I want to be clear, I'm not a dog lover, ... although I've had dogs, and I'm still a current dog owner, - a chihuahua to be exact. His name is Fat-Fat, or Fatness for short. I'm allergic to cats, yet, - I have yards cats, (and I take allergy medication daily). I have (grown) children, which is how I've became a dog owner, many times in the past, seldom of my own choosing. 

August 2022, (around the second week or so). Rise and shine! Kurig is on, coffee is in my cup, so on the front porch I go. We live on country roads, surrounded 100% completely by cotton fields, (this year cotton, next year will be peanuts). No neighbors within sight,- no near towns, no paved roads, no street lights, ...just cotton,  oh, and pear trees,  pecan trees, black walnut trees, and pine trees. Birds tweeting, deer grazing, rabbits in the yard while I sip my coffee, and a dog. Wait, what?!. . . . A DOG? Yea, and black and white dog. Not mine. Never seen it before. Hmm. Shew! go away, scram! It doesn't listen.  I go back inside. 

A little later, I come back out, walking through the yard, - there's that dog again. It looks to be a female....heeeyyyyy STOP I scream at her as she is chasing my guinea hens across the yard! She doesn't listen. She also chases the cats, who, after a few days, are so scared, they won't come down from the trees; so I'm having to throw food up onto the roof of the garage to feed them. One of my guineas proved to be the slowest of the 5, and this abandoned female dog got it, -  right in front of me. Thankfully, for the guineas life, (and the dogs life as well), the guinea was actually unharmed, the dog had just clutched it more or less like a football player does a football. (I'm almost positive the guinea thought it had died though, it walked around looking pretty shook up the next few days). We don't have animal control in my county, so I posted this dog for free on Facebook.  I said she seemed to be a decent animal,  except she chased the life out of other animals, and that's a negative here at my place, (oh, and she chewed up my grandbabies toys). For two weeks I tried to give her away. People were rude to me, they told me I could not just give away someone's dog!!! (I never laughed so hard, just watch me)!! I guess the joke was on me, because I COULDN'T give her away, no one wanted her. I remember walking out past the shed,  where the lawnmower stays, and here comes that dog again, running. I can't see my guineas,  but I could hear them. I stopped dead in my tracks, and I turned towards that dog, full of ANGER, and HATE, and tears in my eyes, and I screamed at her that this was it, I cant and I wont do it ANYMORE!!!! Something bad is gonna happen if she keeps it!!! . . . . .  (I call it our "come to Jesus " meeting). She rolled on the ground, paws in the air, with a smile on her face.! (I roll my eyes now thinking about how she played me).  

Whether you believe me or not, she never chased another animal again from that day. I started feeding her....we picked a name for her, yep - Lady May, and we became friends.  She did chew a hole in the grandbabies bounce house.  I can't say if that was her fault, or ours, for leaving it out there deflated overnight. Either way, I can sew it back up. I looked forward to seeing her when I had my coffee on the front porch. She would accompany me on my walks through the yard.  I got the feeling she was watching out for me, - specifically watching for snakes, was the feeling I got. We played in the rain together,  I'd sing to her, and we'd always say bye to her when we'd leave, and look for her when we'd arrive back home. I guess you could say I was growing quite fond of her. The grandkids were too.  

One evening, sitting on the porch, I called her, she did not come. I thought not much of it, at the time. Maybe she just didn't hear me. The next morning,  she wasn't there to great me either. >sigh<     I put her some food out, and went about my day. (We were in a car wreck back in in July so there are days we get really busy with appointments and our days can drag out sometimes, and things can go unnoticed for a day or two). I don't recall noticing her that evening when we returned home, but I do recall mentioning how her food had went untouched the next day, and that bothered me. I called my daughter in law, and ask, have you seen Lady down by your place? We've not seen her in 3 or 4 days. She replied that she had not, but she would look, and try to pay more attention when she'd leave for work, and return from work.  We walked the fields,  calling her, we drove the dirt roads trying to look, but all attempts failed. Sitting on my front porch steps, I told my husband,  I guess she found her way back to whoever dumped her here, or, someone stole her. I began to realize I loved Lady May way more than I had thought, and my heart was beginning to break. 

