Wednesday, August 28, 2002
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Wednesday, August 28, 2002 |
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Bedraggled beagle becomes a 4-year-old's wish-come-true By JOHN THOMPSON
A child's wish turned into reality this summer, as a three-legged dog brought home the true meaning of family. The story begins around the dinner table of the Abshires in Peachtree City. Barry and Susan Abshires' daughter, Grace, announced that she wanted a pet. "I told her that she would be responsible for the animal and that she would have to do research and determine what was the best animal for her," Barry Abshire said. Well, Grace plunged into the project, and consulted different pet books and Internet sites. Finally, at another family dinner this summer, Grace told her family that she had decided on a beagle. Grace's brother, 4-year-old Henry, also had his idea on a pet. "I want a black, brown and white dog with three legs," said the youngest Abshire sibling. Well, the family laughed at Henry's answer, and set about finding a beagle for Grace. "We talked to beagle rescue people, and never really got anybody to call us back. So, we decided to go look at the Fayette County Animal Shelter," said Susan Abshire. Susan and Grace told the animal shelter folks that they were looking for a beagle. The shelter employees said they didn't have any on hand, but would be glad to take their phone number when a beagle was available. Just as the Abshires were getting ready to leave the shelter, an employee said they did have a beagle, but it was in bad shape and the Abshires probably wouldn't be interested in it. Susan insisted said they wanted to see the dog, and was absolutely amazed at what she saw. "There was a brown, black and white beagle with three legs. Just like Henry said!" Susan Abshire said. She said the hair stuck up on her arms, and an eerie feeling came over her. "We knew right then we had to have the dog," she said. But the beagle was in really bad shape. Susan Abshire praised the efforts of the workers at the Animal Shelter and said they worked hard to try and get the downtrodden dog in better physical shape. "He had scabies and other problems. It took them over three weeks to get him ready for us," Susan Abshire said. Finally, the beagle came home and was quickly christened "Charlie." Charlie is now a bona fide member of the Abshire family. "They told us at the shelter to beware because a three-legged beagle is faster than a two-legged human and they were right," said Barry Abshire. Charlie has quickly bonded with the family, and the Abshires are still wondering about Henry's ability to predict their new family-member's look. "We always knew he was a special kid. Now, we're really starting to wonder," said Susan Abshire.
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