Last week, we featured the story of a miracle pup that showed up at the doorstep of a grieving family. This week, I got an email from Natalie Daugherty of Piedmont, South Carolina, who tells us that her doorstep became a magnet for many a wayward pup:
“Four years ago, we moved to Australia to become missionaries. We had to leave behind our 15-year-old beagle named Priscilla, as she was too old for the long flight and quarantine. Our gracious neighbors adopted her and she died peacefully two years later.
The grief of leaving Priscilla in the U.S. was really hard for my family. She was the greatest and most loyal dog I’ve ever known. We couldn’t get another dog in Australia because of our visa and status. Our children began to pray that God would send them a dog.
A few days later, it was a cold and rainy morning when my husband opened the front door to leave for work. ‘Ahhhh, babe, you’ve got to come out here and look at this!’ he yelled.
There she sat. A cold and wet terrier.
Our neighborhood had over 300 houses and she chose our doorstep. We brought her in, gave her a nice warm bath and fed her. ‘Can we keep her?’ my kids begged. We all knew the answer was still no. I took the dog up to the vet and fortunately, she had a microchip and the owners were very pleased that someone turned her in. Needless to say, my children were sad again but pleased that they were able to reunite a dog and its owners.
That little terrier was the first of many that found their way to our doorstep. I kid you not, we rescued six dogs during our two years and three months in Australia. We found each owner, too! Some of the dogs were able to stay a day or two and some got to stay longer. It probably sounds as if Australia has terrible animal control. In fact, Australia has very strict rules for dogs. It was very rare to see a dog roaming the streets.
Since our return to the U.S., we were pleasantly surprised to find a male beagle at our doorstep. He was lost and we found his home for him. There was no reason to not have a permanent four-legged fur ball after our return, so we adopted beagles Sydney and Chloe! Oddly, we have not had any more lost visitors.
While we were not able to have a dog in Australia, God made sure to send us his lost ones so they could be found. God was gracious for lending those dogs to us for a short time.”
Can’t get enough mysterious dog stories? Neither can I. Check out this story from the tiny island nation of Cyprus:
Pauline Bishop, a dog breeder and dog-show judge, thought it was odd when her Weimaraner, Elsa, began to poke her in her breast with her nose. One day, the dog burst through a door as soon as Pauline opened it and ran at her owner, head-butting her hard in the chest. When Pauline rubbed the spot better, she felt two lumps that shouldn’t have been there.
She’d been given a clear mammogram result seven weeks prior, but when she visited the doctor again, test results found a rare form of cancer.
Immediately, she underwent an operation to remove the tumors. But when she came home, Elsa didn’t let up. Had it been just a coincidence before?
In a follow-up, doctors found they hadn’t removed all of the cancer. Pauline underwent a second operation.
“When I came home the second time, Elsa didn’t bother me,” Pauline told the Cyprus Mail. “She went back to being her usual self. I believe that she saved my life.”
Wow. A story like that would make anyone into a dog person.
Continue to share your stories! Email mw@guideposts.org or post in the comments below. We can’t wait to read them.
