Little dog gone, not forgotten……….
Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and finding an old dog on your porch lovers: This story was in our local newpaper this morning and I thought you might enjoy it. I remember reading about it when it happened. 
I know it is hard to read, but you will get the drift. Here is the woman that discovered Baby on her door step.
COVINGTON – It’s been almost a week since Baby’s death, but the condolences still keep pouring in for the lovable little Schnauzer that tugged at a community’s heart strings.
Last July, Baby joined Sandi “Stoney” Stonebraker’s household when the MainStrasse business owner opened her side door to find a cardboard box with a handwritten note on top. Inside was a trembling black dog wrapped in a faded Winnie the Pooh blanket.
“I’m sorry to show up on your doorstep but my master lost our home,” the note said. “Please take care of me or find someone that (will) be good to me as I’m old, 15 years, blind, hard of hearing…and no money to see a doctor…My name is Baby.”
For nearly a year, Baby shared a home with Stoney and her two other strays – Joey, a geriatric poodle mix, and Kita, a frisky gray and white cat. During that time, Stoney continued her search for the elderly, gray-haired stranger who neighbors had spotted gazing into her yard on the day she found Baby.
Stoney told Baby’s story in the newspaper. She posted updates on her Facebook account, and even stopped people on the street in search of the little dog’s original owner. But it was to no avail.
“I always pictured Baby’s owner having to go into a nursing home or leaving town to go live with his children because of his health,” Stoney said. “On some level, I hope he knows that I did everything I could to make her last year wonderful. I wrapped her in my love, and she loved me back.”
After Baby’s story appeared in The Enquirer last August, the little Schnauzer became a celebrity of sorts.
“I’d be out walking her on the promenade, and people would drive by and roll down their windows and say, ‘Is that Baby?”’ Stoney recalled. “Everyone wanted to meet her.”
Last week, Stoney made the final call to the vet that she’d been dreading for some time. Baby was sleeping all but one or two hours a day, coughing up stuff and “she was so thin you could feel her bones.”
“Even though she was sleeping 22 or 23 hours a day, she was a regular little Energizer bunny when she was awake,” Stoney said. “She still had that perky little step, and I’ll never forget how she tilted her little head.”
Baby was buried last Wednesday in the backyard where she would sit for hours in nice weather.
Since then, Stoney has accepted flowers, cards and numerous phone calls and e-mails offering condolences for the little dog.
Someone sent a figurine of a Scottie with a halo over his head. A woman “who didn’t have a dime” sent a homemade bookmark. Friends gave Stoney a dogwood to plant near the sidewalk that Baby walked each day.
“If I could talk to Baby’s owner, I would want to thank him for his special gift,” Stoney said. “Baby inspired me and brought out something in me that wasn’t there before. She was a special doggie that touched people’s hearts.”
Rest in peace Baby. Rest in peace.
More wonderful stories later….Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma
Comments(5)
How sad. And what a mystery. Now I’m wondering who and why would someone dump off a dog that’s that old?! They knew where to dump her didn’t they?
It is the thought that the old dog was left after an older couple was sent to a retirement home. I think, and this is just my guess, that the older couple or person had to find a place that was not a pound. I bet she, he or the couple lived near this woman and knew that she was a sweet heart.
My Mom and I were talking about this today. We would not be surprised if we had this same situation happen to us.
(don’t tell chaps)
Cat
This story breaks my heart–so bittersweet…It reminds me of the old basset girl named Maggie that someone just left at the Ocean City Boardwaddle three years ago, her name handwritten on a piece of paper on her collar. She was enormous, and a real sweetheart. She ended up that day by a lovely lady with TriState Basset Rescue and I believe she died the following year. That person knew where to drop her off as well:) Yep, Cat, they’ve got your number!;)
Mary, Harley, Biggs and Leo
How sad, but how sweet that Baby found someone to love her in her final days. I think that, sometimes, when we hear that folks have to give up a cherished pet, we tend to think badly of them. But, especially in this day and age, many, many people are forced to give up their valuable companions due to forces beyond their control. Whoever owned Baby must have loved her very much and knew that they were sending her to a good home, rather than take the chance of sending her to a shelter or a pound.
Sad state of affairs, indeed!
Thanks for sharing, Cat.
This story is sad yet also a happy one. For Baby had a loving home at the end and you can tell by the story that he was very much loved. Yet it is always sad to have to say good-bye to someone you love.
Thanks for sharing this Beautiful story