Animal Rescue Warriors

(A couple of heart warming ladies share more than just a love and a concern for defenceless animals. I was doing some freebie handyman work for a local shelter when an impressed vet told me their story)

Teresa Howard scoured the hot, almost molten landscape one last time, her squinting eyes straining against a blinding, furnace like sun.

"Let's not give up just yet," she begged.

Isabel Dobaldi sighed at her pleading words. "We have three other calls to follow up on. And all of them are in town. We're not going to get to any of them if we just hang around here all day. It's been four hours already and nothing."

"Please, Issy, please?"

Isabel watched her lover's eyes carefully, melting at their oozing distress. "Okay, half hour more, but if we don't find the pups by then, we're outta here, deal?"

Teresa smiled. "Thanks Issy, not a second longer, promise."

Teresa scampered off into the tall but dry brush quickly, beating at the browning vegetation with a long stick, hoping to scare the hiding, terrified pups out into the open.

Up on the hillside, some three hundred yards away, the pup's mother slumped onto a flat rock, her whole body trembling in fear at the two strange women, coming once more into her territory to beat the brush for her eight, cowering pups. The mother hoped with every fiber of her canine being that the two human women wouldn't uncover her vulnerable, helpless offspring. Four of her litter of twelve pups had already died due to the brutal heat and hungry snakes. The howl of coyotes, not too far in the distance, let the terrified mother know that the merciless animals with tearing jaws had picked up on the puppies yummy scent.

"Did you hear that howling?" Isabel shouted to her partner.

"I heard it," she said, almost whimpering. "We're either gonna find the pups this time out, and get them out of here, or else they'll all be devoured by nightfall."

The two animal rescue women had come out to this section of the Texan plains every day for the last four days, after a local man, passing on his motor bike, reported seeing a dozen or so pups following their mother into the bush. Undoubtedly they had been left there to die by some heartless owner who didn't want the aggravation of explaining to some far away shelter why he had to abandon them due to a lack of money for dog food and a lack of money for vet bills. The owner no doubt felt it far easier to just dump the mother and her helpless pups in the desert where they would die quietly and quickly. Out of sight and out of mind, but then, as fate would have it, the motor bike, joy riding over a roller coaster like nature trail, had spotted the abandoned brood.

"If only the mother knew we weren't trying to hurt her or her pups?"

"If only dogs could talk," I spoke up for the first time, mopping congregated, greasy sweat off my brow.

"Thanks for driving us out here again," Isabel said to me. "Our rust bucket kept breaking down, and we didn't have the money to fix it."

"That's quite alright," I tell her. "As a fledgling, struggling reporter, looking to get a foot hold in the media, being out here with you two gives me the chance to strut my stuff, so to speak, out here on the national stage. I'm very interested in the area of dog dumping, and so you girls give me true and extremely interesting stories to write about. Although a lot of them are also truly gut wrenching. Do you think that mother will let you guys capture it?"

"It isn't hungry enough yet. It only got dumped by its owner less than a week ago. We've set out food and water each time, and yet it won't come near until we're gone."

"So you think it is getting the stuff you leave behind, then?"

"That's the other thing. We're just not sure. Other animals, just as desperate, could be getting to it before she does. She is absolutely terrified of us hurting her pups. Obviously she has no idea we're just trying to help her, and we've got to catch her, and find her babies before those coyotes do."

"Issy, come quick! I've found them."

I follow Isabel running, and soon come across Teresa emerging from the brush with four pups bundled in her folded arms.

"They're really trembling, they're just so afraid."

There was suddenly a barking, followed by some snarling as the mother dog approached from off the cliff side.

She wasn't a very big dog, and was obviously a lot more afraid of us than we were of her. Isabel turned to face the mother dog, then sat on the ground, letting her come up to her and lick her pups faces. Isabel reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a handful of dog food, dropping it on the ground for the mother. She approached it warily, but, succumbing to a gnawing hunger, began plowing it down.

"Would you mind getting a bowl, with some water, Peter?"

"Right away," I agreed, turning on my heels and heading back to the truck, grabbing a metal bowl out of the back seat, then putting some water in it before scampering back over to where the mother dog was taking turns licking her pups and wolfing down dog food. I sat the bowl in front of her and she went wild, lapping at the water as though it were life and death.

