The Rescue

Posted on Jun 4, 2014 in Fiction | 0 comments

       “Make your next Tale about… “ and give me a suggestion, usually using them or their pet.  This one, our granddaughter by marriage, Jackie, wanted me to write about her pet dog, Chelsea, who she and her husband, my grandson, Scott, both claimed was very exceptional  I have had this dog as a house guest several times, so I know they are quite correct.

The thing is this, they do not know as much about their dog as I do, as a writer I have ways of learning more from other people’s pets than they do.  It is a secret carried to the computer.

Take Karen and Tripp’s, Magic Bunny, for an example. Without my story they would never have learned about the magic their pet possessed.

I suppose Beverly’s Last Elf does not truly qualify as a pet…unless you ask her.  She would agree with me and so would the Elf.  But if that Elf is out, then so are Alex and Josh’s Robot and Isabella and Victoria’s Bear. We’ll let the readers decide just what is or is not a pet.

In any case I am tempted to let them in on what I know about Chelsea, who they think is simply a dog… an exceptional dog, but a dog just the same.  I know the strange as fiction truth.

They found this remarkable dog in a Rescue Kennel, so they missed her early life.   All they knew was of the many dogs they chose to pet pamper and walk to help out at the Rescue Kennel, she was always the most… friendly and happy to see them arrive.

But long before she met them and began to enjoy her time with these new folks, she had lived a very different life in a different world… in another Galaxy.  Dogs from a far Galaxy rarely arrive with Papers or a Certificate of Breeding.  Oh it happens, but only with the pets who arrive with humans.  Chelsea came to the Earth all alone and by choice.

In  her old life she had been a hard working animal helping others to get accustomed to life on their own all animal Planet.   A good strong large dog was needed to guide the blind and bring things to them when necessary.  Chelsea fit the mold.  But her name was not Chelsea back then.  If I tell it to you, I will confuse you, so I will continue to call her the name given to her when she was adopted by Jackie and Scott a long time later.  

Her first Planet was the one on which she was born to a large tan dog and an even bigger brown pony, which had the genes that gave her the ability to run very fast and jump very high.  

On her little Planet, called Erie, this was not unusual, it was a very young  Planet and still evolving their own species.  A few like Chelsea’s mother had been dropped off by a visiting  Inter-Planet Ship.  She had quickly added to the diversity found in Erie.  She was a bright strong, animal and gave Chelsea and her other pups her special knowledge from her own old Planet, which included that special insight to other animals thoughts.  Sort of like being a mind reader.

Chelsea’s large Pony father had extra strong legs and could jump high as well as run fast.  He encouraged Chelsea to train herself with those abilities.  Also his ears were very alert and he could hear a mile away.  Neither parent had extra special eyes.  However, on her mother’s old planet of Doss, her grandmother had extra keen eyes and thus, those genes had come through to Chelsea, who was already very well blessed with so many abilities and eagle eyes were one of her many.

With all of those abilities she was called upon if anyone was lost or in trouble, which was very often as not all animals had good eyes or fast legs or smart brains and those few kept her very busy helping them out of trouble.  

This new little Planet of Erie had not yet developed any people or any other group with the ability to speak. So mind reading was the prime way they had developed to make contact and understand the needs of each other. It worked very well with no mix ups with different dialects and accents.  

Without a human group to fence them in or out or try to teach them to act differently, they all developed in their own very original ways.  Each smart animal looked out for all of the others. It was just the accepted way to live on Erie.

There was no tension or fear.  The food sources for all animals on Erie grew in the fields and on the trees and bushes.  There was no famine or starvation.  The Planet Erie had somehow managed to serve what ever crazy types of animals that were bred there.

  Cats came in all sizes from tigers to kittens and so did mice.  Dogs were as large as horses and as small as new puppies.  Some animals were combinations of the different groups, horned sheep and horned dogs, Cats that purred and cats that roared.

Chelsea lived well and grew to a medium size for her mixed breed and was a very strong, fast and high jumping dog.  She jumped for food in the trees and for fun, chasing birds, which she never caught.

One day she was given a chance to travel.  Her mother came from another Planet, but Chelsea never thought to go see her grandparents who still lived on Dos.   When she was offered a ride on the Inter- Planet Drone, she decided to go see what was on that much older Planet, called Earth.  

