I Believe in Destiny...
For years I thought about getting a dog but did nothing. Then, I saw the Bearded Collie at Westminster in 2000 and knew I had to have a dog like that. I researched Beardies, attended a dog show and a herding competition and corresponded with a B.O.N.E. rescue cooordinator. In a matter of weeks I decided to submit the adoption application with B.O.N.E., but before I had the opportunity to do so, I found Dusty while surfing the Internet the following Saturday evening, where he was listed as a terrier mix at the local kill shelter. Destiny was at work because the shelter was not scheduled to be open the next day, but because the following Sunday was Easter, the shelter opened on Palm Sunday. I was told Dusty had to be an only dog, as he did not like other dogs, children, or cats. Marilynn Snook spent two hours on the phone with me, and I decided if Dusty didn't work out at my house (with three cats) I would seek the assistance of B.O.N.E. or another Beardie organization in placing him in a more suitable home. This 2-year-old-dog had been left outside his entire life, wasn't neutered or housebroken, wasn't socialized, was very thin, matted, and was heartworm positive.
Brodie learned his new name in five days, and he developed a healthy respect for my cats. By endearing himself to people at drive-thru windows, he quickly learned about the goodies he could get: from fast-food hamburgers and chicken fingers to dog biscuits at banks and pharmacies. Brodie occasionally comes to work with me. I work in a law firm specializing in family law, and Brodie has a calming effect on clients. I have watched him sense the anguish of a client and then settle in next to the client for the duration of a conference.
This is a dog that never rode in a car, but he has now traveled through 18 states in less than 3 years on vacations and has hiked part of the Appalachian Trail with me. His 2002 vacation photo with this story was taken at Canyonlands National Park in Utah.
Had destiny not intervened that fateful Saturday night when I found Brodie on the Internet, I feel certain that this magnificent, fun-loving dog would not have survived. Brodie has touched my heart and the hearts of many. I believe in destiny.
— Linda Franczyk