From Splinters to Splendor



  From Splinters to Splendor

  Inspired by the Tan Smooth Dachshund

  Published by

  New Mexico Dachshund Rescue

  Copyright © 2016 New Mexico Dachshund Rescue

  Table of Contents

  Foreword

  Chapter 1 – The Twister

  Chapter 2 – Feeling the Love

  Chapter 3 – Beggar Britches

  Chapter 4 – To Waco We Go

  Chapter 5 – Facing the Unexpected

  Chapter 6 – To Waco for Good

  Chapter 7 – Cat Country

  Chapter 8 – Brandy’s Stalker

  Chapter 9 – GED for DeeDee

  Chapter 10 – Mutual Need

  Foreword

  The adventures continue with another fictional story about a tan smooth Dachshund and her new life following abandonment and rescue. Brandy’s story starts with a tornado shattering the barn she went to for safety. Her story ends with a young lady whose life was forever changed by Brandy’s innate sense to comfort and heal.

  I would like to thank my team for their assistance in preparing the book for publishing: Al Rosario, illustrator; Jan Lawrence, editor and Lucinda Campbell, formatting.

  Proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit New Mexico Dachshund Rescue and Dachshund rescue in New Mexico and Texas. Thank you for supporting our mission.

  I am dedicating this book to my sister Betty. You were the youngest of us four girls and the first to catch a glimpse of glory. You left us much too soon; we miss you very much.

  --Stella Dillenbeck on behalf of New Mexico Dachshund Rescue

  (Featuring the Dachshund Rescue Series by Stella Dillenbeck)

  Chapter 1 – The Twister

  Brandy and Rebel were already hungry and worried since their owner dumped them off on a county road near Amarillo the day before. Now terror was added to the mix because a tornado was coming towards them in all its fury. The poor little Dachshund brother and sister were terrified and running as fast as their legs could carry them.

  The winds whipped around a nearby barn, tearing the doors off its hinges, giving Brandy and Rebel just enough time to get into the building. The relief they got was only temporary, though, because the storm ripped right through the barn. The shattered timbers were scattered by the ferocity of the twisting storm, creating splintered shrapnel particles. One large one found its way to Rebel; he did not even know what hit him.

  Brandy hid in the hay for some time; she wanted to go check on her brother, but fear overtook her and she could not force herself to move. When she finally did make her way out, it did not take her long to find Rebel and she lay next to him, grieving. At least she had Rebel before the storm hit; now she had nobody. She was all alone – tired, hungry and terrified. Tears rolled out of her eyes as inwardly she wished the trauma and grief away.

  The couple who lived in the nearby farmhouse had hightailed it to the storm shelter as the tornado was approaching. Now that the storm had passed through, they were hesitant about coming out of the shelter, unsure of what utter devastation they would face. What a relief to see the house was still intact! The barn was destroyed, but it could be easily replaced. They went to the barn to see if they could salvage any implements. Salvaging became a lesser priority when they saw the pups, though. The husband picked up the male, sadly proclaiming there was no life left in the little guy. The wife picked up Brandy. Brandy was not sure whether to be scared or happy because both emotions overtook her, but the wife’s comforting words helped and she did her best to relax.

  While the husband took the boy to bury him under the juniper tree, the wife took Brandy into the house to get some food and water in her. She needed nourishment right away. Brandy gulped down the food and begged for more. The lady gave her some cheese, along with a big bowl of water. Brandy ate the cheese and licked the water bowl dry; she looked up at the nice lady and wagged her tail. Then the lady noticed her collar; it had a small heart-shaped tag with her name, “Brandy.” It was a fitting name for the little female tan-colored Dachshund.

  Soon the husband was back from burying the other pup; he said the male had a collar, too. His name had been Rebel; he was also a tan Dachshund. They figured the dogs were probably brother and sister, but they would never know for sure. After a little discussion they decided not to keep Brandy. The husband was not in good health and was in the hospital off and on. It would not work for them to have a dog right now.