She had heard that they had developed a group of people who used language, but even though she could read minds, which was much quicker, she would continue to read minds in case that language stuff was as difficult as she was told… slow as molasses.  No matter what she found there Chelsea would, she knew, get along pretty well.  

Her trip to Earth by a Drone was fascinating, she would probably like to travel more, now that she had tried it.   The Inter-Planetary Drone traveled from one Galaxy to another and to stop at different Planets regularly, so she thought if she did not like one place, it would be easy to just hop a Drone and move to another.  

Her hopes that Earth would be her dream place to make her home were dashed as soon as she arrived on this very different and much older, further, evolved kind of Planet.

Earth was run by people and even though she liked them with their funny two leg walk, many feared to come to Earth as this group actually ate other animals.  Fortunately not many ate dogs but Chelsea could tell the difference between them as she could read their minds.  

In a few places, like large green continents, the animals ran free to take care of themselves as best they could.  But in the towns and cities, of which there were many, all  occupied by tall up-right people and their rules or laws as they called them.

Right here, where Chelsea had first landed, all animals beyond a certain size were fenced, caged, or housed, which meant they had to be fed and cared for by those same tall two legged people.  

This was indeed a very strange situation for an independent animal like Chelsea to have fallen into. 

She did wander free for a short while, but as soon as she was seen to be a dog without a home, she was put into a small one and caged up away from other dogs or other animals, unable to feed herself. or swim her fur clean in a pleasant river.

These people knew a lot about dogs but nothing about a dog like Chelsea.  She soon ran from her new home and began to tend to her own needs like before.  The problem was that the trees and bushes did not seem to grow the food she had grown used to eating.

The next time she was caught she was placed into an outdoor fenced area.  That was great as she could easily jump the fence and take off.  Soon she jumped back in when the food was presented.  So she lived on both sides of the fence.  Too bad that food no longer grew on trees, she thought, as she devoured the food placed in her bowl..

This alternating life style could not go on forever, as she was a dog used to being needed to take care of those without her talents. So she decided to return to Erie where she felt needed.

The next Drone was stopping at Earth on its way from Erie and was headed toward a different Planet called Mars, so Chelsea hopped on anyway and was soon on this very barren, empty Planet that had not yet evolved even much beyond the microbe phase.  A fellow passenger was visiting all of the Planets, looking for someplace good to emigrate a large number of Eriens.  Erie? That was his home Planet. This Animal conveyed the sad news that he had just come from Erie and the crowded Planet had out bred its ability to provide food for the over population.

He was of the opinion that a peopled population would be a better choice as that group was wise enough to control population growth… if they chose to.

“Then why didn’t you choose Earth… where I got on?” 

“If you got on there, then you know that they are meat eaters.  Not a good choice to lead a group of vegans like those of us from Erie.  You are a born vegan.  Is that why you left Earth?”

“No I was looking for a peaceful place with less controls, but also easy food.  So you say Erie is being de-populated by those hungry animals looking for free growing food”

“Yes, If I find such a place I will send word at once and many more will follow me.”

“What is just ahead for this trip after Mars?  Do you know?”

We will leave this sun and try to find another two sun system like Erie, where the food grows quickly due to the double sun and very little night darkness.”

“Is that why we had so much food to begin with… our two suns?”  Chelsea asked.

The animal passenger thought so and that was all Chelsea needed to know.  So the two passengers joined together and went to see three more Planets without finding that perfect place.  As they circled the giant swirl that was their home Galaxy, they found many types that were not yet complete.  They were acquiring atmosphere but had not enough oxygen yet and many more that had the same problems of too many fighting over the limited supplies of either food or water.

As they circled back past Earth Chelsea decided to get off and give Earth another chance.  It turned out that while they were gone, the people had decided how to manage their Planet’s resources and were beginning to do much better.   Time passes much faster for the traveler and slower on the Planet. 

The other fellow was on the next stop back to Erie to see if they might be doing better now also.  If not he would continue maybe to even another Galaxy.   

Chelsea felt happy being back to her most recent home on Earth and began to wander looking for some place she could lead a relaxed life, without the worry of always watching to keep from getting taken to a cage.  However she was so weary from the prolonged trip that she fell sound asleep and woke up surrounded by bars.

