Ginger is a happy, high spirited-3 legged beagle that my son and I rescued from Animal Friends when she was one years old, although it must be said that I only went there that day to see their new shelter on the North Side of Pittsburgh, PA, with my ex-husband since he is the one who was thinking of getting a dog (he already had two rescued cats)!~Lol  The Shelter said her name was “Jeepers”, but I did not want to have that “Jeepers Creepers” song always in my head!~Lol  We were told that she had lost her leg when she had run away from home and was out on her own foraging for food until one day she was hit by a car. She was then rescued by Animals Friends who took great care of her until we adopted her.  We already had a” rescue beagle” named Angel whom we adored. They did not hit it off at first, perhaps because Ginger was almost like a wild animal.  She must have been on her own for some time.  Animal Friends did not want her to be adopted by anyone who had young children and I totally understood this after she had bitten me a couple of times!  One of those times was when I tried to get my son’s bowl of chicken soup off her! ~Lol

Ginger was not easy to re-train at in the beginning, but like most rescues, she has become a valued, remarkable family member.  Not only that, she is a neighborhood favorite.  When I am out walking her, everyone is curious about how she lost her leg.  One time, while we were walking across the Burger King parking lot, someone called out that her leash was caught in her leg and (after careful thought) I replied “what leg?”~Lol  I have made a lot of jokes about her missing a leg, but I always end up explaining what had happened and where I got her from.  They are always in awe of how well she gets around!  They say that she is so cute and are concerned about her well-being, but I make sure they realize that she is a very happy, healthy, “well taken care of” beagle that does not let her handicap slow her down! After we get home from a long walk, she immediately runs like a streak of lightening in a big circle… up the deck stairs, across the deck, down the other deck stairs and into the grass of our fenced-in back yard.  It is truly amazing to see her do this! ~Lol, she has a white streak across the side of her body that looks like a lightning bolt.  When she is alone in the back yard, I have observed her playing ball by herself (I did teach her to “fetch” a ball and “drop it”).  She will pick up the ball with her mouth, then throw it upwards & chase it.  However, I suspect she prefers to play with one of us or other animals! ~Lol

I am a true believer of pet adoption from rescue shelters and have been a participant for a long, long time.  Animals like Ginger deserve a good, loving home and the freedom to be themselves, not a caged-up or abused animal.  Who on this earth would want that for themselves?  So, if you see Ginger out on her walk or running down the road with me, feel free to say “hi” or pet Ginger.  She is one of the friendliest dogs in the world!

Yours Truly & Grateful,
Ruth Maloy-Carter