Parker County Today March 2016 | Page 56

our pets: PET STORY Prayers For Patsy  BY KATIE RODGERS “Now I’m back where I belong, and in my baby’s arms is where I’m gonna stay.”  — Patsy Cline, written by Bob Montgomery MARCH 2016 PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY O n March 10, 2015, an elderly pug was brought to the Weatherford Parker County Animal Shelter, partially blind and extremely unsure of those around her. The volunteers were used to hesitant animals, especially those rescued off the streets, and they assumed for a few minutes that she was just a little scared.  However, the longer the shelter spoke to the people responsible for her supposed rescue, the more uneasy they grew. It became evident that the strangers had kept the poor pug much longer than they had originally let on. After they left, the shelter determined that from the way they spoke it was not a drop off, in fact, but was actually a case of owner surrender.  Of course this may seem strange to those who love every single one of their animals, but there really are people out there who do come to the conclusion that they no longer want their pet. In extreme cases, people sometimes dump them on the streets, or leave them with a friend and never come back for them. In this case, the owners brought their little dog to the shelter. The shelter volunteers were relieved that the dog hadn’t been dumped.  Sarah Blackford, once a volunteer and now a full-time staff member at the shelter, had just recently lost her own pug. When she saw the shy pup 54