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Smith Says

Published Tuesday, April 13, 2010 2:54 PM

By Julie R. Smith
Summerville Journal Scene ®

T.S. Eliot said April is the cruelest month, but it’s also Animal Cruelty Prevention Month.

I’m betting most of us have never harmed a helpless animal. But have you ever considered rescuing a homeless pet?

Three years ago this week, Widdle and I adopted an adult Jack Russell from a rescue organization in Florence. We drove away with her on my lap. She fell asleep eight seconds later.

Fifty miles down the road, she was still limp and snoring. We stopped at a pet store to pick up supplies. When we emerged, she was squinting anxiously through the car window. Moments after we climbed in, she was again snoring in my lap.

It finally dawned on us that she probably hadn’t slept much in rescue, what with 80 other homeless dogs barking around her night and day.

Today Nicky—named after a dog my husband loved long ago—is the joy of our lives. How this lovable creature--first abandoned at a high-kill shelter in Georgia--wound up in Florence we do not know. We can’t imagine who would let her go, or why. She’s housebroken and perfectly trained. She doesn’t dig, chew, bark, bite, get on furniture or tear through the house like a Tasmanian devil.

Nicky is my fur-daughter, the sweetest dog on four paws. When we travel I’m sick with guilt, even though she stays at a luxurious doggie retreat. (Seriously, she sleeps in the owner’s house and scampers around three acres with a pond.)

Speaking of separation, a nationwide survey commissioned by doggie snackmeisters Pup-Peroni shows that 33 percent of dog owners miss Fido more than their significant other when they take a trip.

Other interesting tidbits:

89 percent say their pooches are more excited when they come home than their significant others.

89 percent believe their dogs tried to comfort them in times of need.

62 percent believe that their dogs are more dependable than their human best friends. (Let’s face it: Your dog will never leave you in a bar, break up with you or say, “Gained a few pounds, hmm?”)

74 percent think their dog's body language or facial expressions indicate its feelings.

70 percent believe they have "shared a look" with their dogs on at least one occasion. (I admit, I don’t get this. When I look at Nicky, she just shrugs and wanders off to find Widdle.)

69 percent believe their pooches know when they are feeling happy.

67 percent confess that when they travel, they're more likely to feel guilty about leaving their dogs behind than family and friends. (Welcome to my world.)

41 percent say that their furry friend is more likely to "notice" they've had a bad day than their best human friend

34 percent report that at least once, they've had an entire "conversation" with their dogs without saying a word. ((Not me, I talk out loud.)

9 percent say they know exactly what their pooch is thinking. (And it’s usually along the lines of, “Food! Food! Food! Food!”)

This is fun stuff, but the plight of homeless pets isn’t amusing. The next time you decide to adopt a furry friend, please check out shelters and rescues. Visit www.petfinders.com to see thousands of available dogs in South Carolina.

Julie R. Smith, who loves being Nicky’s mom, can be reached at widdleswife@aol.com.

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