Midnight

     Our Midnight left CILRA and became part of our family on January 9, 2021. He is a special dog who likes Becca, the lead groomer at our local Petco. Each time he goes in, she takes a picture. Midnight has his own recliner on the indoor porch where he can watch the squirrels.  In his bedroom upstairs, he keeps an eye on Forest Avenue from his twin bed. At 3 PM each day, he is walked and does his business. Over two years, he has “gone” in our fenced yard less than five times. Because he and another dog or two were penned up in his previous life, he might see the yard as his “pen,” and he doesn’t want to mess it up. Our vet says he is about 10+ years old!  He is a shepherd-Lab mix.  His ears flop down or go straight out.

     Whatever Midnight wants, Midnight gets, particularly our love and loyalty. We are lucky we found each other. The three of us are very senior citizens!

     Our first contact with CILRA was in the summer of 2000 when we inherited our son’s two-year-old Lab Sumter (named after Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC) who was a terror. He ran around our yard grabbing plants and anything else he could find. I was exasperated! I called CILRA and asked where I could drop him off. I don’t know with whom I spoke, but she was very gentle in her speech. She said, “He is still a puppy. Just be patient and everything will be OK.”  And it was. Sumter was with us until he died of cancer. CILRA provides not only physical rescues but also emotional rescues!

     In 2011, we adopted Ally who was 4 1/2.  We took her to obedience school, and she was at the top of her class! When it was hot, she liked to lie on the bathroom’s tile floor and wrap herself around the base of the toilet. Other favorite places were on the stairs and in front of the fireplace. When Ally was 14, she crossed the Rainbow Bridge. We went into the examining room at the vet. There was a warm quilt and a pillow on the floor. Ally lay down, and the technician came in with a huge chocolate muffin. Remember, chocolate is a toxic food for dogs. Ally enjoyed that muffin. Then Jim and I hugged her while she crossed the Bridge.

     Our pets from CILRA have provided us with unconditional love, and I hope we have given the same to them.

                     ——- Libby and Jim C.

Photos of Ally: