Hoping a Christmas wish comes true for another dog

The Christmas season is a wonderful time of year filled with shopping, decorating, baking, visiting and everything else that makes this season special. Children are lined up to sit on Santa’s lap to share their wish lists.

Adults have their wish lists too. They’re usually about health, peace and prosperity and other grown-up stuff. It seems like everyone has a dream they would like to see come true.

I always have dreams I want to come true. My dreams are about the welfare of other animals like hoping all homeless animals find loving families. Or that dogs will never have to live their lives on chains but be free to run and play in fenced yards with family members who love them.

My latest Christmas wish actually started in October when I was told about a pitiful dog in the parking lot of Academy Sports Distribution Center in Jeffersonville. She was looking at each passing car in the parking lot to see if she recognized the driver.

She could never find anyone who looked familiar, nor would she let anyone near her. Thank goodness the sweet people at Academy Sports made sure she was well fed.

I kept posting her on my Facebook page and it was shared a zillion times, yet she remained in the parking lot month in and month out. She continued looking at each passing car hoping to see someone she knew.

Then at the beginning of December someone told me she was hurt. Limping and appearing to drag one of her legs we were all afraid a car or one of the big trucks had hit her. So once again I posted her situation on Facebook.

Among others, Brenda Whitman, Anita Skinner, Janell Johnson and Tory Johnson responded. They went to Academy Sports spending hours trying to catch her, but she was not having any part of being rescued. She was too smart to go in a trap and too fearful to let anyone put a leash on her.

The following week this team of rescuers got creative. They decided to get a 10x10 kennel to use as a trap since she outwitted the traditional trap.

Initially they set the kennel up in the customary way with a delectable turkey leg Brenda cooked to use as bait. The dog was definitely interested in the turkey but she was too afraid to cross the bar on the ground of the doorway to the kennel.

Not to be discouraged, the ladies simply removed a side panel of the kennel to allow the dog to enter a large opening with no bar on the ground. The dog went into the kennel and the ladies closed the large panel behind her. Just like that, the dog was captured.

Not knowing if she was sweet or aggressive, Janell cautiously entered the kennel with the dog. Much to everyone’s surprise the dog they named Cleo was a cuddly cupcake. She couldn’t get enough affection and love.

After two months all alone, she was finally safe. Now this sweet girl is hoping her Christmas wish really comes true with a new family coming forward to adopt her.

If you’re interested in being the family Cleo hopes Santa will bring, contact Janell Johnson either on Facebook or at johnson_ja@mercer.edu.

My Christmas wish of having Cleo safe and sound came true. Now I’m hoping her wish of being a treasured member of a new family comes true too.

This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Hoping a Christmas wish comes true for another dog."