Here's To the Power of Possibilities

The economy continues to disappoint; our country is still at war with outsiders while Democrats and Republicans go to war with each other, and the fact that it's an election year only makes it worse; and every time we turn on the television there's more bad news.  Even the Red Sox have fallen into an uninspired early season tailspin rendering a large percentage of New England utterly hopeless.  So every now and again it's great to stumble upon a story with a happy ending.

About a month ago some hikers were making their way down the Davis Path, a rugged trail that runs from just south of Crawford Notch up to Mount Washington.  There are some beautiful peaks along the way, including Crawford, which is a steep climb but just over two miles from Route 302, then comes Resolution and Giant Stairs.  Eventually, as you continue along the Montalbon Ridge, you reach Davis and Isolation before the final climb up towards Mount Washington.  It's a great place to hike but the initial climb makes it tough and since there is only one 4,000-foot peak on the trail (Isolation) it's left to hiking purists and not as many peakbaggers clutter the trail.  Hence, it’s not at all crowded. As for regular foot traffic from the public?  Forget about it.  It just doesn't happen. 

You can imagine how surprised these hikers were when they came upon a box literally in the middle of nowhere.  And the box, which was pretty big, was moving!  They carefully peered inside and what they saw astounded them - a small but fat, unkempt dog with a flat face and watery eyes.  It was clear that someone had gone to great efforts to abandon this rather scruffy looking old fellow.

The hikers saved the little dog's life.  Had they left him there - as someone else had - he would have been nothing more than bear bait.  They ended up bringing him to the Conway Area Humane Society and after taking one look at this anonymous and unwanted dog, the shelter staff dubbed him "Scruffy".

It always saddens me that some people are capable of such thoughtless and even cruel actions toward animals.  And it seems that most of the problems animals suffer from are brought about by people, and not themselves.  So it's only right that every now and again people do something to right these wrongs.  And that's exactly what happened. 

When I learned of "Scruffy" on the Conway Area Humane Society's Facebook page and realized he needed some financial help to get the necessary medical tests an older, abandoned dog needs, and understood how much money most of our shelters don't have, I took a chance and posted Scruffy's picture and his tale on the Following Atticus Facebook page used to promote our book.  A most astounding thing took place.  After reading Scruffy's story, people from various parts of the country sent in donations.  Those who are Following Atticus and have been nicknamed Atticus's Army because of their unbound enthusiasm, sent in various amounts understanding that the money would go to Scruffy's medical bills and if anything was left over it would go to the shelter.  Within a week more than $2,500 came in! 

You can just imagine the smiles on the faces of those people who are involved with the shelter.  Such things don’t typically happen but there was obviously something about Scruffy’s plight that touched a chord in many of us. 

And better than that, White Mountain photographer Corey Engfer, and his wife Carrie, learned of Scruffy and decided to adopt him. But that's not where the story ends.  What happened next was a cruel twist to what should have been a very happy ending. 

Scruffy was facing numerous medical problems and before too long he had a laundry list of issues and he ended up in Portsmouth down in an intensive care hospital.  Poor Scruffy.  And poor Corey and Carrie, too.  Here they had opened their home to this little guy with nothing but high hopes and warm hearts and within a week he was in trouble and the medical bills were mounting.  Many other folks would have surrendered Scruffy back to the shelter and left it at that.  But Corey and Carrie couldn't imagine doing such a thing.  Unfortunately, they had no idea how they could possibly afford the bills.  They were heartbroken in more ways than one.

This is when the story takes another positive turn.  Once again we posted about Scruffy's needs and "Atticus's Army" rose to the cause and within 36 hours more than $2,000 came in.  Had it not been for this money Carey and Carrie...and more importantly Scruffy would have been in a quandary. 

And the story gets even better, when the animal hospital ended up charging about a $1,000 less than what was expected and the bills are no longer insurmountable.

It wouldn't be a happy ending, however, unless Scruffy got to go home with his new family and that's exactly what happened on Monday evening.  Medically cleared, he's now home where he belongs, in a quaint house by the water in picturesque Tamworth, New Hampshire so far from where he was found a month ago in many ways. 

The late mythologist Joseph Campbell pointed out many times in his writing that we often find our treasure when things are darkest.  We get gold out of the cave we are most afraid to go into and only end up there because of what seems like a wrong turn.  So it's clear to me that one little dog who was left to die in a box on a less than crowded hiking trail has not only survived – he has brought out the best in people, nearly all of whom have never met him and never will. 

So yes, it is an election year, and yes, there are wars going on, and yes, the economy still sucks, and plenty of people have their share of reasons not to believe in happy endings.  But in Tamworth there is a little four legged fellow who doesn't look quite so scruffy anymore, who now has a reason to smile with his tongue dangling out of his mouth, and he sits at the center of a story that proves good things do happen in this world. 

Here's to the power of possibilities.  Here's to a little dog who wouldn't give up and his new family that didn't give up on him.  And here's to the generosity of strangers. 

Here's to happy endings.