"Wow, is she ever thirsty."

"I'll say, let's get these pups out of the sun and back to the shelter. They're so damn cute, they'll be adopted in no time."

Isabel takes the pups from Teresa, and Teresa marches back off into the brush where she emerges with four more squealing pups.

"There are three dead ones back there, looks like the heat, then some blood and a snake trail leading to a den. Looks like one got taken that way."

"Eight out of twelve. I've seen worse," Teresa managed, reaching out to give her partner a moist loving kiss on the lips.

"What was that for?" Isabel asked, blushing because I had been watching.

"That was for staying that little bit extra so we could find the pups. We saved a lot of canine lives today."

"Although there are those in society," I said, "who might say the dogs are better off dead out here. And that they're a nuisance."

"Surely you don't mean that," Teresa whispered, caught off guard.

"Oh, I don't think that at all, don't get me wrong. But I was just making the observation that some folk are real animal haters."

"I'd like to lock every one of those human bastards up in a feces filled cage for months without food and water and see how they like it," Isabel spat back, her angry eyes smoldering.

"You hear that dog? You got a lot of people willing to stand up for you," I said, patting the mother dog on its head, who had amazingly succeeded in both demolishing the pile of dog food and lapping up every last drop of water from the half-filled bowl.

XXX

The early morning sun was rising.

"It'll be another scorcher," Isabel noted.

It was my last day with the girls before I was going to head on back to Maine, and start writing stories and news broadcasts from all the material I'd gathered from Teresa's and Isabel's gusty animal rescue operation. I admired greatly, their life saving exploits, out here in Texas, a mere one and a half hours from Dallas.

"I'd like to call you two, 'lesbian animal rescue workers.' What do you think about that title?"

The girls laughed. "If it'll get people to stop treating dogs and cats like vermin, then you can call us anything you like."

"Speaking of cats, how was the kitten doing you two rescued from that farm road yesterday?" I asked.

"Which one?"

"Oh yeah, that's right, there was more than one, wasn't there. The one those kids set on fire?"

Isabel trembled with both frustration and rage. "It had to be put down, but the poor thing stayed alive for a whole twelve excruciating hours."

"And the group of young boys that set it afire?"

"A neighbor came forth to identify them, and the sheriff went to talk to their parents."

"And?"

"He said the parents simply shrugged and said that boys will be boys."

"You're kidding?"

"Nope. But then the sheriff threatened that their sons could be facing animal cruelty charges. Their parents then offered to make a donation towards the dead cat's vet bills and the whole thing got swept under the rug."

"Shall we go?" Teresa asked, her long dirty blond hair freshly washed and dangling in silky, alluring curls that framed a very pretty face.

"Nice hair," I offered, opening the van door for her.

Isabel shook her head. "I hope you're not trying to come on to her. You were complimenting me all day yesterday on my curvy ass."

I laughed and shrugged. "You two are pretty hot. You can't blame a guy for trying."

"You can when that guy knows that we two girls are strictly into each other. We're not the least bit interested in cock."

"Yeah, but you two haven't seen my cock yet."

"Wouldn't notice it standing in front of us if you even slapped us up the side of the head with it."

All three of us laughed as I turned the key in the ignition, bringing the engine roaring to life.

"I hope you're gonna at least let us put some gas in your tank today," Isabel asked.

"That's fine but no thanks," I said, "There's no need. The animal rescue stories will pay me good money."

The van swerved onto the highway and I followed Isabel's directions until I came to a fork in the road about a half hour down the highway. A row of six farm houses sat in the flats, stretched out over three acres. We went to the first one and saw a narrow walkway leading to the back of the farm house. It looked dilapidated and in need of repair.

"The dog's supposedly out back," Isabel explained. "Along with some really malnourished horses. A meter reader came out yesterday and spotted the animals. The nearest SPCA in Dallas is a whole hundred and fifty miles away. They suggested he call us to go have a look right away and then report back to them, and maybe get the sheriff involved as well. I'll check round back, have a look at the animals. You two try the front door."

