Peanut's Story

We had 8 dogs, the last thing we needed was another one.  Until I spotted Peanut.  While traveling to the hospital to visit my son on a chilly Sunday morning I first saw a small puppy running up and down the verge of the highway on the opposite side of the road about a 100 yards in front of me.  I just knew he was going to run across the road in front of me so I started slowing down.  Coming in the other direction was a Dodge pickup truck, and despite flashing my headlights at him he never slowed down.  Just as the truck drew even with the puppy he darted out under the wheels.  I was horrified and closed my eyes because I was convinced he was going to be squashed right in front of me.  By this time I was nearly level with the truck, braking hard.  Lo and behold, the little puppy came out from under the wheels straight to my now open door!  I scooped him up and he was shaking and crying.

So here I was with a 8-10 week old Jack Russell mix sitting in the middle of the road.  I started hugging him and looked for a turning to get off the road while deciding what to do.  A few yards further was a turn to a neighborhood.   I knew Steve would not be overjoyed at welcoming another one of my rescues into our already overcrowded home, so I decided to look for his owners.  Maybe this was a much loved puppy who had gotten out of his yard.  Except when I examined him he was skinny with a wormy pot belly and crawling with fleas.  Not 'much loved'!  I drove up and down the neighborhood looking for someone looking for their dog, but no one was about.  I could see no dogs behind the few fenced yards on the road.  Then a lady came toward me in a car and I flagged her down.  On being shown the puppy she said she had seen three children walking toward the road being followed by this puppy and a few others. The children did not acknowledge the dogs or the danger they were putting them in.

My mind was made up!! I rang Steve, who just sighed when I promised I would find him a home, and carried on to the hospital.  I left Peanut sitting in the passenger seat while I went in to see the doctor.  An hour later he was still sitting right where I left him.  On arrival at the house, he was immediately dumped into the kitchen sink and scrubbed with flea shampoo, which I don't normally recommend for such a young puppy, but he was so infested I had no choice.  I also stuffed a tiny piece of Heart Guard down his throat and gave him a 7 in 1 shot.  Poor guy was shaking and scared to death but seemed to know we were trying to help him.  After settling him in a cage wrapped in a blanket he slept all day and ate loads.

He was immediately house trained, in fact he was scared to come onto the porch.  He looked like he had been chased off the porch and made to stay away from the house.

Two months later...he sleeps between his Mummy and Daddy cuddled up to one of us, right above Tilly, another Found dog.  He talks to us in little  squeaky noises and catches at least a mouse a day!  I have been told by someone familiar with the breed that he is a Feist.  It is a Southeastern type of dog bred to hunt squirrels.  All I know is he is adorable and sweet and so thankful to have people who love him. 

So now we have 9 dogs!