Gentle Ben, road warrior

Submitted by EARS Regional Director Diann Wellman of Hartford City, Indiana

We drove from the Pet Expo and National Conference on Animals in Disaster in Las Vegas to pick up Ben from the Bella Vista Animal Shelter in Arkansas, where he has been staying since his liberation from the puppy mill a couple of weeks ago. Ben is a ten-year-old, blind, BIG Akita who is one of the most gentle souls I have ever met. Because he lived for ten years confined to a very small cage and is unable to see the world very clearly, he relishes in every new thing. It makes me very emotional to see how even the smallest things make him so very happy. His nose has been in overdrive since the time we picked him up!

The first night on the road, Ben was my roomie in the hotel. He quickly settled in, but was very fascinated by the television, especially if a woman was talking. I think he must like women more than men, because he really perks up when he hears a female voice. I was a little worried that we wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but Ben slept pretty well and woke me up when he wanted to go outside. How smart is that for a dog who has never had that luxury before?? When I was taking a shower that morning, I was a little startled to see a big, furry head poke in the shower curtain!!!

Today we drove pretty hard all day to get to Maryland, so Ben can go see the folks at the HSUS headquarters in the morning before he heads the rest of the way to his new foster home. We are glad to be somewhere we can rest, and relax for a bit…

I have been trying to take photos as often as I can. Sometimes it’s hard to do anything on the computer without a big wet nose trying to figure out what I’m doing!

Thanks to everyone for your support of this big gentle giant. I feel very honored to have been able to meet him, care for him, and be a part of his trip to a wonderful, new life.

More to come soon!!

Diann