Parker County Today June 2016 | Page 51

Yendi had gotten Hercules as a puppy, trained him, pampered him and loved him with all of her heart. A stressful family situation leading to a move forced her to part ways with her beloved pet for just a few months. The house she and her mother were moving to didn’t have a fenced-in yard, so Yendi made the difficult decision to leave Hercules with a friend for a few months while she fenced the yard and puppy-proofed the house. Of course her devotion to her fur baby never wavered. She made frequent visits to him over the first month. However, on the fifth week she showed up to see him and he wasn’t there. After a moment of panic and confusion, she questioned the person she’d entrusted to take care of him.  That person said they’d taken him to a ranch owned by their uncle for the day and that he would be back later that night. Yendi was assured that he was safe and sound, but something felt wrong. After leaving the house she spoke with one of their neighbors who reported seeing Hercules day after day, chained to the side of the house, alone in horrific weather. Astonished, Yendi began to put the pieces together while the dog sitters remained vague on details of the pup’s whereabouts.  As it turned out, Hercules had been “dognapped” right out of the backyard and right from under their noses. Too ashamed to tell Yendi the truth, Hercules’s sitters had concocted a flimsy cover story. Once the realization sunk in that Hercules was gone and that she’d probably never see him again, Yendi cried for days. Her life wasn’t quite the same for quite a while, and though her mother got her a new puppy, another pit, J.D. wasn’t Hercules, and he would never replace the puppy she’d lost.  “For about a week I didn’t eat, I didn’t go to classes, I was highly depressed,” she told Parker County Today.  Things were rough, but on May 17, Yendi’s luck changed when she received a call from the animal shelter. The moment she laid eyes on her lost pit she was hit with a wave of emotion. He was battered, bruised, underfed and under-loved, but he was still her Hercules.  “Honestly, I was so blessed, I was so happy. Words cannot describe how happy I was to see that dog,” she said of the tearful reunion.  Hercules adjusted to being back with Yendi so quickly it was like he never left. He seemed to recognize not only her but her truck, which has now become his favorite place to be. Yendi still has J.D., the pit her mother bought her when Hercules was lost, and she loves him just as much, but Hercules will forever have a special place in her heart. Once again, like the quirky Luna Lovegood once said, things we lose have a way of coming back to us, and now that Yendi and Hercules have been reunited, it’s a safe bet that neither are leaving the other’s side any time soon.  Livestock care and rehabilitation Providing Services for: Dr. Sweatt • Dr. McLeod • Dr. Hutchins 8283 FM 920 • Weatherford, Texas • 817-458-3355 PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY State of the art facility and mobile services JUNE 2016 EQUINE • LIVESTOCK CANINE • FELINE 49