Teresa nodded and I followed her up a wobbly set of rotting, rickety oak steps. Isabel, meanwhile, true to her word, continued to walk the narrow walkway leading out back.

I watched as Teresa knocked at the front door, and then waited patiently for a reply. There was no answer. She tried knocking again, only this time longer and louder. There was still no answer. We carefully stepped off the porch and started to walk along the narrow path once more that led out back. Suddenly we heard a voice behind us.

"This is private property."

The voice seemed gruff and angry.

We turned to spot a man in his thirties, unshaven with unkempt hair and layers of grime around his collar. His hair was wavy and thick with grease. His overalls were filthy.

"Hi, I'm Teresa, and this is Isabel. We're a local animal rescue group and-"

"This about that guy tryna read ma meter?"

"Yes. He phoned the SPCA and told them there were some animals in distress out back. They in turn contacted us. We were just going to see."

The man sighed, then sucked in a huge amount of brown spit and launched it onto a rock. He chomped furiously on the wad of tobacco, then finally spoke. "I'll tell you all the same thing I told him yesterday. Fuck off! Just mind yer own damn business."

"We're mainly interested in the dog," Isabel explained, rounding the bend and up the narrow path as she returned from viewing the animals. "It is in quite a lot of distress. It is tied out in the hot sun and seriously dehydrated. When was the last time that dog got some water?"

"Dog ain't thirsty," the man shot back sarcastically, and I still want you all to just fuck off and leave me alone."

"Why don't you let us take the dog?" Teresa pleaded. "If you don't want to take care of it, perhaps we could find it a loving home. Right now it is literally starving to death. At least let me go and get it some dog food from the van."

"Dog ain't hungry," the man retaliated, "and for the very last time, I'm telling you to get off my property or I'm getting my gun. It's legal to shoot trespassers in this state."

"But cruelty to animals is not legal. You can be fined, even sent to jail."

"Over a stupid dog? Fuck you!"

"We can call the sheriff and have you charged, or you can let us take that suffering dog, and that'll be the end of it."

"The sheriff ain't gonna come out here on account of no dumb dog, now for the last and final, time, fuck off."

"I'm not leaving without that dog. It's as close to death as it could possibly get. Its starving, dehydrated, covered with sores, fleas and roasting alive out in the sun where you have it chained."

"It likes being out in the sun," he said stupidly, adding a foolish grin.

"Where is the key for that padlock on the chain around his neck? Do you realize that damn chain is heavier than the dog? That's worse than torture!"

The man didn't answer.

"Fine, we'll take the chain as well then."

"You ain't taking the chain or the dog. And I'm getting my gun."

Isabel and Teresa walked past him defiantly, headed for the dog. The man rushed into his house, obviously headed for a shotgun.

Up till now I had merely been an observer, but things had escalated into such a nasty mess that I realized I had better do something quick. I ran back to my van and pulled my thirty-eight revolver out of the glove compartment then tucked it into my waist.

By the time I came back, Isabel and Teresa were staring down the barrel of a twelve gauge shotgun.

"Put the damn dog back," the angry man insisted, lowering the gun and tucking it under his arm as he yanked the chain out of Teresa's hand.

"Don't make me shoot you," I yelled.

He turned, and was shocked out of his wits to see a gun pointed directly at him.

"Drop the shotgun or I'll drop you with a bullet," I warned.

"You wouldn't shoot," he answered, almost laughing.

I pulled the trigger and a bullet sailed a few feet from him, ricocheting off the wall.

"That was just a practice shot," I warned. "I'll improve with the next one, now drop that shotgun."

He reluctantly dropped it and I beckoned with my hand for him to move back against the house wall. He did.

I picked up the shotgun, emptied the shells onto the pathway, then tossed the gun out onto the field.

"Load the dog into the van, ladies."

"You're stealing my dog at gunpoint. I'll get even."

"We're not stealing your dog, we're buying it." I took a twenty dollar bill out of my pocket and dropped it on the ground. "Twenty dollars is more than you spent on dog food in your entire life."

"Dog's worth more than that," he protested.

I pulled another twenty out and dropped it to the ground as well. "Let's get out of here, ladies."

I followed them to the car and revved up the engine just as the man was bending over to pick up the money and the shells.

