‘Don’t worry, you’ll find a shade tree soon enough’

By Joey Millwood - Tryon Daily Bulletin Sports Editor

A person can learn many valuable lessons in life. It can be a lesson learned from someone you know or a stranger on the street.

I have learned a lesson lately that has touched my heart. It came in a small, white furball named Lucy.

Lucy is a terrier mix dog that came to us unexpectedly one day. We had no clue where she came from but as the days passed by, we were glad she came. The dog had the most incredible spirit that I have ever seen in any animal or human. No matter what was going on in my life, my wife’s life, or my in-law’s life, Lucy could just walk up and brighten the day.

She had me from the time she wagged her tail and her whole behind shook with it. We love the little pooch.

We almost lost Lucy Easter weekend this year to a car accident. As I ran over to my wife’s grandmother’s front yard, my father-in-law held her in his arms. She was bleeding and convulsing and before long she was having seizures as though she were in shock. We thought for sure she wasn’t going to make it.

Her normally cute, wiry white coat was drenched with blood and the saliva that came from her pain and nervousness. As I stared at her, I thought of that sweet dog that came to us a year ago. Her ability to make me smile was undeniable but now the tears welled up in my eyes. I didn’t want to lose my little Lucy.

We sped our way to Spar-tanburg. The emergency animal hospital was our only bet. We ran her little white body into the hospital and they took her back immediately. They briefly examined her and told us that she had a terrible concussion and whether she was going to make it was up in the air. She had a 50-50 chance, the doctor said.

So many questions swirled around in our minds. We wanted to know if our little Lucy was going to live or not. Our questions would remain as we headed back to Landrum filled with feelings of sadness and uncertainty.

Like most humans who understand the attachment that we can have with our dogs, I questioned everything. How can this dog that does nothing but bring sunshine to everyone she comes in contact with be punished? Why does the sweetest and most innocent dog on Earth have to feel this pain?

Everyone in my family sat back and waited on doctor updates as my father-in-law called around the clock. It was always the same, as the doctor reported no change.

I began thinking about Lucy’s life before she met us. She had an obvious fear of men, leading me to believe that she was abused. Despite her fear of men, she grew to love me, my father-in-law, and my brother-in-law. Her fear subsided. Her belly was full. She was loved.

As I sat in church that Easter Sunday, I said a little prayer for Lucy. I prayed that she would return to our lives as lively and as sweet as she was before the car accident.

We found out late that day that my in-laws were going to be able to pick her up and take her to their vet in Landrum. Everything was still up in the air on how this accident would affect her. She wasn’t out of hot water yet.

She stayed in the vet’s office for a couple of days and then she came home. My mother-in-law assured us all that Lucy was going to be an inside dog now. Much to the chagrin of their cat, Scooter, Lucy came inside for good.

She’s not the same yet as she was before the accident but she’s getting there. Our neighbor’s dog, Blacky, who was her best friend before the accident, can’t seem to get her to play the way she used to with him. The sadness is evident in his personality.

My mother-in-law tried to get her to play with her favorite toy outside the other day but she just left it on the ground. She walked away and found a comfy spot to lie down. Blacky grabbed the pink toy, brought it over, and laid it in front of her, hoping to change her mind. He refuses to give up on his friend.

Lucy has taught me something over the past couple of weeks. She’s proven that she’s a fighter. More importantly, no matter what happened to her before she came to us, she lived through it.
She had been hit by a car, had a bloody head, and was having some of the worst seizures that I had ever seen. She stared death in the face and now she’s licking us in the face when we go up and visit my in-laws. She’s still the sweetest dog in the world despite everything that has happened to her.

She came to us weak and hungry. She grew to be a strong force in our lives. She left us that Saturday before Easter in the arms of death. She has fought her way back. She’s not completely Lucy yet, but our hopes are that she will be one day. She’s been through a lot and hopefully our love will help her through this. She’s not alone in this big cruel world.

We can all learn something from Lucy. Life is hard. Life gets you down. What we have to remember is that the sun is shining behind the clouds. You may be in the thickest, darkest patch of woods you have ever been in but you will emerge into the light of day once again. If the sun’s the problem, don’t worry. You’ll find a shade tree soon enough.

This little dog has fought off loneliness, starvation, and death. We can survive whatever. It just takes a little courage and faith and with a little love from friends and family, maybe life won’t be as hard.