"I Fought Cruelty!"

Emily Jackson—Maine

A Treasure in the Rough

One lazy summer Sunday, my mom and I got an early start on visiting a few local yard sales—we were on the hunt for vintage furniture to refurbish for our antique store. We are firm believers that one man’s junk is another’s treasure and that with a little love most things can be restored to near new! Coffee in hand, we drove along listening to our favorite radio program. Little did we know, we were about to discover our greatest renovation project to date.

We saw him slowly staggering down on the side of the road. He could barely stand and was merely skin and bones. On closer look, we saw the bald patches on his ears and face. He could hardly lift his head as we gently carried him to the car. At the vet’s office we discovered his ears were so swollen that he was unable to hear. Weighing in at 35 pounds, less than half of what he should have, this guy was so malnourished almost all of his teeth had rotted out and his body organs were beginning to fail.

With many blessings and lots of love, my mom and I were able to get this sweet dog back to his ideal weight and in good health. Today, Geri’s favorite pastimes include flopping down for some hearty patting, hoarding bones and affectionately snapping at a passing dog with his one tooth. Oh, and of course our little treasure in the rough, loves to accompany us on our yard.



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