November 4th, 2022. A white truck was parked in the road, beside our mailbox. My husband has seen it through the living room window, as he was getting a glass a water. I go to the door, and as I open it, I see our neighbor waiting by our porch gate, (she has property down the road a bit, but I've never seen her house, as she's tucked away quite a bit, we are all very spread out). "Tonya, you have a black and white dog, don't you"? She ask. I said "yes ma'am,...well, kinda, yea, I guess. She's been missing for almost two weeks, what's up"?  She replied, " well, I think she's laying down at my place. We've been in Florida visiting relatives, and just got home today. When we got to the house, there in the back, I thought she was yours."  My hand covers my mouth from fear, and with a puzzled looked I said, "she's dead"?  My neighbor replies, "oh, no, I don't think so, I saw her tail wag, but someone is gonna have to come get her, I don't think she can move". Tears flood my eyes,  we jump in the truck immediately, and follow my neighbor. Upon arriving,  there is no doubt it's Lady May laying there.  Her tail wagging seriously.  My husband scoops her up, and places her in the bed of the truck. When we get her home, we look her over; she's lost weight, her back right leg is nothing more than a dead limb that she's begin to chew her foot off of. Practically no foot left. We call vets, but all are closed until Monday morning,  and the only 24/hour emergency care will only see us if we are a pre-existing patient with that clinic. We try to clean the area the best we can, and bandage it, we start her on antibiotics,  and slowly start her back on food. She can walk, she just drags her limb around. She's not mean, not snippy, doesn't seem to be in pain. She seems,....HAPPY.  

Sunday afternoon,  her leg smells bad, and my husband  has dug a hole for her. My son says mom, you cant make her go through this, you have to be able to let her go, what if shes suffering.  I cry, I refuse to listen, I tell them to give me a chance to get intouch with a vet first. What if shes NOT suffering. (I hug Lady May and whisper in her ear, hang in there until tomorrow,  and I promise I'll have you better).  Monday morning, I've called every vet from here, to Callamazoo, explaining her situation, trying to get her seen MONDAY. No one can see Monday!!! I'm worried, scared, frantic I guess you could say. I call this one vet office four different times, pleading. They worked me in for a Wednesday appointment. (I whispered in Lady May's ear, I broke my promise  about today, but your on the books for Wednesday,  give me until then). And she did. Her appointment was at 2pm. We got there at 1pm. Dr. Carter took one look at her, lifted her leg, and said, she needs this amputated. We'll cut here, instead of here. Surgery will be tomorrow,  she'll stay the night, you can pick her up Friday. I had to pay right then, so I had no other choice but to give them my money I had for my bills, but I'd do it all over again. 

Dr. Carter told me she was about 2½ years old, pit mix, and with her leg, she weighed 48 pounds.  He complemented her sweet demeanor,  her gentle attitude, and how he never heard her bark, the whole time, or growl. She wagged her tail during surgery, and was walking the same day. She left with stitches that couldn't get wet for 21 days, meaning no bath for Lady May, which was needed, being she is now, an inside dog, (thankfully we found dry dog shampoo for those 21 days). We have found out that Lady May was ALREADY house trained, she puts her nose on the door, to let us know she needs to go potty. Lady May does NOT jump on the grandkids that are 4 years old and 2 years old.  Lady May does not bark, growl, snip, isn't food aggressive,  doesn't chew on things in the house, doesn't jump on the furniture. Lady May walks on a leash!!! She has a kennel, with a super soft and cozy bed that stays open for to enter as she pleases. She is only closed up at night, when we sleep, as is our chihuahua.  And yes, they get along. She lays at my feet mostly. She comes to my call, is more favorable to my touch my husband says. She got her stitches out yesterday.  She walked into the clinic. She's not bothered by any of the other animals in there. She's gained 10 pounds!! She climbs stairs, cam jump in to and out of the truck. Loves to be be brushed. My granddaughter lays in the floor with her, and we've painted Lady May's nails pink.  I don't think she knows she only has three legs, and if she does, she doesn't let it show. I don't know why she was dumped here, but I'm glad that what someone else abandoned,  was rare treasure that is now mine. There's a reason for everything, and I may not be a dog lover, but I sure do love THIS dog!!