  They called the pet store in Amarillo to see if they would take her in. The pet store agreed to take Brandy. They assured the lady that every attempt would be made to find Brandy’s owners; in the event the owners could not be found, they would look for a family to adopt her. Brandy was only two, maybe three years old and was a purebred; finding a forever home would not be difficult. The wife took Brandy into the store with high hopes that they would find the owners or a new family for Brandy soon.

  Chapter 2 – Feeling the Love

  The store clerk named Elliot was there to greet Brandy with open arms. He had heard the story about the abandonment, the tornado and Brandy’s brother, Rebel. His heart was already moved with compassion towards the poor little gal. Brandy was tremoring with fear; she had been through so much in just two short days. Elliot petted her and talked softly to her and smiled as Brandy started to relax. He thanked the lady for rescuing the pup and bringing her into the store. She had done all that could be done for Brandy at the moment; she left, trusting the pet store to do the rest.

  When efforts to find the owners were unsuccessful, Elliot decided to keep Brandy. His wife had died two years previously; he had retired recently and things were mighty lonely for him. He had even taken a part-time job at the pet store for some people interaction. Brandy would be a perfect companion for him; he would be perfect for her as well.

  Elliot could not help himself. He had to buy food, of course, but he also ended up getting a bunch of toys, a kennel, a dog bed and some blankets. There went his next paycheck from the pet store. Elliot did not mind, though, for Brandy was totally worth it. Also, he figured he had his work cut out for him in restoring Brandy’s faith in mankind. He was confident that he was up to the task.

  Brandy lay in the seat next to Elliot as they drove home. Somehow she sensed that he was trustworthy and was already letting the doubts and fears go. He talked to her as he drove; she responded by wagging her tail. As they arrived at the house and Elliot parked the car in the garage, he informed Brandy they were “home.” She sure did like the sounds of that.

  Since Elliot had to unload the car of all of the doggy purchases, he thought it would be best to take Brandy to the backyard and leave her there until he had everything in the house. The yard was fenced-in and fully secure, so he knew she would be fine there. She instantly claimed the yard as her own and duly notified all of the dogs in the neighborhood. The din in the neighborhood got increasingly louder as one-by-one the neighbor dogs “welcomed” Brandy.

  When Elliot let Brandy back in the house, she had to inspect every inch to make sure everything was okay. She ignored the kennel and the dog bed; her place was either on Elliot’s lap or by his side if he was sleeping or driving. Nothing else would fit the bill in her little doggy mind. Elliot had rescued her and he was stuck with her. The funny thing was that Elliot was as equally drawn to her; his lap had “Brandy” written all over it.

  Elliot called his boss Irving, the pet store manager, to fill him in about Brandy. Irving said it would be no problem having Brandy at the store while Elliot was working; Irving trusted that Elliot would not take advantage of the situation or use her as an excuse not to get his work done. That sure made Elliot feel good because it meant he would rarely need to leave her a
lone. It was ultra important to him to make sure she never, ever felt abandoned again. Irving said she would need to be put in a kennel when clients brought their pets into the store. Elliot assured his boss he would comply; he certainly did not want Brandy having any confrontations with other pets while he was working.

  Chapter 3 – Beggar Britches

  Elliot worked part-time at the pet store three days per week with four hour shifts, giving him much-needed bonding time with Brandy at home. It also gave him time to get her into the veterinary for shots and an exam. According to the vet, Brandy was approximately two years old, as Elliot had surmised earlier. Other than being a little stressed from her abandonment ordeal she was in good health, but the vet cautioned about over feeding her. It was imperative to watch out for excessive weight gain which could be detrimental to her overall health and increase chances for a spinal injury. He explained that Brandy would get used to any extra calories she was given and beg for more. Elliot assured the vet he would take good care of her.

