Apollo's Freedom Ride

Apollo is an eight-year-old Golden Retriever that was owner-surrendered at the shelter. This is the first time I had seen a Golden at the shelter. The only person interested in this dog was a Facebook follower from Graham, TX, Judy, who was determined to adopt him as soon as she saw the photo I had taken of him and uploaded to the Facebook page. The shelter had never adopted out-of-state before and the ACOs were a bit stumbled by the process, but once the woman sent in her adoption fee and faxed signed adoption papers, there was only the transport that held her back. Being a suave business owner, she then contacted an all-volunteer group called Rescue Puppies on the Move, a new group that was founded just a year ago to help transport shelter animals to rescues and adopters. A volunteer driver from Wichita Falls, TX was going to drive to Las Cruces. I agreed to drive Apollo from the shelter to a pre-arranged truck stop off I-10 at Las Cruces. We agreed on the date: Saturday, August 23.

It was a flawless connection.

Apollo was a gentle, kind passenger. Insistent on sitting in the passenger seat, he sat facing me the entire drive. He placed his paws over mine and watched me the entire time. I stopped at every rest stop and he peed. He was the perfect gentleman. Other dogs on the pet exercise trail were his friends.

If we didn't already have five dogs, he would have fit in well with our pack, but I know we can't have any more dogs for a few years. I was glad to be a part of an animal's freedom ride, though, even if it took me all of that Saturday two weeks ago to get it done. I'd do it again.

Handing Apollo over to the other driver, Cheryl, was heart-breaking. He didn't take to her as fast as he did to me, but that is perhaps because Apollo had already gotten used to me at the shelter and knew my voice. Cheryl had the longer of the two stretches to drive. It took her ten hours to drive across Texas. At one point her headlights went out in the middle of the night.

The drive back across New Mexico without Apollo was so lonely. I felt his presence on the entire drive back. Amazing how an animal's presence, however short, can touch a human's heart.

Judy sent me gas money right away. And while it's been two weeks since I made this drive, I still remember Apollo and his gentleness. He is one lucky dog at his age to find another home. Meanwhile we have another ten-year-old dog at the shelter with a severe overbite that perhaps will be destroyed due to lack of any adopter interest.