Walter 

       As I write this the entire Mother Lode is decked out in holiday decorations. People are filling the stores and the smells on Main street Jackson coming through the open doors can’t help but bring the Christmas Spirit out in everyone.

       I would like to dedicate this final column of 2012 to all the people and their dogs of the Mother Lode. It is a great place to spend the holidays. The residents of the Mother Lode are people with hearts of gold. The people I’m speaking of are those that help dogs.

      One such story came to my attention in this past week. In a crazy series of events an animal control officer out on patrol in the north county had parked his truck on the edge of a back road. When he returned to his truck, in the back was a 120 pound Bloodhound, name unknown.

    The officer found himself in a bit of a dilemma. They usually rescue dogs that are wandering out in the country but never have dogs been placed in their truck. The officer brought the Bloodhound back to the county animal shelter. Once the dog was unloaded it became obvious to the staff he was a dog that would easily be adopted. A call was placed by John, of the Amador animal shelter, to the Walker Hound rescue volunteers John and Tina Kellogg. The Kelloggs picked up the Bloodhound and brought him to their home.

   In the meantime a notice was placed by animal control in the Ledger Dispatch that a Bloodhound was available for adoption. The shelter also placed the ad on their website. Within a week a call from Kate in Marysville was made to the shelter and forwarded to John and Tina. Kate was looking for a dog to foster and wanted to meet the Bloodhound. Arrangements were made for Kate to meet the bloodhound at Paradise Doggie Daycare in Martell.

   The meeting was on and Kate quickly drove to Martell where it was love at first sight. Kate agreed to foster the unnamed hound. But as all dog owners know every dog needs a name so the name Walter was chosen. Why, was anyone’s guess, but it just seemed to fit.

   When looking at Walter’s picture his face reminds me of actor Walter Brennan.  Having adopted a dog named Wilson from Tri Valley Rescue 11 years ago (who as I can best described looked like the volleyball, Tom Hanks’ best friend in the movie “Castaway”) looks are often used when naming a pet. There is a theory that dogs often look like their owner and I have found that to be true.

    Walter now resides in Marysville awaiting a permanent home. John Kellogg at Walker hound rescue thinks that Walter will more than likely only be in Foster care for a short amount of time. He thinks his home with Kate will become permanent.

    Walter was quickly placed by the efforts of animal control and Walker Hound rescue and a dog lover that gave him a foster home.. In the year that I have been writing these stories I have come to know there are many organizations in both Amador. El Dorado and Calaveras counties that help out with dogs.

    Walter was more than likely placed in the truck because someone could no longer take care of him. In these days of high unemployment and recession, times are tough for people .  I urge anyone who cannot take care of a dog, not to drop it on the side of the road and assume that the dog will find a home. Please call animal control or anyone of the rescue organizations in Amador, Calaveras or Eldorado counties to help.  No dog deserves to be abandoned.