Nobody knew what his real name was. He just showed up one morning on a Quinian, Texas doorstep, curled up tightly in a ball and close to dead. Maybe he had been in a car wreck. It was hard to tell for sure, since the injuries were old. The only thing for certain was that this tall, and at one time very handsome Dalmatian, was lucky to even be alive.
The woman who found the dog on her doorstep took him immediately to a nearby vet, where it was determined that he had a broken jaw, a broken pelvis, a badly injured spine and other internal injuries. It was touch and go for a long time, especially since the injuries were old, the dog was very weak, and the rural clinic's resources were limited. The dog was lucky though, because even though almost everything in his life had gone wrong, he had picked exactly the right doorstep to curl up and die.
Although the woman who found him knew that she couldn't keep the dog with three dogs of her own, she was determined to give this Dalmatian a second chance. She asked her veterinarian to do whatever he could to save the dog, paid all his vet bills and enlisted her sister-in-law to provide a safe, quiet place where the dog could recuperate. It wasn't easy. The broken bones could be mended, but there was so much neurological damage from the old injuries that the muscles on the right side of the dog's head started to atrophy and whither. Even though he had difficulty holding his head erect, you could tell the dog wanted to live. He was determined. And with each passing week he got a little stronger. This was good, since the dog also had heartworms. As soon as he was strong enough, he took the heartworm treatment, which of course made him weak all over again.
Against all odds, the dog still continued to recover. He had lost several teeth, had ongoing vision problems and had to learn simple tasks like chewing a bone all over again, since the muscles on one side of his head had almost completely withered away. With all these losses, he had gained something even more valuable. He had friends. The veterinarian and the two women who had worked so hard to bring this once proud Dalmatian back to health were determined to give him a second chance.
When the dog was well enough, they drove him fifty miles East to Dallas, where they contacted the local Dalmatian Rescue organization and asked for help. Although they loved the dog very much, they knew that he would have a better chance to find the home he really deserved in a bigger place with more resources. The rescue group agreed to help and the three guardian angels from Quinian, Texas went back home.
At first it seemed like the dog's luck has run out. He was well cared for, but nobody wanted to adopt him. The younger, healthier and prettier dogs always got adopted first. It was sad. This dog had traveled so far, but he just couldn't seem to find the finish line. Month after month he would sit in his crate at adoption events, only to return at the end of the day to a lonely kennel.
The dog was lucky though. He just didn't know it. One day, almost nine months after he left Quinian, he saw a woman looking at him sitting alone in his crate with that special gaze only a person who has instantly fallen in love with a dog could make. A short time later the dog finally had a real home.
He also had a name. After his new owner heard about his incredible story, she knew there was only one name for this dog. He would be called Lucky. From the dog's perspective, it was a good choice, because it didn't take him long to see that his luck had finally changed. He had a friendly female Dalmatian named Dottie to play with. He had a nice green yard. He even had his own bedroom.
Being a dog, he decided to make the most of his plush new surroundings. Lucky was a whirlwind around the house for the first few weeks. He started to gain weight again, after months of kennel existence. He even started to think that he might be an alpha dog and began to dream of sleeping on the bed with Dottie the other Dalmatian and his master.
Dottie, of course, had other ideas. The two dogs, after heated bouts of barking at each other on the bed, finally managed to work out their respective places in the family pecking order without any bloodshed. Dottie and Lucky became fast friends. They did everything together except play with each other. Lucky didn't seem to know how to play. You could throw him a ball and he would just stare at it like it was something from another planet. He was curious about these balls and toys however, since they were all over the house. Dottie had tons of toys, but she was getting older and didn't play with them all that often.
Inch by inch and day by day, Lucky would tentatively investigate Dottie's toys and try to figure out what they were. He knew they were something for dogs, since they had all had Dottie's smell on them. It was almost like he was a puppy again. The day that Lucky figured out that a ball was an object that could provide a dog with hours of pleasure was the day he finally recovered. From that day forward, Lucky loved his toys, spending hours playing by himself, tossing and retrieving his favorite balls and toys.