  As the bond between Elliot and Brandy grew, she trusted him more and more; she began to act more like a Dachshund. It did not take Elliot long to figure out the vet was right about feeding her. Every time he went into the kitchen, Brandy was right behind him in a begging stance. At first it was pretty funny, but then it got to be annoying. Nevertheless, she kept it up, so he had to learn to ignore the little beggar britches.

  Elliot got into a daily routine of taking Brandy for walks. He figured the exercise would be good for both of them. Brandy learned the neighborhood in no time, especially the homes and yards with other dogs. She also knew which dogs did not like her presence; Elliot could tell by her “like it or not, I am walking here anyway” bark. What a hoot she was!

  One day the doorbell rang; it was a delivery driver with a package for Elliot. The driver rang the doorbell, dropped the box by the door and started back to the truck. When Elliot opened the door, Brandy shot out towards the truck driver, barking her head off and trying to nip at his heels as he was getting into the truck. It happened so fast that Elliot did not have a chance to stop her; he tried in vain to call her back to the house. He was frightened because she could be hit by a car. He ran after her and was able to quickly grab her. He apologized to the driver, and then went back into the house to give Brandy a good scolding. As it turned out, the package was for her; it was two sets of steps for her to get on the couch and on the bed, so Elliot would not have to lift her each time. Silly dog!

  Elliot loved country and western music. If he was home and his television was not on, his radio was. It did not take long for Elliot to see that Brandy loved it, too. She would perk up when she saw Elliot head to the radio to turn it onto his favorite station. He swore he could even see her smile. When he would sit back down, Brandy would hop on his lap, sway her head back and forth to the beat of the music and wag her tail, too. Eventually she would nod off to sleep; perhaps it was a combination of the music and tiring herself with the head swaying. He would gently hug her as he felt the tug of his heart strings. Brandy was a mighty special dog and he was so blessed to have her.

  It did not take Elliot long to realize he could not watch his favorite police dramas with Brandy. When the explosions, gun shots and loud noises came out from the television, she would become a cowering mass of fear and trembling. Elliot figured it must be some kind of doggy post-traumatic stress from the tornado that killed her brother. Elliot had the television off more and more. He could live without the police dramas; besides, it was imperative that he do what was best for Brandy. Country and western music it was – at least Brandy had good taste in music.

  Chapter 4 – To Waco We Go

  The kinship between Elliot and Brandy was admirable. Brandy was indebted to Elliot, not only for the rescue, but for his unfailing kindness. He loved her and it showed in everything he did for his precious pup. She reciprocated with total devotion and unconditional love. Elliot had not been this happy since before his wife had died.

  Elliot found himself reminiscing about his wife, Elaine. She would have loved Brandy. They had not bothered with pets previously; it was not that they did not like them, but that they were too busy. Both of them worked and they had three daughters who kept them busy. Now the girls were grown and gone with families of their own. Elaine was gone. Elliot would be all alone if it were not for Brandy.

  Two of the girls settled in Florida, so Elliot rarely got to see them. His oldest daughter, Vanessa, was closer as she had settled in Waco, Texas after her husband got a coaching job there. Elliot reckoned it was about time he went to see Vanessa and her family. He had some vacation leave coming and he was anxious to show Brandy off to all of them. Vanessa was quite thrilled when her dad told her that he had gotten a dog. She was relieved he was no longer alone.

  Vanessa and her husband Leonard had one 6-year-old son named Taylor. With both of them teaching school and Leonard coaching, they were doing good to keep up with one very active young boy. They were all excited that Grandpa was coming and they were able to meet this dog named Brandy they had heard so much about. For Elliot it was only about an 8-hour drive, counting rest stops, meal stops and gas station fill-ups; he looked forward to the trip almost as much as the visit.

  Brandy picked up on Elliot’s excitement. He was whistling as he dug out his bags and packed for the trip. She followed him everywhere he went; if Dad was leaving to go somewhere, she was going, too. Somewhere in the middle of his packing, Elliot laughed as he remembered that he needed stuff for Brandy, too. Soon everything they needed for the trip was loaded into the car. They would leave early in the morning.

