# Lady & the Scamp: Scamp's Story



## mercymoon (Aug 29, 2008)

I started volunteering at our local animal shelter in the summer of 2009. I have always loved animals and decided to take my love for them to a new level, so I became a volunteer and started attending meetings. I think that has been the smartest decision I have ever made, while at the same time you help the animals you also make a whole new crew of friends who is hard working individuals who share your same passion. I think every shelter volunteer/director has had one special shelter dog touch their lives (or maybe two, three, or more!) in a way they won’t forget- that summer of 2009 I met “Scamp,” and through fate we came together. 

I remember I drove out to the animal shelter one morning to see what newly adoptable dogs we had available and to take pictures to place on petfinder. Most all of our animals are taken off the street and most happen to be large dogs, but this one day I saw this small black shaggy dog in kennel number six. The small dog was matted, and had a large tick hanging off it’s once erect ear. I immediately felt sorry for the little thing, which I have now discovered is a Cairn Terrier. I decided I would foster the little dear and clean her up until I could find her a good home. When I unlocked the kennel all I seen was a black blur as the dog streaked out and started making a break from the pound-I finally caught her on down the road thankfully! She stayed at my home for a couple of days, she was real skittish at first and I believe she had once been abused. After upon seeing an ad in the paper, I had a man call that was really interested in her, he was really friendly and talkative on the phone and after going over the finer details I decided to go ahead and give them a chance. These people I discovered not long after adopting Scamp out turned out to be nuts, it started with text messaging me every day and then graduated to asking for money and rides places like I was their long lost buddy! One day the girlfriend texted me (after I told them repeatedly to “STOP”) and asked if I could come get the dog, so I called her and asked what the problem was. Her response was “she isn’t house trained, and she doesn’t walk on a leash.” I think my jaw hit the floor. Of course they wanted to adopt a dog but didn’t want to be responsible for training it. So I went and got the dog and said very few words to them, hopefully now they would leave me alone, right? Wrong! It got to the point where I had to put my new “stalkers” on the reject list! This couple has given us several other problems in the past I discovered-and I am happy to say they are on now our list of people not to adopt to. So I brought “Scamp” home and once more decided to try to find her a home- time rolled by, I had several calls but still no serious takers after describing her to them over the phone and I was getting more attached to Scamp as I worked with her. One day I finally had a lady call and ask about her and I told her she had been adopted, I had decided to keep Scamp! Scamp now is a beautiful, spoiled dog and walks on a leash very well due to a little patience and love from her master, we enjoy our walks to the park together and she loves my other dogs and accepts them as part family. She is still a little skittish at times-I don’t know if that’s the feisty terrier in her or she has once been hurt by someone, it’s hard to believe someone threw such a pretty little dog away (there never did turn out to be a “Missing” or “Lost Dog” ads out for her) after they probably once paid for her when she was a small puppy, but people can be cruel as we know and we must be careful who we adopt dogs out to. Though there is a lot of sad times we encounter doing our line of work, it is worth it to see a dog adopted or rescued-those times we live for, those happy tails. 

So that is Scamp's story and one of my real life experiences in the field. I have shared this on facebook and emailed dog fancy with her story. 

EEK, sorry for the long post!


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## wishpoo (Sep 12, 2009)

It is a great story  !!! 

But we never know what happened to her owner - maybe she run away chasing a squirrel in a neighboring city and wondered out to yours an so you never saw adds . 

I have acquaintance who has several Husky's ( he is into sled competitions) and he is crazy about his dogs !!!! One day one of the red ones just run away - Husky breed is known as "master escapees" dogs ! She made a hole under the fence that day and just run away !!!!! 

He organized a massive "chase" - everybody in the whole city was noted (rescues and shelters) . Six months passed and nobody ever saw her ... he was devastated : (((((.

Than one day a friend of his told him that he saw a dog that looked like his in a auto-body shop in another city !!!! He jumped in his Jeep and traveled 2 hours thinking that he is crazy to do that since it was sooo far away !!!

To make the story short - IT WAS HIS DOG !!!!!! 

So - dogs get lost regardless of the love and care of their owner .


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## mercymoon (Aug 29, 2008)

Thank you.

I agree completely. My grandma had a cat once that ran away and we found it at some peoples house later on after placing a missing ad, the house was miles away from ours! But it was indeed our cat, this was years ago of course.


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## Ladybug (Jan 2, 2010)

She's adorable! She looks exactly like my Mom's little Scotty Dog, Hazel. Mom has two Scotties one is 15 years old and still going strong and Hazel is 2 this year. Such sweet dogs!! What a great story Scamp has


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