This time she was inside and not able to jump over and away.  So she began to settle in and eat the good food provided to her, even if it was not all vegan.  Everyday a person from the people group came to take her for a walk outside in the fresh air and she loved that.  She might have escaped from some who were older and kind of slow, but she had gotten comfortable as she could read their minds and knew they admired her for her fine tan coat and strong body.  She was alert and quick to do as they were about to say, and didn’t even need to, as Chelsea was already following their silent thoughts.

It was fun to outwit the leash holders by going where she already knew they wanted to go and home as soon as they thought about it.  It was her new game.  A true Dog game.  All of the animals in this kennel were also dogs. But many dogs who had been raised on a people planet were unable to read minds.  They did not have that simple ability to know every critter’s brain’s thought as soon it was formed.  

Then one day a different couple took him out and were also impressed by this big         dog’s ability to mind so quickly and learn things so fast.  They even asked if they could take him home with them on a week-end.  The house people agreed but with the warning, 

“That particular dog is very fast and if she gets loose, you will not be able to catch her.  Also she can jump almost anything, her legs are so strong.  Are you sure you can handle her?”  They were given an especially nice leather collar to attach the leash to and off they went to their car…  Chelsea leading the way.

In case you didn’t already guess, this was the couple who gave this special dog her Earth name of  Chelsea and they even spoke to her about it, first to see if she would answer to that name.  Not knowing that she already understood what they thought and no one was able to tell folks that this dog could also see very far and hear even further, as they had no way of knowing those things. 

People, not just these people but all, had a limited ability to know lots of interesting things that Chelsea knew.  But she had grown accustomed to that fact about living with the human  group of beings.

She loved her week-end and was even allowed to sleep with them on the huge, soft people bed.  She let them know she loved it here in their house in all of her happy doggy ways.

Hoping that maybe, if she was very good, they would take her out in the car and home again.  As soon as she saw them come to help at the Kennel Shelter, she jumped to her feet and greeted them happily, wagging her ample tail and smiling her wide doggy smile.

Sometimes they bathed her with sweet smelling shampoo, which bubbled her fur to a fine clean.   Then she was brushed to a golden sheen. 

The next time they asked to take her out, they wanted the whole week as they had some vacation time and wanted to take this dog with them.  

The Lady, named Jackie knelt down and scratched her ears and petted her neck and asked  Chelsea if she would like to come out with them again.  Of course, Chelsea read her mind and knew what she would say, but waited patiently to give her the right answer at the right time.     

The three of them had a grand, fun, week.  Then one afternoon, parked at the beach,  Chelsea heard someone think about breaking into their car for the stereo, she rose up and a ridge of fur stood straight up on her spine, as she  let her sharp teeth show through a low growl and the thieves suddenly changed their minds and ran quickly away.   

Of course Jackie and Scott did not know Chelsea had saved their stereo, but it didn’t matter as long as the proud dog  did.  Anything she could do for them she would.  They were her favorite people.   They were both very good on their two legs and could walk and run almost as fast as Chelsea… maybe that is a little bit of an exaggeration.  But they were very athletic,

At the beach they took a chance and took her off of her leash to throw a flat round thing for her to chase.  She knew at once what was expected and was off and running, catching it in her teeth and bringing back to their feet.  They were amazed at how high their dog could leap to catch that Frisbee.   

Both Scott and Jackie took turns trying to teach her other things to do at their commands. This was where she got clever and was careful to wait for the voice command, before jumping into action.  Even if she already knew what was to be expected, she understood that they must think they had taught her to do that trick.  For some reason it was important to them to think they were in charge.

Chelsea knew it was especially important to Scott who had read in his Dog Training Book that the Master must teach the dog that, he the man, was the one in charge at all times.   So okay, fine, Chelsea thought she could do that and she did it so well that the couple finally decided that this was the extraordinary dog they wanted to make their own and a part of their family.  

So she was officially adopted from the Rescue Kennel and went to live with them in their house and even better, always slept on that big, soft, bed with her favorite people every night.  She did have her own bed nearby and even read their minds to know when she should choose to sleep in her own grand fluffy round.

The three of them were very happy together, but especially it was  Chelsea, who had lived on two different Planets and visited several more in a couple of Galaxies, that found it to be the most amazing to realize that in this whole Universe, they had found each other.