Day Three

Today I wanted to make a pie to thank the man (and his wonderful wife) who had taken care of (dog-sat?) my dog every time we went on vacation.  In reality, without this man, we may never have even met our dog.   I became acquainted with Tim  Church (who works at the Ashland Recycling Center) many years ago.  I found out that he has helped hundreds of dogs (and some cats too!) find permanent homes by collaborating with the Jackson County Animal Shelter (JCAS).  Over the years, Tim showcased animals at the recycling center that the JCAS deemed adoptable.  Grover, a mixed breed, white and brown longhaired dog, was one of those animals.   I probably would have bypassed Grover for one of the lovely black lab pups that always seemed to be available.  But Tim wouldn’t even let me consider adopting one of them.  “You do not want a puppy.  You have two small kids.  You are running a restaurant.  You don’t have time for a puppy.”   Tim seemed to know a lot more about dogs than I did, so I listened to him.

And then one day, Tim asked if I would host a “shelter” dog for the weekend as he and his wife were going out of town and he could not watch him.   I asked “What is this dog like?” and Tim replied, “He’s depressed.”  Excuse me?  “How can a dog be depressed?”  Tim told me that “Grover” had been at the shelter a long time and “his number was about up.”  And sure enough there was a “number” on a piece of tape attached to the top of Grover’s head.   I took Grover home that weekend and somehow he became our family dog for the next eleven years.  There are some things you should know:  Grover did not do tricks.  He did not chase sticks or balls.  He shed…. a lot.

Best of all, Grover was a mellow dog who knew that we had saved him from something terrible and was incredibly good at showing how grateful he was.

Today, in honor of Grover,  I made an Apple Walnut Pie is for Tim and his darling bride.   Thank you both from the bottom of my heart for all the work you have done.