Did you know...

that the media coverage of the increase in hounds in area shelters (including RAL) has resulted in some wonderful stories? It's true! A few of the dogs have already gone home! We've had people call and want to donate to support the hounds that just arrived--and even someone who wants to help Henson, who has been here for a long time. We also received an email from a woman named Sherri who took the time to tell us the story of Buddy.

Hi RAL ! I heard about the hunting dog additions to your shelter on the news the other day and I just had to thank you for what you are doing. I also wanted to share my hunting dog story with you. My family and I rescued a hunting dog back in the very cold winter of 2006. We were in a strip mall parking lot and saw a very skinny hound dog running around. We tried to get him, but he resisted our efforts. We ended up cornering him and, luckily, he gave in to us. He was very thin and very smelly. We took him home, fed him, and cleaned him up. He had no personality whatsoever because he had just been treated like an animal, never as a pet. I knew we had done the right thing by bringing him home but I wondered what in the world we would do with him. I had struggled many times over the years to find good homes for dogs that were much more adoptable than he was. He ran away from us several times and looked puzzled every time we tried to show him affection. Weeks went by and slowly but surely he began to change. He realized we weren't so bad after all and stopped trying to escape. He started to wag his tail and show appreciation for our affection. Eventually we let him in the house. He never once tried to mark anything in our home, he got along with our other rescues, he put up with our children and their attempts to ride him like a horse, and even our cats weren't afraid of him. He is Mr. Personality now and every time I sit on the couch he wants to snuggle. He loves blankets, walks, and treats. I am thankful every day that we didn't give up on him. Some would say he is a lucky dog but I know the truth, that we are even luckier. Buddy was at least 2-3 years old when we found him. I worried that his personality (or lack of it) was "set" by then. But it definitely wasn't. I would love for you to share his story. I wrote it hoping you would, so it might inspire someone to consider taking in a hound dog. Thank you again for helping the hounds, my family and I really appreciate it. Sincerely, Sherri Cooper

BUDDY!