We always had dogs. My daddy was a bird hunter, so my pets when I was little usually ended up being a hunting dog that didn’t really like to hunt! I inherited several great dogs that way! My first “rescue” was a little white dog we named Skeeter. My dad was out with his bird dogs hunting one afternoon, and they chased this cute little dog right into my daddy’s arms! He brought her to the house and we fell in love immediately. It was my first lesson in that special bond between rescue dogs and owners. There’s nothing quite like it.

Through the years I’ve been lucky to have been “found” by several rescues. The first dog I got on my own after I first moved to Nashville was Roseanne, a German shepherd/chow mix, who made it to 14 years old. She traveled some with me on the road, slept on the other pillow at home, and I jokingly said she was the longest lasting relationship I’d ever had…which at the time, was not a joke!

Dottie was a beautiful dog. She had to be part German shorthaired pointer, because she had the most beautiful coat, like a fawn. My friends joked that she ran an underground rescue because she almost always brought stray friends home, and they ended up being ours. Dottie, Hank, and Pete were our Oklahoma rescues, and Dottie outlasted them all, bringing another rescue I found on the side of the road with us to Nashville. Her name is Emmy. She currently rules the roost at home. After Dottie left us, Emmy was really lonely, so we rescued Millie from a local shelter. She’s almost 2 now and is part of the family.