On Mother’s Day 1994 we adopted a repeat offender. Adopting a family dog was to be my Mother’s Day present. As my husband, 6 and 8 year old sons, and I entered Lollipop Farm we were greeted by a volunteer sitting with a large, black, handsome 18-month old dog sporting a spiffy kerchief around his neck and perfectly groomed. His name was Muttlee and he was the longest tenant at Lollipop Farm and they were hoping to find him a home soon. We hadn’t seen it, but he was even featured on the news that week!
Apparently, he had been adopted twice before but was a little too exuberant for both owners. He had the habit of literally springing up on all fours and barking in time with each bounce each time someone approached his kennel. Apparently that put some people off. Not us! We thought he was hilarious and we were smitten with his character! We drove him home that day — he had his head in my lap the entire way home.❤️
We changed his name to Dudley, and he was indeed an exuberant boy. He would do his spring and bark every time it was time to go for a walk or score a treat He would leap through the back yard like a stag and I would imagine he was thinking “I’m a lucky dog!” with each leap. He had two kids who grew up with him and adored him right up to his last breath, which he took with his head in my lap as we told him what a good dog he was and how lucky we were to have been able to give a repeat offender a loving home.
