The Lady and The Scamp ...

A true life love story between our Siberian Husky named Smokey and Mario, a Terrier looking loveable mutt who appears out of nowhere.

   It began one day over a year ago.  Our home is on the edge of our small walnut orchard on both sides of the end of a cul de sac backing on a year round creek and is located about a thousand feet from the Sacramento River. Smokey is very beautiful but remember, these two had never met. Smokey is a homebody and except for a couple rides in our pickup truck around the farm, she has not been out in public. Mario shows up in our back yard dragging a couple feet of strong chain behind him and he is showering all kinds of attention on Smokey who seems equally happy to have him do that.

When I try to make friends with him Mario spooks and moves away from Smokey and me. Then I am giving Smokey some love and he comes up alongside which give me a chance to put my foot on the chain and work up to grabbing his collar which has his name and a phone number on it. He was equally shy towards my daughter and anyone else who came to the house and he was smart enough to ignore my attempts to win his affections with tempting morsels of hamburger and other goodies. He spent all his time romping and playing with Smokey and had no use for us humans. He certainly didn't seem to care whether we fed him or not.

Smokey lives indoors at night and has a leisurely breakfast around 8:30 every morning. One day about 5:30am she stood up on my mattress and gave me the stare and I thought she needed to go do her business but as soon as I opened the back door she zoomed to the side of Mario who was waiting and he began to nuzzle her neck repeatedly. He greets her that way every morning and she now comes indoors later and goes out earlier than ever before in the five years of her life. 

His owner, Cary, told me they live about 5 miles away, that Mario is one of their ranch dogs, and he is staked out . . . that they replenish his food every couple days.  She got our address and retrieved him but he broke away a few weeks later and showed up here again with new length of chain hanging from his collar.

Over the following months the same events occured several times making it clear that Mario wants to be here with Smokey. The last time was mid-summer and I waited a few weeks before calling his owner. Cary turned the situation over to her husband to said that either we take Mario or he will take him back to the pound where he is certain to be put down. I said it appears that Mario has adopted US and is not likely to change his mind.

   This is Smokey ....

   This is Mario ......

There's more to the story .... coming up!