APtravelnews-September 2nd-Crossville, TN.-When I picked up our little “Terry” at a Tennessee Animal Shelter some 8-years ago, little did I know that someday, besides all the smiles and happy times Barbara and I would enjoy over the years, he would one day also save my life! We found him in a cage with two beagles, he sat in a tiny bowl looking all bedraggled and sad-he’d been left in a shoe-box, on the steps of the shelter over-night, during a very cold winter in Eastern TN., the runt of what turned out to be a large litter, from a very mixed heritage. Terry is part Wire Haired, Terrier, Lhasa Apsa, he has webbed feet, a tail like a long haired Dachshund, and he has a muzzle like a Schnauzer, and only G-D knows what else. We paid our 80-bucks for adoption fee and took the bundle of black-fur home. He slept in his food bowl for a while, and finally moved himself over to a puppy-bed we had for him, but had refused to use until he decided it was more comfortable after-all.

Two nights ago, I walked Terry on his long wind-up leash and noticed one of the 12- solar lights I had installed on fence posts, that stood by our orchard, some 40-feet away from our giant walnut trees, wasn’t lit. I went over to check it out. Terry began pulling hard on his leash, which kept me from taking apart the light with both hands, to check the battery, I yelled at him to stop pulling, but he ignored my entreaties and kept up pulling harder than ever before-Terry weighs 24-pounds soaking wet. So I pulled the light from the fence and headed back to my home to release Terry, and fix the light. As I stepped through the front door, I heard a huge crash. The one dead, giant walnut tree, thousands of pounds of dead wood, slammed the exact fence pole where I had just been trying to repair the solar light. Terry saved me. He must have felt, or heard the tree begin breaking off at the trunk, I didn’t hear or notice anything amiss that night-it was quiet and humid, and except for the crickets and frogs at the pond, I heard nothing. For many years I’ve extolled the benefits of having a dog in people’s lives in my writings, and even in casual conversations with both pet owners, and those that said they’d like to, but a pet limited them, and caused them to have to bend-over with their bad back, arm, leg or other excuses.

For all my exercise: Bending, walking, running, throwing his toys, petting, laughing, smiling, getting licked and loving this simple-wonderful animal, I also had another great life-changing bonus:

Terry saved me-what more can I ever say? Except for one more comment:  I am more than very, very glad I took Terry out for a walk with me, when I noticed that solar light burned out!