It was about 2:30pm of a very hot August day. The temperature hovered around the high nineties area. . It was a truly hot day, and there didn’t seem to be any signs of relief from the heat. Bear Lizzie, and Ally were outside laying around in a shaded and sheltered side of the ranch house. They didn’t seem to be too uncomfortable.

The air conditioner apparently was not working as it should. The temperature inside the house felt nearly as hot as it did outdoors. Suddenly, a loud commotion sounded from the outside. Barking, howling, the sound of animals running around as if their life depended on it. I must admit that for the moment I was scared.........I had never heard such eerie sounds from animals before, let alone dogs. I had just been outside with the dogs not more than 10 minutes ago. Everything then was serene. What could have happened in the last few minutes?

It seems like ages before I could get to the door. I couldn’t wait to see what happened. Why the dogs were making these sounds. I couldn’t believe what I saw. My eyes couldn’t focus. There stood Lizzie, Ally and Bear, not making a sound now, just sitting down in a circle focusing on a object in the center of the trio. I had to separate Lizzie and Bear to get a good look at this wonder. It was a puppy, not an ordinary puppy but a Catahoula puppy. There she was, her one inch tail was wagging a mile a minute. Although, she was a female, she was the spitting image of Bear. Her marking were nearly identical. The only difference was her face, which resembled Lizzie.

Bear and his friends were hovering over this puppy as to protect her. But protect her from what? There was no one else around, while the puppy slid on her belly from one adult dog to another as to determine as to who would be her mentor.

It was Lizzie with whom she decided on. The puppy lay next to Lizzie, licking her paws and at the same time Lizzie was licking the top of her head. It was love at first sight. But it seemed that all the dogs accepted this new arrival.

Arrival, yes, but from where? If we believe in miracles, then this was a miracle. Was she dropped down from heaven? Did the mythical stork fly over with her, and decided that this would be a good home for her? Who knows?

Gloria, as we named her, was a gauky little thing, and we took a wild guess and determined that she was about 3 months old. Apparently she had been well taken care of. Her tail was professionally cropped, and the rest of her appeared to be okay. This was determined later after a visit to the Veterinarian.

But where did she come from? There was no question that someone had dropped her off, but why? What was the reason? There was no note to indicate whether it was a gift, an offering, or what. I had just been outside with the dogs barely 10 minutes prior to Gloria’s arrival. I saw nothing, Heard nothing. How did this person get in through the gates of the ranch. There were no unfamiliar tire tracks. There was no indication whatsoever.

This was a few days ago, and Gloria has taken over completely. Smart yes. We could see that she was shy when we first saw her, but no more. I believe that she has or will have the personality of Bear, at least I hope so. I just hope that she will not latch on to me and decide to be my master. After all, one Catahoula as my master is enough..

I realize that the above is a strange and unusual story, and I am bewildered, but nevertheless, my readers, it is true, yes, very true. So now we have 3 Catahoula’s, two, two year old twins, and one baby Catahoula, and a 15 year old Golden Retriever, Ally.

If anyone can shed some light on this, I will be everlasting grateful.
Larry

Click Here Pictures of Gloria and her Friends

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