Life as an Accidental Rescue

Life as an Accidental Rescue


The gate to our little farm is on a cul-de-sac that borders a very fast-moving road. The road is also popular for truckers trying to avoid the interstate, as well as those running things up from the Arizona- Mexico border. When my husband and I bought the property eleven years ago, the perimeter fence set in concrete and rimmed with barbed wire was a selling point. Despite the fact that the road was much less busy then and there having been far fewer folks living nearby, we could see the growth potential for the road which extends much of the length of the greater Tucson area.


Back then, our dog Callie Jo patrolled the fence line fiercely. Parents weren’t even allowed through the gate to pick up their children from sleepovers without my opening the gate and granting specific permission. Vegas Ace and Hopper Spark would eventually join the pack. After Callie Jo passed away, Remington rounded out the trio of four-legged guardians helping me run the farm. By then goats are gardens were the norm, by the chickens were just about to come along.


The fall after she joined us, when Remi was still awaiting her spay appointment, a little boy dog came calling at the gate. He was not yet fixed either, and had come visiting with less than pure intentions. I thought he must have a home, but after several weeks of trying, I was having a very difficult time finding it, and being a small dog it was getting to the point was I was resorting to crating him almost all the time to keep him away from Remi. In the end, some nice folks at NSG Rescue somewhere on the other end of Sandario, who sweetly gathered him from me during kidding season. I hear he has since found a wonderful home.


In the last several years, we have returned a number of wandering horses and cattle to owners or at least to friends with facilities to hold them while we found the owners. We are almost always successful in returning them. The recent economy, however, has been hard, and the tables have turned some. A month or so ago, followers of our website and blog met a boy we called Bucky. He was apparently dumped near our place, and followed his nose to our property (I think looking for food, water and does.) After two weeks of looking for his family, and following all clues which turned up to support the fear that he was dumped. The livestock officer asked if we would like to keep him. The prospect of another buck was not one we were looking forward to, especially one with horn who wished to challenge Huey for his does. We did end up finding him a herd of does of his own, a family near the university was looking forward to a new friend.


A few weeks later, a mama doe with a broken leg and her baby doe were wandering the same big road. I lost sight of them, but in the morning as I was packing lunches, neighbors came for help catching them. Before I knew it, my neighbors, my daughter and I had caught the does and carried them to one of our pens. The mama had a broken leg, though it seemed to have been broken for some time. As we were soon expecting kids, we were glad when the livestock inspector called the next day with arrangements to take them to the holding facility. I hope they were able to find good homes in a quick manner.


Rescues have come to take a special place in the landscape of modern American culture. They take in the animals whose families are lost or have abandoned them, giving them a new chance at a full life. That is how Hopper Spark came to us all those years ago, and I couldn’t imagine a better best friend for Wyatt Clay. While we have re-homed or returned animals that have come to our little haven, our lives have been enriched by the effort. We are not a regular rescue, just an accidental one where new friends drop in, make an impact on our lives, and move on to new pastures. We sure respect the tireless work of those who can do all they do and rescue every day to boot. It is tiring and happy, all at the same time, and quite a way to get to know the neighbors!