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Chapter Nine"We Have Every Intention Of Getting Those Puppies"
Nine hungry puppies. A sick mother. And a fight on our hands to keep them. The day after our meeting, Scott filed the papers to begin the process of establishing our ownership, once and for all. His confidence reassured us, but life remained trying. Our days and nights seemed a constant blur of feeding puppies, weighing puppies, cleaning up after puppies. Sleep was precious and rare. Visits to the vet seemed to be a daily ritual. My colleagues at work were understanding as I burned through all my accumulated vacation time. All this was tough, but the worst thing by far was looking at our mother dog and her puppies and realizing, "Someone's trying to take them from us." Yes, Scott said it will never happen... but what if he's wrong?
To add to the uproar, the local newspaper sent a reporter over to interview us. I was leery of speaking to him, but Scott said to go ahead. "It couldn't hurt." We laid out our case to the reporter. Then he phoned Lisa, who presented her side: "Sandi and I still own that dog," she informed him. My eyes bugged out when I read that statement. "Has she forgotten the bill of sale she signed?" I wondered. "Legally, according to AKC (The American Kennel Club), Sandi and I are co-owners," she continued. "Sandi and I are entitled, if we want, per AKC, to take Abbie and her puppies." I read that again: "Legally, according to AKC..." What in the world? What law school did this woman go to? She concluded: "We wouldn't take Abbie, but we are entitled to take the puppies. We have every intention of getting those puppies."
Next thing we knew, Abbie was front-page news in our little town. But that wasn't all. In a vivid demonstration of the power of the Internet, the story spread quickly to a world-wide network of Newfoundland breeders and enthusiasts. Within a few days, we were receiving e-mails of support and encouragement from all across the U.S., and from as far away as England, Ireland, and Australia. It was mind-boggling: Abbie and her puppies were famous. Sitting exhausted at the computer at night, wondering if the turmoil would ever end, it was a godsend to find messages like these waiting:
And dozens and dozens more. There was a Newfoundland community out there, we were learning, and they were cheering us on.
Next: "Why Can't She Let It Go?"
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Chapters Maybe We Rescued A Newf After All "I Assure You She's Not Pregnant" "We Have Every Intention Of Getting Those Puppies"
Printable Version
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