by Wendy Hunter

A good friend is like a four-leaf clover — hard to find and lucky to have. ~Author unknown

I know I always say that Fall is my favorite season, but that’s usually in October. That’s when Halloween comes rolling around and all the ghouls and goblins creep sneak out from the city’s darkest corners. Then every year I say that Winter is my favorite season, but that’s when Christmas rolls around, and my heart gets all sweet and mushy for baking, tree decorating, and family gatherings. But I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that I will never, ever say that Summer is my favorite season because I despise its heat and all the sweatiness involved. There used to be a time when summer was a time I looked forward to, but that’s when I was much younger and fit into my little bikini with the race cars all over it. Varoom! Yup, I was pretty cute. Those were the days of Fudgesicles, Creamsicles, and fruity Popsicles you broke in half for sharing. As for now, we welcome Spring, and her glorious flora and fauna, splashed with lovely shades of pink, mauve, and purple. Almost the exact same colors as those flavorful frozen treats in cherry, orange, and grape. Slurp!

They say there’s a charm in the four-leaf clover
And so I will search the whole field over;
Over the fragrant grass bent low,
To see if the prize hid there, or no.
~Mary D. Brine

Lately, I’ve been driving around town, staring in wonderment at all the delicate almond trees. The Blossom Trail is already in full swing, and the bees are buzzing around the blooms like kitty cats on a bowl of catnip. Meow! When I was a kid, I had HORRIBLE allergies. My mom used to give me some old-school allergy meds, which just made me feel like taking a nap in my drug-induced state. Wake me up when it’s over…zzz. Luckily, I grew out of my snotty sneezing and am now able to enjoy this balmy weather. However, we’re not out of the winter weeds just yet as was clearly evident this past weekend at the annual Home and Garden Show.

As per usual, Animal Rescue of Fresno joined in the fun and set up shop with a lovely assortment of dogs for adoption. We usually take along mostly smaller dogs, because they take up less space, but also because we have so many of them. This still gives us room for all the show attendees to mill about. We had a good-sized spot this year, but still managed to fill up every single inch of it, including stashing potty pads under tables, stowing cleaning supplies in a corner, and hiding bags of blankets out of sight. We certainly don’t want to air our dirty laundry…

I am writing in the garden. To write as one should of a garden one must not write outside it or merely somewhere near it, but in the garden. ~Frances Hodgson Burnett

I wisely decided to only work two out of the three show days and am thrilled that I did. Because after the whole thing was said and done, I felt like I’d been hit by a Mack truck. My feet ached, my back was sore, and my head was pounding. I think my eyelashes even hurt. Working the Home Show is like running a marathon; you have got to have stamina. Or in our case, you’ve got to have stamina, Starbucks, and cinnamon rolls. It takes mass quantities of coffee and sugar to keep volunteers going for 10-12 hours, standing on hard cement, answering endless questions, moving dogs around, and handing out flyers. Especially when it’s cold, just like it was on Saturday. Now I don’t mean just cold, I mean REALLY cold. The pet area had absolutely NO heat whatsoever. Not a heater in sight. A freezing behemoth of a building, it sounded like a freight train when the rain poured down on the roof, leaking drops over our shivering critters. At one point, I started chipping ice off the kennels. Luckily, we had some waterproof pads to lay down over the crates. Still, the dogs looked miserable. I couldn’t blame them for giving us the stink eye as if to say, “Why the he** did you bring us here?”

I did nothing but comfort my plants, till now their small green cheeks are covered with smiles.
~Emily Dickinson

However, the ARF dogs would have been even more pathetic if it weren’t for the fabulous sweaters they were wearing. Our good friends at Joytale donated a whole mess of adorable pink and blue pullovers, stitched with white trim and flowers. At least the dogs looked adorable, even if they were a bit gloomy.
People told us over and over how sweet they all looked, and I’m pretty sure those crocheted creations helped many of them get adopted. Thanks, Joytale!

And so the downpour continued throughout the day, soaking wet visitors, traipsing by with soggy umbrellas, and children in colorful slickers, stopping by to check out our selection of dogs. I’ve discovered one thing after working many of these shows – people love to talk about their dogs. The dogs they have now, the dogs they used to have, and how their dog is the BEST DOG EVER. Because, hey, he’s YOUR dog. It never fails, two minutes into a conversation, the cell phone gets whipped out, and before you know it, you’re looking at 47 pictures of Buster sleeping on the couch, eating a biscuit, licking the baby, and swimming in the pool. Don’t worry, no judgment from us if you have more photos of Buster than the baby…

Come forth! for Spring is singing in the boughs. ~Arthur Davison Ficke

I love it when someone comes up to me and says that their Cookie pup looks just like that ARF Coco dog. EXACTLY. OMG, she looks just like her! Yes, it’s amazing how much Cookie the Chihuahua looks like Coco the Corgi! Hey, if you’re convinced, then so are we. Shepherd Lab mix? Sure. Boxer Poodle combo? Why not? We’re as flexible as a giant rubber band. If it makes you happy, it makes us happy.

I enjoy talking with all the people at the show, especially the other vendors. I went shopping for sugar-free jam, and ended up having a crazy conversation with a gal who was manning the JR Watkins booth. They sell all kinds of liniments and sprays and stuff for your aches and pains. We were talking about all our bone spurs and osteoarthritis, and she mentioned that she used to be a figure skater. So we discussed how all the figure skating was about the quad jumps, and how she just barely did a triple. And then she said, “Well, when I was a bodybuilder…” What? A body builder? Anyway, she was great fun, and if you ever attend the home show in the future, get to know your vendor; they always have a backstory. Did you know that figure skates and blades cost more than your mortgage? Yup, get your kids into something else…how about soccer?

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~Charles Dickens

All in all, it was a great event. We adopted out 10 dogs in total, to some amazing families. Little Frankie didn’t last long, as I predicted, and found a wonderful home of his own. Frankie has a long Bassett body with short little legs, a smiley blockhead, and a personality who loves everyone, kids and adults alike.

And we had Elsa, a sweet little red Chihuahua, whose new daddy came all the way from the Bay Area to take her home.

Earlier, when I carried Spanky to the van, I knew he would get adopted right away, because who wouldn’t want a dog named Spanky? Yup, he found his forever home.

Anyway, it was a fantastic time, and we enjoyed every minute. Well, maybe not the ride back to ARF, when my pal Mindi and I were driving back to our facility. Our new tables that were loaded into the van proved to be a bit slippery, and almost crashed into the windows on the way home. Yikes! Animal rescue; it’s fun AND dangerous. Sign up for an adventure of a lifetime!

Be sure and visit ARF on March 16 for a wonderful St. Paddy’s Day breakfast!!!

Animal Rescue of Fresno
4545 E Dakota Ave.
Fresno, CA 93726
Website: arf-fresno.com

Check out more animal rescue stories in our Pet Perspective section and check back every month for another animal rescue adventure from ARF. Advertise in KRL and 10% of your advertising fees can go to a local animal rescue. We also have a pet Facebook group for KRL and we would love to have you join!

Wendy Hunter has been volunteering with ARF since 2014. She grew up in Fresno and has been an Office Assistant with Fresno County for 7 years. She has been writing all of her life, though never professionally, and currently writes personalized poetry for birthdays, weddings, pet remembrances, etc.