The Guitar by By Verlon Thompson, a friend of Tommy's

PUPPIES!!!!!

I'm happy to announce that all the puppies have found homes. I'm keeping the mama dog, whom I've named Madonna. She's the sweetest, most gentle creature I've ever seen.






Yesterday Tommy, Guylyn Boles and I were driving around Concordia Parish investigating fun things for road trippers to do in the area when we took a detour off the main road near Lake St. John so Tommy could show us an old church he'd like to move and renovate. It was at the end of a gravel road.

On our way back, I saw something little and black in the roadway and realized it was two little puppies. So we stopped the car. I was ready to put the puppies in the car and head back home when more puppies began streaming up out of the ditch where they sought shelter from the unrelenting sun and heat, along with mom, who was tired and desperate for some help.

We counted eight puppies and could hear another one across the ditch. After knocking on someone's door, we found out they'd been dumped, along with a bag of food a couple of days before. The couple at the house had several dogs already and couldn't take them. Besides, they said, they were leaving town the next day. My car was too small for the dogs and three people. I had a case of canned cat food in the car, so I started opening cans and feeding the dogs.

While doing that a truck drove by with a man and a little boy inside. I begged them to take a puppy, but they refused and started on down the road. By this time, I was finished and climbed back into our car, but noticed the truck had stopped and seemed to be waiting for us to leave, which we did.

So first thing this morning I went back with my dad and his truck and got them. There were only seven of them. I'm fairly certain the man with the boy went back and took a pup. At least I hope so. We put the pups in back of the truck and let the mother ride in the back seat. After a few minutes, she forced her way into the front seat where she crawled down under my dad's feet on the passenger's side and curled up and went to sleep. When we got back to Natchez, she and the pups in back were all sound asleep. Poor babies! They were exhausted.

Anyway, these look like three little Catahoula Hound Dogs and four little Labador Retrievers. They're fat and playful and sweet and desperately need homes. We've got them in the chicken coop out at my dad's house.

If you or anyone you know would like an 8- to 10-week-old puppy, please give me a call at 601-431-7737,