I was now 3 ½ blocks away from where I originally parked my car so I started back in the pouring rain with lightening so bad it actually frightened me and trees were blowing all around me.  I finally made it back to the car which was parked in front of someone’s house and a woman came out of the house and called me over.  She asked if I found the puppies and started telling me the terrible circumstances of these two Collies.  She informed me that Betsey had been hit by a car at about nine months old and a couple of neighbors stayed with Betsey as another went to the owner’s house to inform her of the accident.  Her only reply was that she was not going to take her to the vet.  The neighbor was so infuriated by her response that he threatened her that if she did not take her to the vet he was going to call the police and have a formal complaint issued.  With this threat, the woman did take her to the vet.  BTW, this woman was not the original owner.  The real owners had to move and were unable to take the two Collies and this woman told them she would take them.

 

Now, not only did I have to come back and rescue Betsey again but her puppies too.  The only problem I had was that the space to crawl under the shed was very shallow for me and I would never be able to get under the shed to pull the pups out.  I came up with a brain storm and called my neighbor who had two small children and asked if they would be willing to get up early the next morning to help me rescue a Collie and her three puppies.  The mother asked them and they were so excited to help me in a rescue they both exclaimed YES!!!!!!!!!!

The next morning I got up at 5:00 a.m. and the kids were there waiting for me in the driveway.  I wanted to do this as early as possible as I was afraid the woman might come back to where Betsey hid her puppies, for whatever reason that might have been.  We finally arrived to our destination and as we pulled up, Betsey was just leaving the yard with another dog whom I believe to be her stranger passing in the night.  I quickly got out of the car and grabbed Betsey and put her in the back of the car.  I immediately took the kids to the shed and the little boy climbed under and started pulling puppies out.  When he handed me the third puppy, I said “Okay, let’s get out of here”!  Jonathan screamed out and said “but Miss Barbara we can’t, there is another puppy in there”.  Jonathan wiggled his little body into the way back of the shed and was able to retrieve the fourth puppy and handed it to me.

 

I helped Jonathan out from underneath the shed and said “Okay, we have to go”!!!!!  The scary part was, if we arrived five minutes later than we did that morning, we would have not been able to get Betsey and her puppies.  As we were headed out of the neighborhood, I pulled into the driveway of the woman where I parked my car that stormy day to let her know that Betsey and all four puppies were in the back of the car and safe and we are headed home.  I found out the nice woman’s name that morning, Lou, and she asked if I could come back for the other Collie and her puppies.  I told her that she would have to help me as I lived far away and if she could keep an eye out for her, to catch her and confine her and then call me.

 

It took about seven to eight weeks before I received that phone call from Lou and when it did come in, I went back for Betsey’s Sister.  There were days that Lou did see a puppy or two along side their mother while loose but, on this occasion only saw the Mother so she did what she had to do.  That afternoon after going back for Betsey’s Sister in the morning, I received a phone call from a very hysterical Lou who was crying about the Collies.  I said “Lou, I have Betsey’s Sister here with me, she is lying down at my feet while talking with you”.  She said I know but that’s not why I’m calling.  She said she went to the owner’s house to try and talk with her in letting her take the puppies that she will find good homes for them.  The woman was not in but, her children answered the door and said that when they came home that afternoon, all the puppies were gone and they did not know what happened to them.  I told Lou that it was very unfortunate that we could not get to the puppies as they were still in the woman’s back yard but, at least we were able to rescue Betsey, her four puppies and Betsey’s Sister.

 

End of story of Betsey, her four puppies and Sister’s rescue.

 

You see, Betsey has always been a fighter.  Even to this very morning, her last day, she tried to get up and walk outside to do her business.

 

Betsey, Mommy loves you very much and always will!  You are very dear and special to me!  Rest in peace my sweet old gal!

 

Thank you all for taking the time to read about Betsey!