Today’s walk took me past Memorial Park where I watched two boys romping with a German Shepherd over the brownish frozen grass of the two-block-long grounds. The trio were running back and forth and the dog was trying its best to outrun the boys. There was no stick, ball or Frisbee that I could see. It was simply sheer exuberance and getting the overly long Winter kinks out of their respective systems, and they all will sleep good tonight with that cold, fresh air. Seeing those laughing, red-cheeked boys and their pet close by their side, made me think of Ginny who is the Red Tick Hound you see above. Today Ginny is with her new owners, Evelyn and Tim Beaumont, as they introduce her to their favorite go-to weekend haunt, a three-mile park path where they often go to walk or bike. Ginny will be cavorting with Evelyn and Tim, communing with the other pooches in the park, and in general, loving life, with many more happy trails down the line. Spring is a time for new beginnings and so it was for Ginny and the Beaumonts. You see … Ginny was a shelter pet. And not very long ago, life was not so rosy for Ginny whose owner dropped her off at Angel Dogs pet shelter after deciding not to shoot her. Yes, her former owner was a farmer who was going to shoot her, like she was a varmint, just because he didn’t want her anymore. Ginny looks a little hesitant above during the meet-and-greet, with her bowed head and without a wagging tail, as she was paraded out for a look-see by her prospective owners. If there was to be a thought bubble above the head of this 1½-year-old pooch, it would no doubt read “oh, please let them take me to a home where I will find companionship and love … I hear the other dogs at the shelter talk about their past, once from loving homes, with humans out there that will treat you with respect, and lavish love on you … please, oh please, pick me”. What Ginny didn’t know was that Evelyn and Tim already scoped her out on Angel Dog’s website and they were wishing just as hard as Ginny for this to happen because their hearts were heavy with grief following the sudden death of their 12-year old dog Dempsey that week. Dempsey had a tumor removed back on October 10th and then two weekends ago, the tumor suddenly returned and grew out of control over the weekend. A trip to the vet on Monday morning had Dempsey placed under observation and on antibiotics with surgery scheduled for Wednesday morning. But the surgery would never happen because in the two days Dempsey was at the vet’s office, the tumor was so aggressive that it wrapped around his muscle and nerves and thus thwarted any surgery. Evelyn and Tim had him euthanized that day. The shock, of losing Dempsey followed by the inevitable heartache and grief, got them thinking of Angel Dogs and perusing the website. Tim, especially, mourned the loss of poor Dempsey, as he has been laid off since the beginning of the year and Dempsey was his constant companion during the long days at home by himself. So Tim and Evelyn decided to adopt another shelter pet and their application and approval was speedy since they had already adopted Dempsey and his sidekick Skip the same day a dozen years ago. Angel Dogs knew that little Ginny would be in good hands and they were happy to turn her over. A flurry of pictures of Ginny acclimating to her new family have landed in my e-mail inbox. I know, all these miles away, that no one will croon “You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog” to this little ol’ red tick dawg because it looks like she is already sittin’ pretty as a princess. So there you have it … one happy tail.