Some of you may remember Hurricane Betsy from the year 1965. I was 12 at the time and we had just moved to New Orleans. But this story isn’t about the hurricane. It’s about an abandoned puppy.
Visiting Our Mountain Retreat
Every summer we pack up the 2 cats and travel to our cabin in the mountains of North Carolina. The weather is cooler than it is in Florida and we both enjoy the hilly climbs by foot, car and motorcycle. This past summer we allocated 10 days for this purpose.
Into the week a large puppy followed Marty home during a hike. She wore no collar but looked well fed, so we took her to the local vet and learned she had no chip either. I got busy online and posted her picture on every Social Media page and Lost and Found Pet page. No one claimed her.
Betsy it is
We called her Betsy and there was a lot of joy in watching a puppy do the silly things puppies do. She was a good hiking companion, always staying close and coming when we whistled. Having her there was a unique experience for us. But our cats did’t find any joy in having a dog around.
Betsy stayed outside on the screened patio. But the cats didn’t trust that she could not come in so they stayed upstairs, often under a bed. We put their food and litter box upstairs.
I grew up with dogs and cats under the same roof. I felt certain our gang would eventually get along. I imagined hiking parts of the Appalachian Trail with Betsy, swimming with her in the local swimming hole.
Still Searching For Betsy’s People
Daydreams aside, I remained busy calling and visiting local shelters, asking if anyone is missing a dog like Betsy. What I learned is that there is a crisis concerning unwanted domestic animals. Weather events all over the country have separated pets from their owners. According to the Humane Society in Asheville, all the shelters in North Carolina are overflowing.
When our 10 days expired we rearrange our schedule to give us another month. We thought surely her owners or someone wanting a dog like Betsy would call. That didn’t happen.
And what also didn’t happen was a comfortable relationship between dog and cats. Charlie and Felix stayed upstairs. We brought Betsy inside for short periods wearing a leash and we blocked off the stairs. She enjoyed being inside with us. Unfortunately, when Betsy saw a cat, she charged. Having a leash on her kept her from getting them.
A Drive to Remember
When our time ran out we installed a screen to keep Betsy in the back of the SUV. There was the usual cat meowing that we hear at the start of every journey. But this time the meows were accompanied by barking. A symphony of discontent for us to grin and bear for the first hour or so. Just 8 hours later we were in Florida.
I’d already contacted the shelter in Tallahassee and spoke to friends I knew who have fostered abandoned dogs. There was no room in the shelter and no Fosters available to take her. So we continued to care for Betsy as her foster family. We humans enjoyed her company and imagined one day it might work out. I think the cats sensed something about Betsy that we couldn’t. She is a Mountain Cur mix, bred for hunting small animals.
We Found Assistance
We received support from the Tallahassee Animal Shelter Foundation. They loaned us a crate and gave us a voucher so Betsy could be spayed. They sent a dog trainer to help with her training. With their help, we were able to crate train, leash train and work on Betsy’s manic behavior when she saw another animal or a person.
Things were working out and Betsy was happy to run free in our unfenced yard and swim in our lake. She visited the neighborhood children and lived the good life. Felix and Charlie were not living the good life. Felix was more daring and would come out of the bedroom. But Charlie was 6 years older than Felix and not as confident about getting away from Betsy. So he stayed in the bedroom. We installed a baby gate on the bedroom entry with a pet door for the cats.
Every other week I posted new pictures of Betsy on Social Media. Pictures of her swimming and playing in the yard. Then the neighbors told us there was an alligator in the lake. That’s when Betsy’s life changed. We bought a dog trolley system (see below) that gave her plenty of room to run but away from the lake. We tied her out on the back patio, too. We gave her indoor time in the afternoon where we would play with puzzles and do some training. But Betsy was no longer happy. She didn’t run on the trolley, instead she tried to chew up the leash that held her.
Charlie Needed Us
Our cats were slightly adjusting to Betsy. But Charlie became more frail. I told myself that I would take him to the vet, after Betsy got spayed. Then it was after Betsy was adopted. I wish I had acted sooner.
A few days before Betsy’s spay surgery we got word of an interested party. We met with him in a park first. Then he stopped by the house to visit Betsy. We were elated. They seemed like a perfect match. Betsy had her surgery and her care was minimal at first. We had time to breathe.
We didn’t know it, but it was too late for Charlie. He’d stopped eating and drinking. We took him to the vet. The vet rehydrated him and gave him an appetite enhancer. Ran lots of tests and diagnosed him with Hyperthyroidism. We were hopeful when we brought him home.
But Charlie still refused to eat. He died 2 days later.
Our hearts are broken and heavy with regret. We continued to care for Betsy. But there was no more joy to be found in the task. Her new owner picked her up 3 months after we found her on a mountain trail. And just 2 days after burying the greatest friend and travel companion we’ve ever known.
Like the storm of 1965, Betsy swept into and out of our lives. Through no fault of her own she cost us a price that we can never recover from.
Rest in peace Charlie Bear – 09/22/2014 – 09/27/2025
For some happy stories about Charlie go to https://karenjadams.net/2024/08/
Forget Breeders – Adopt a Pet
The most recent data from 2024 shows that approximately 5.8 million animals, mostly dogs and cats entered animal shelters across the United States. If you are looking for a pet, your local shelter can help. And they are always looking for volunteers to help care for the animals. Having a pet is like having a loyal friend, their pedigree doesn’t matter.
Until next time.
Note: This blog is sponsored by me, Karen J Adams. Any recommendations or suggestions are purely my own opinion without the exchange of money.
Unpublished work © 2025 Karen J Adams