"You were really quite amazing back there," Teresa said appreciatively. "It's a good thing we had you with us."

"Yeah, a really good thing," Isabel added. "Who knows what that crazy guy was capable of?"

"Images of being chained to a post like this poor dog here. Maybe having something being shoved into all three of our holes!"

"Speaking of holes," Isabel whispered in Teresa's ear. "You know that danger always makes me hot, super hot. We're showering together when we get home."

"That would be nice," Teresa whispered back, pressing her pointy nipples against her shoulder as her moist, pretty mouth reached her lips. She glanced forward from the back seat, watching to see if I was looking in the rear view mirror. I pretended not to be.

Isabel, picking up on the fact I had snuck peeks only a moment earlier, gently pushed Teresa back. "He's watching us, you know. I think in fact he's been watching us the whole two weeks he's been with us."

"Is that true?" Teresa asked. "Have you been watching us sneak kisses or occasionally pat each other on the ass?"

"Well, you can hardly blame me," I admitted. "You two girls have really nice asses."

"You know," Teresa said seductively, letting a finger twirl around in her gorgeous and silky, dirty blond hair. "If you were a girl, me and Isabel here, why we might want to show our gratitude by sandwiching you in between us while we took our shower."

"Mmmm, man flesh served up on two feisty slices of white woman bread."

Teresa whispered something quickly into Isabel's ear, and she nodded. "We're not into guys, as you know, but, well, if you'd like, maybe while Issy and I get it on, you can slip into the shower with us and maybe we could each spare a hand now and again to work over that cock of yours."

"Nothing fancy, mind you," explained Isabel, "but a slow, sexy stroke, perhaps even a lick or a suck here and there to make you hard and keep you hard until, presto! Teresa can glide her pussy along that erection and let you fill her with your baby making batter."

"We've been thinking about getting married one day, and definitely having a child. The marriage part can wait, but you're just so damn handsome and have been such a good friend, someone we can really depend on and trust. We'd name it after you, of course."

"But of course," I said, completely blown away that so very suddenly we had gone from talking about dogs, to talking about my belly stretching sperm. A part of what they were saying did make me laugh out loud. "You girls spend all day talking about how dogs need to be spayed and neutered, although what's good for the canine goose is not apparently good for the lesbian ganders."

"I know it's all spur of the moment, but I think the three of us have built up such a good friendship. The dynamics for such a potential relationship are all there. You'd make a great father to any child."

I sucked in my breath. "Having a child is such a damn big responsibility, and there is so much prejudice already against gays and lesbians, especially those trying to raise a child, but if it is something you two have thought about long and hard. Then I guess you can count me in, although I'd want to know what was going on in the child's life every step of the way. Help out financially and such, be there for birthdays and such, and...and...wow! This thing is hitting me like a ton of bricks! I've always wanted to be a dad, but am just so caught up in travelling and my writing career. I'm definitely not the marrying kind. This would help me fulfill my dream of becoming a father, though. Are you ladies sure?"

"More surer than we've ever been about anything else in our entire lives."

"Fine, I can't believe I'm saying this, without having thought about it a whole lot more, but count me in, although, we'll have to swing by my hotel, first, you know, get my gear since I'm leaving to go back to Maine tomorrow."

"About that," Isabel said coyly. "We were thinking that maybe, just maybe, you could hang around for another couple of weeks or so. Our rescue operation could really use the help."

A light bulb suddenly went off in my head. "You ladies want me to stick around in case my grade 'A' sperm doesn't do the trick the first time, later tonight, am I right?"

Teresa shook her head and smiled sheepishly. "Boy, nothing ever gets by you, does it? Look, we agreed to have you shadow us around cause we knew your reporting and stories could really bring the plight of dogs to the attention of the entire country. Sooo, if you did stay, you could write even more stories about dumped, starving dogs. After all, you seem to be a really strong advocate for new, sustained government funding for free national spaying, neutering programs and for free vet clinics for people that can't afford the costly ones set up now. You also seem to be advocating in your writings the need for nationally sponsored pet food banks as well, so that folk who have no money to feed their pets, could perhaps travel to a center and get free food for their dogs and cats so they wouldn't so cruelly starve or have to be dumped like so much garbage."