Clean Run Magazine - September 2006 - 59

Later that week, Whitney and I arrived at Barb's house and the three of us
entered Barb's agility yard. I started to tell Barb a little bit about our
situation and then I began crying. The last time I cried was when we
learned that the 17th Street Canal levee broke, allowing the brackish
waters of Lake Pontchartrain to pour into my middle-class neighborhood,
Lakeview, killing neighbors who stayed behind and destroying a lifestyle
we could never resurrect. This time, I cried because I missed my friends
and their dogs, and I knew I would not see them again for a very long
time. Over the next few weeks, agility kept me busy and reminded me of how
lucky I was to find an instant community of friends and fellow dog lovers.
One such person who prefers to remain anonymous insisted on taking us to
PetsMart and spent more PHOTO BY BRIAN LANE than $500 on crates, food,
leashes, and toys for our dogs. My Barb Scalise, Julia Lane, Jean Munger,
Shasta Newton front , Marsha husband and I were humbled by her kindness.
It is one thing to Kruse and Whitney Rupp back and dogs in Barb's agility
yard in Illinois. realize that you need help, but another thing to
actually accept it. For the sake of our dogs, we swallowed our pride.
until I saw the clickers that I realized that I didn't have any of When I
called Clean Run to change my mailing address, customer my agility stuff
anymore. service representative Nicole Levesque expressed such concern But
I was wrong. In October, when we were finally allowed over our situation
that I was reminded again of how wonderful back in to see the damage to
our homes, I discovered Darby's agility people can be. A couple days
later, my husband stormed first agility ribbons high and dry, just inches
above the water into my parents' house carrying a huge box and asked me
how line. They smelled moldy and were a little wrinkled, but I didn't I
could possibly order anything from Clean Run at a time like care. They
were souvenirs of a happier time and I wanted them this? Granted, I had
been guilty before of ordering a new training badly. Our dogs' toys, beds,
leashes, collars, crates and framed book or tug toy when I should've spent
the money on bills, but photos didn't fare as well and ended up atop the
growing trash not this time. So imagine our surprise when we opened up the
heap on the curb beside our dead 100-year-old magnolia, which box to find
an agility care package from Nicole. She sent us drowned in the storm.
T-shirts, jackets, leashes, treats, clickers, toys, and more. It wasn't As
we squished our way through the muddy yard, I thought of our Rhodesian
Ridgeback/Pit Bull mix, Shelby, who refuses to After the 17th Street Canal
COURTESY JULIA LANE go outside if it's the slightest bit damp. My foot
nudged one of levee was breached on Darby's grimy tennis balls and the
limp, frayed rope that Jolie August 29, 2005, the Lanes' Lakeview home in
New liked to tug. Our Catahoula Desoto's favorite red rubber ball was
Orleans was submerged now faded pink by the sun. in 8' of water for 3
weeks. In our shed, my husband found his ruined darkroom equipment.
Neighbors just north of The washer and dryer were shoved onto their sides.
I picked them had a water line up through soggy boxes of childhood mementos
and photos that I to 12'. had meant to organize but never did. Some things
had floated
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Clean Run Magazine - September 2006

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