Willow found us! It was chilly that day...I am a die-hard boater so it didn't matter to me. I was off to my favorite island to camp overnight on my boat. I called my wife on the cell phone & told her I found a great spot on Willow Island. What I didn't know-is that I wasn't alone on this island.
When eating my lunch I heard a dog barking in the woods. There was this very thin Australian Blue Heeler barking frantically. I thought she was a wild dog or sick, perhaps and shooed her away. I called my wife again to tell her about the dog. We both worried that she was somehow lost but figured a boat would be coming by soon to rescue her. I was getting ready for bed when I spotted her again, lying in the woods, quietly watching me.I turned in for the night and in the morning there she was curled up as close to the boat as she could get! I noticed how very thin she was, ,she had been lost for quite awhile. I invited her in and she hopped right into the boat. I took her home with me and my wife immediately fell in love with her. We fed her again and she snuggled up to our old German Shorthair, Rudy, as if it were a natural thing. In September, my wife had surgery for uterine cancer and that dog, who we named Willow refused to leave her side. I think our Willow is destined to be a hero. She has a new buddy--Boots, a rat terrier. Her friend Rudy passed away in 2006 and she missed her terribly until Boots came along with his manic terrier energy-but that's another story!
Clinton, IA
