Royal Ranch Royalty

Good Morning! We are back in our picturesque little town, but enjoyed ourselves tremendously in another little picture perfect town two states away! We got to spend some qualityt ime with our relatives who have been a part of my whole life, but rarely get to see. My day with my Great Aunt Jaris is one that is burned into my memory. To be able to sit around and chat with my Grandma's favorite sister was time I would not trade for anything. The men all had a great time playing farmer too. They all got to ride in the combine, and Nathan even got to take the load of corn to town in the semi with my cousin. Isabella had a wonderful time with her cousins, especially one that she has become pen pals wih this last year. It was great because they are only one year apart, which is exactly what her Mom and I are, and boy the memories we laughed about from when we were kids! I was a bawling mess yesterday on the way home because my kids kept telling us thank you, and how much fun they had and how they love that part of our family! It is just such a reminder of how important family is, and how important it is to pass that love of family on to the next generations.

So, I bet you are wondering what all of this has to do with Royal Ranch Royalty. I'm wondering if I might be the only person on earth to travel 650 miles to rescue a puppy. It all started out innocently enough. We were on our way to Thanksgiving dinner at my cousins, crisscrossing farm roads when I thought I saw a possum. We had just been talking the night before about them, and I was really hoping to see one while we were there. We got a little closer and saw that it was a puppy with a collar on, we slowed down a little bit and she started running after our truck. Of course the kids and I start yelling at Tom to stop the truck, this little tiny puppy chasing us was more than any of us, including my big bad biker husband could stand. I opened the door and stepped out and that dog was in my arms in about a millisecond! We assumed that since she had a collar she was just a little lost. With our cousins knowing everyone in town, we took her to dinner, sure that the family would be able to tell us where she lived.

That's when we learned that the dog had been around for quite a few days. One of the neighbors had called at least a couple of days before that wondering if the pup belonged to my family. So, apparently when she couldn't find the owner, she dumped the dog again. See, when you live on the outskirts of town, you learn that it is not uncommon for people to take unwanted animals out into rural areas to dump them. Now, this little tiny baby had been dumped twice. We kept her in the truck for the few days that we were there, except when all of the kids were oohing and aahing over her, and she was a perfect angel. As we expected, no one claimed her, so she came hme with us.

Did I mention that she's just a baby? I might have forgotten to mention that she is a Great Dane baby, so she won't be tiny for long. It's really ironic (or just meant to be) that she looks almost identical to our Great Dane Sophie, who we lost many years ago to old age and cancer. The only way we had been able to afford Sophie way back when was because she was a breeder throw back. When I say that, I mean that she was a Harlequinn (white with black spots) that turned out to be black with just a few white markings. I am pretty sure that our baby got dumped for the same reason and the fact that she has a broken tail; thankfully it is not at all painful to her, but very crooked.

As I mentioned, she has been an absolute doll, never chewing or going potty in my truck. We had given her the sleeping bag that I carry in case of emergencies, and she would crawl up inside of it and sleep for hours. She is skin and bones, but that will not take long to fix; she'll be on a bi-hourly feeding schedule for quite some time. I'm thinking she's a couple of months old because she still has her umbilical hernia, and tiny little sharp teeth to go along with it!

I needed another dog like I need a hole in the head, but there is no turning back. Tom and I have been talking about how odd that she had run from everyone else in my family, and had chased us down. Then for her to be just like Sophie really blew our minds; this girl was meant to be a Jeute, whether we were prepared for her or not. We have to laugh, becuase she has very quickly learned to love her blankies, a week in cold corn fields will do that, I figure. Last night when we got home and finally had a chance to relax, she jumped right up on the couch as soon as I sat down with my favorite blanket! She snuggles her little head in and groans with pleasure, it is the cutest thing you've ever seen. Today I will be enforceing the "no dogs on the couch rule", I hope....

So, today's royalty is very well deserved. We are extraordinarily proud to introduce Iowa Jeute, fitting don't you think? A little tiny heart on the mend, and a wonderful surprise gift for us. Even more to be thankful for!

Make a miracle today!