Fred is nine years old - a Collie mix found in October of 1998 (he was originally a feral dog). He was stealing chicken eggs from rural coops and risking buckshot in his behind from the farmers he purloined. A lady started feeding him, inching toward him while he ate and after two months of “catering,” Fred finally let the nice lady pet him. She found out about our sanctuary and asked us to take Fred and he has been here ever since. In the beginning he’d never let anyone touch him. After some time passed, we tried to adopt him out to a family in Louisville, Kentucky. Fred decided otherwise and took off on the family, who happened to live across the street from the nervous hospital/mental institution. We were called after his adoptive family was unable to coax Fred back. We went there assuming he would come to us right away. Instead, he took off across the endless grounds of the nervous hospital, glancing back at us repeatedly, reverting to feral behavior. After four hours of effort, throughout a torrent of freezing rain, Fred finally could no longer ignore the hot dogs we used as a type of “breadcrumb trail” to our truck. Needless to say, we never put Fred in that position again and never offered anyone the option of adopting him. He made it abundantly clear that the sanctuary was his home and he refused to live anywhere except here. Apologies were genuinely offered by us to him all the way home while the patients of the institution were given a slapstick production of Human versus Dog. And the Dog won. These days, Fred divides his time between keeping our pack in line and as Chief Triage Doctor. Whenever any of the dogs have a wound, regardless of it’s cause, Dr. Fred keeps the wounds clean and cared for. He diligently monitors all boo boo’s and will clean the faces of the allergy afflicted dogs when they’re eyes are icky. He also does ear patrol for the dogs with otitis, of which there are many.
