of course, their daughter immediately fell in love with her new companion and named her "Lady". After getting acquainted and playing with her new treasure, she headed off to bed. As her parents were getting ready for bed themselves, they couldn't find the dog! They looked everywhere, under every table, couch and chair. They checked behind everything. They looked all over the yard and garage. The dog was missing!  Had she slipped out a door during all the excitement?

Finally they went to their sleeping daughter's bedroom and checked the closet and under the bed. They decided to wake her and pulled down the covers and found-- their new family member spooning with her new human, asleep with her paw across their daughter's body!  Both little girls seemed so comfortable, they just pulled the covers back up and let them sleep. There would be many more nights of companionship for the two ladies, who grew up together.

We never were able to determine exactly what breed of dog Lady was but our best guess was a Sheltie mix. The years have gone by and the little girl is near 30 now and may have a daughter of her own. If that's true, I'll bet she has a dog too.