It took a long time to relax and feel comfortable around the house. Lucky wasn't dumb. In the back of his mind he was always wondering whether he was going to be taken back to the kennels again some day. He followed his new owner around like glue, wanting to make sure that that this new life he was beginning to enjoy wasn't going to be taken away from him. Time and again, she almost tripped over him as he eagerly followed her from room to room. Lucky was nervous and clinging for almost three months, which was all pretty normal considering that he had spent the previous nine months of his life alone in a kennel.
Time heals all wounds however, and it wasn't long before Lucky learned the secrets of life that Dalmatians only share with other Dalmatians. He learned that he didn't have to curl into a tight little ball anymore when he slept. It was nice and warm in his new house and he discovered that Dalmatians are much more comfortable when they stretch out with all four legs extended to hog the entire sofa or bed. He discovered that every Dalmatian needs a favorite chair. Lucky found his in a strategic location where he could watch all the activity inside and out. He could sit for hours on this chair, like a king on his throne, surveying the place he now called home.
In an earlier life, Lucky had probably spent far too much time outside. To this day, nobody knows how far he had traveled or how long he had been abandoned when he was discovered on that fateful day in Quinian, Texas. When he first arrived in his new home, he had no desire to spend much time outside. It was much nicer in his favorite chair or on the bed. When he discovered that it was perfectly OK to be an inside dog and that he wasn't going to have to fend for himself again, Lucky decided that the back yard wasn't such a bad place after all. Like a true Dalmatian, he learned to pass the time by digging all the wood chips out of the flower beds and taking them inside to chew. He also loved to chase the rabbits that lived in the neighborhood and once caught a bunny in the yard and proudly carried it around like a prize, much to the chagrin of his owner. The bunny somehow escaped unharmed and must have run off to tell all the other rabbits in the neighborhood, because Lucky never caught another rabbit again.
At first glance, Lucky has been transformed. He acts as normally as any other dog in the neighborhood. He runs and plays and never fails to bury his head in your lap trying to soak up as much love as he can get. There are still signs that life hasn't completely returned to normal however. To this day, you can't touch Lucky's front legs without hearing him yelp in pain. It is probably a pinched nerve from his accident, although his veterinarians have never been able to find anything specific. With all Lucky has been through, it is a miracle that he is even alive. His head still tilts a bit to one side and you have to be extra careful when putting a harness on him, so not to touch his legs. I'm sure Lucky would agree that these liabilities are a small price to pay for getting a second chance at life. You can see it in his eyes that he is a very happy boy.
Ironically, Lucky's best friend is another dog with her own hard luck story. He has become quite fond of a female liver spotted Dalmatian named Sadie who passed through his life in search of a home of her own. Sadie is dog aggressive and typically doesn't get along with other dogs, but she and Lucky took a shine to each other immediately. They must have known that they were both survivors and that life was too short to quarrel, at least with each other anyway. Lucky would share his favorite chair with Sadie when she came to visit and they would often spend hours playing with each other or just hanging out and sleeping on the bed. Those who knew Sadie were amazed that she was so gentle with Lucky. Lucky had a terrible accident and was left for dead. Sadie bit someone and was almost euthanized. They both survived, and they seemed to sense this quality in each other. Sadly, Sadie couldn't stay, because there were other dogs in the house she wasn't so friendly with. The time she spent with Lucky was valuable though. Somehow, this terribly unstable dog managed to bring a new measure of peace and stability to Lucky's life. It was only after spending hours curled up with Sadie, or playing tug together with an old rope in the yard, that Lucky became truly comfortable in his new home.
I think Lucky knows that he's lucky. He loves going to the vet. On some level he seems to understand that a vet saved his life. He never fails to stand up on his hind legs and give the vet a kiss whenever he goes in for an exam. The feeling seems to be mutual. Vets seem to genuinely like Lucky as well. He is just so happy to be alive. Lucky has difficulty chewing sometimes. The muscles on one side of his face are almost gone. He can't see that well either. With all the neurological damage he has already suffered, it is almost certain there will be other complications as he grows older. Nevertheless, Lucky is everything you could want in a dog. He is a loyal companion who makes people smile whenever they are near him. Any way you look at things, Lucky shouldn't be here today. He is here though. That alone is enough to make you want to do everything in your power to ensure that other dogs like him get a second chance as well.
