When James Spann established this 33/40 Weather Blog a number of years ago, he included a category, “Miss Molly” so I could occasionally post stories of my little 9-pound pal. I certainly have not abused it.
This story is not about Molly. It is about a very special dog named Sarah. I asked long-time friend, Neal Vickers for an OK on this. If you have ever listened to radio, you would recognize his voice immediately. I once offered Neal $1 Million to do a voice transplant with me. No luck. Same offer to Reginald Greene, Julius White and Dave Baird. Still no luck.
Back to the story. Neal and his family live in Steele–the hardest working family I have ever known.
One day over 12 years ago, LuAnne (Mrs. Vickers) found Sarah frightened and sitting in a parking space at an Attalla drug store. A woman was blowing her horn trying to make Sarah move but she (later to be named, Sarah) was too frightened to buldge.
She had been obviously abused. Her collar was tight and buried in her skin. Her hair was singed like she had been in a fire. LuAnne picked her up and brought her home.
Neal said it took months before Sarah was comfortable around him, so she probably had been abused by a man. Any male that came into the Vickers home would make Sarah nervous enough to leave the room.
Finally, Sarah came around and she and Neal bonded. They had a lot of fun together. She was a good dog and Neal taught her how to herd sheep
She was a self-appointed mother to every little animal that came around. When LuAnne would bring sheep to the house that were dying and they would try to save them, Sarah helped by lying next to them. She even protected a baby chick once, wrapping her legs and body around it for protection and warmth.
Sarah loved to take a bath. When she would hear the bath tub filling, she would be the first of the three Vickers dogs to dive in. The empty bathtub was also her place of refuge when thunder and lightning started popping.
Now the sad part. Back on May 9, the tough decision had to be made to end the life of Sarah because of a variety of problems. Arthritis making it difficult for her to walk, loss of bladder control and she was nearly blind. Neal says they will miss Sarah for a long time to come.
May I use this last paragraph to strongly urge people looking for a pet to please strongly consider a rescue. I have read dozens of emails about my Molly stories saying that a rescue dog became the greatest. Maybe they appreciated the opportunity more!
If you want to send a comment to the Vickers family, use the comment section below. Thanks, Neal, for permission to use this!
