Meeting Georgie

We were fortunate to have the best dog in the world when our kids were still young. Her name was Georgie. Now my sister-in-law and I have differing opinions as to how she got her name, but the result was the same. She was still the best dog ever. Now I know there are going to be some of you out there that will disagree with me and say you had the best dog. Because of how she came into our lives and how she left it, I will respectfully disagree with you until I die. So here’s the story.

Keith drove a Schwan’s truck for about two years when we lived in Georgetown, IL. He had a few routes in the country which meant he met several dogs in a day’s time. There was a particular house where a certain boxer was residing. They called her Baby. She was a flashy fawn with her ears cropped, her tail docked, and a very thin little girl. The story he was told was that she had been found alongside a road with a crushed back right foot and three puppies that did not survive. She was near starvation. When she was rescued, she weighed a mere 17 pounds. (Boxers her size, usually weigh between 50 and 60).

The lady who had her told the pound she was in to call her before they euthanized her in the event no one claimed her. She had taken such a liking to the abandoned dog that she wanted to keep tabs and find out who adopted her. Georgie was literally within minutes of being euthanized when the lady called them. She refused to let them and took her home. The rest is history and the makings of the greatest dog ever.

Keith called me to ask if I thought it would be okay to bring her home one night. I said it was no problem and he did. Little did I know what a major impact her addition to the family would be. And it all started the very next morning about 6 a.m.

We awoke to children’s horrifying screams. I don’t know if you are aware of how a boxer greets people, but let me tell you, there is an inordinate amount of snorting, bouncing, and u-turning going on. Imagine being woke up that early in the morning by a snorting creature that wasn’t there the night before. That is how she greeted the kids. Because I was still half asleep, I did not have a clue as to why they were screaming. It wasn’t until I reached their room did I understand what was going on. In the middle of the room is Georgie, snorting and bouncing in all her boxer glory. Cari, Brandon, and David are trying their utmost best to get away from her while the youngest, and smallest, kid cannot get her blankets off fast enough. Amanda was so excited to see this dog she would reach for the dog then try to pull the blankets off. The whole time she was trying to scoot down to the end of the bed. The smallest and weakest child had no fear.

We laughed so hard we were crying. I don’t think the older three were too happy with us about that, but they got over it soon enough and grew to love her. She was the dog they will remember for the rest of their lives and I would agree she was the best.