Meet the unforgettable dogs of Bollinger County Stray Project and their incredible stories

May 26 to June 2

Zion, the German shepherd dog, made it back to the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, thanks to a wonderful gal from Marble Hill. She was going home to a family funeral and met with Zion’s owners in Tulsa. Her generous offer to drive this dog — once stolen, starved and then dumped — to meet his real owners was heavenly.

I want to thank Ellen Balcer for her time and selfless gift by transporting Zion that far, a dog she did not know. God bless you, Ellen!

Finally, we are down to just 18 dogs in our care. Of the 18, nine are ours. There is Sheri Baby, the oldest. She is a dachshund poodle mixed with mutt. We ended up keeping her after a long time looking for a home, then adopting her out, and then getting her back a few months later because the adopters were getting a divorce and because her temperament is so ultra timid.

Then there is Chi Chi, a chihuahua and maybe rat terrier mix. She is a snot dog, growling at the other dogs whenever one gets close. She has been attacked by dogs in the pack on several occasions and still has not learned. She was relinquished as a middle-aged pup, then adopted by a best friend right before I was about to euthanize her at about 18 months old. That friend is 93 and in a nursing home. So, she is back and has not changed much. I think she is about 13 years old.

Vern Lee is about 10. He has a throat trachea disease and I suspect it will be the death of him, which will be a very sad day for us. We feed him a raw diet and supplements for his nervous system, hoping to prolong his quality of life. We kept him because he was so hard-mouthed and worried about him around small kids.

Pino is a Yorkie mix, a former stray who was not only covered in fleas, but almost naked due to them and thyroid disease. I think she is at least age 7 or 8. She is on raw food.

Tommy John, a great pyrenees who was shot in the face, proved to have terrible allergies and, in the beginning, one medical issue after another. We finally adopted him and put him on a raw diet, and all his medical woes came to an end.

Sally the Ghost is a samoyed with a very plush coat that is horrible to manage. We kept her because she is not fond of strangers. She is a one-person dog and still has a hard time warming up to strangers.

Another white dog we own is Mamma, a westie-looking mix, but she has Yorkie and other mixes. At only 12 pounds, she had two pups that are 24 pounds each. We kept her because my husband had just lost his chihuahua and this mother dog took to him. We also paid over $800 for a neck injury emergency call for her after a big dog grabbed her when she was being a little snot dog to him. I worked very hard and many months to potty train her two pups, and after they both finally learned their manners, I decided to adopt them as my two last personal dogs. They are smaller, cute, and have good temperaments, perfect for an aging person like myself who just turned 68. I will be 77 when they turn 10. I hope I am still living and healthy enough to care for them. They and their mom are all on raw food, too.

Dogs held for other rescues

• Three Aussie/great pyrenees-type mixed pups, abandoned in Bollinger County, are now about 7 months old.

Returned to owner, placed in other rescues, foster or adopted

• Zion is home in Oklahoma.

Dogs with erlichia, special needs or euthanized

• None.

Lost, found, and pets needing homes

• Several dogs that are found or missing are listed on our Facebook page and also the two Bollinger County “What’s Happening” pages. If you don’t have FB, call us so we can try to match lost pets.

Miscellaneous and contact info

We were caring for 18 dogs and pups at our home June 2. If you have a stray camping out in the yard, don’t wait. Call us at (573) 722-3035 or (573) 321-0050.

MARILYN NEVILLE is director of Bollinger County Stray Project.