  The road trip to Waco was uneventful. Brandy seemed to enjoy the ride; she was content to be with Elliot. Besides, most of the time she was sleeping. The quiet hum of the engine, the whir of the tires and gentle road bumps made her sleepy. Elliot did stop at several rest areas to give Brandy a chance to stretch her legs. He probably did not need to use a leash as she stayed close by, but he used one anyway as he was not taking any chances of her getting away.

  Vanessa, Leonard and Taylor were all ready for them when they arrived, greeting both Grandpa and Brandy with big hugs. Brandy had contact with many children in the pet store; she took right to Taylor and that brought a big smile to his face. His mom had told Taylor about the abandonment and the tornado; she had cautioned him to be patient and gentle with Brandy. Taylor was relieved that Brandy liked him; now they could focus on playtime!

  Taylor and Brandy played and chased each other all over the house and yard. Elliot chuckled as he watched them. All of this mutual appreciation made him realize that he may no longer be the single focus of Brandy's attention. Vanessa and Leonard got a kick out of watching the two of them play, also. Before too long Taylor would be begging for a dog of his own, but the parents knew there was no way that was feasible with their work schedules. Taylor would simply have to be content to play with Brandy during visits.

  Chapter 5 – Facing the Unexpected

  Elliot and Brandy had a wonderful time in Waco with the family, but both were glad to get back home. Elliot could tell that Brandy was missing Taylor, though. Elliot tried to play with her, but she looked at him with a confused look. Somehow it was not the same as it had been with Taylor. He thought about getting another dog for a playmate for Brandy, but immediately dismissed the idea. He enjoyed his job at the pet store and was not ready to quit yet. Taking two dogs to work was not feasible. Maybe someday he could get another dog, but now was not the time.

  Two unexpected events happened to change the course of Elliot’s and Brandy’s lives. The first happened to Brandy: she was attacked by a miniature pinscher down at the store. She was not seriously injured, but she was totally traumatized by the whole ordeal. The second event happened to Elliot; he got a very bad cold that developed into pneumonia. Fortunately it was borderline and not severe enough to be put in the hospital; but the doctor sent him straight home to bed. Brandy stayed close to him, not leaving his side, except when i
t was absolutely necessary to go out.

  While he was laid up, Elliot was contemplating what he should do about his job and Brandy. Perhaps the pneumonia was a good thing, giving him time to make some life-changing decisions. As Elliot was trying to sort it all out, Vanessa called to express her concern and see how he was doing. She also asked him to consider coming to live with them; she, Leonard and Taylor had discussed it and were all in agreement for him to come, but it was his choice.

  Moving in with Vanessa and family was a viable option for Elliot. They all sure had a good time when they were together. Elliot especially enjoyed the family connection that had been missing since his wife died. Taylor and Brandy loved each other; that was obvious. Yes, moving would be the right thing to do. Now he needed to get healed from the pneumonia and gain his strength back. After that he could get his house on the market, and then give notice at work when the house sold.

  Brandy understood she needed to stay in the kennel much of the time when Elliot was working. She felt safe in the kennel, to boot, and content to be near where Elliot was. If he was stocking shelves or waiting on customers, in the cage she went. Elliot was relieved that Brandy was so good about cooperating, making things much easier on him.

  The real estate agent called Elliot and offered to do an open house on his home. He thought that would be a good idea and arranged to have her do it on his next work day. He even hired a cleaning lady to make the house bright, clean and presentable. He was smiling when he saw what she had done and found himself wishing he had done that sooner.

  The open house did indeed pay off. A young couple came by to see the house twice – once in the morning and once more in the afternoon. They had decided it was meant to be their first home and put earnest money down while they pursued financing. Elliot was thrilled, but now his work was cut out for him; he needed to decide what to keep and move and what to haul off to the thrift store. Furthermore, he had to give his notice at work and say good-bye to Irving and his other co-workers. The fast sale of his home was not expected and had caught him totally off guard.