Todays Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul

[Guest guest]

An Unlikely Angel

By Crystal Ward Kent

It was just before Christmas. An angry middle-aged man stood at the

counter of the animal shelter, gripping the leash of an aging German

shepherd.

" Why won't you take him? " he shouted. " I need to get him off my hands! "

The adoption counselor tried once more to explain. " At fourteen,

Samson is

too old to be a good adoption candidate, " she said.

" Well, then just take him and put him down, " the man yelled. " I want

to be

rid of him. "

" We don't take animals just to put them down, " the counselor explained.

" May I ask why you no longer wish to keep the dog? "

" I just can't stand the sight of him, " the man hissed, " and if you

won't

put him down, I'll shoot him myself. "

Trying not to show her horror, the counselor pointed out that shooting

an

animal was illegal. She urged the man to consult with his veterinarian for

other options.

" I'm not spending any more money on this animal, " the man grumbled and,

yanking the leash, he stalked out.

Concerned, the counselor wrote down the license plate of the man's

truck

and offered up a quick prayer for Samson.

A few days later, a German shepherd was found abandoned. He was

brought to

the shelter, and the staff recognized him as Samson. The town where he had

been

abandoned was where his owner lived. The man was contacted by the police

and,

under questioning, admitted that distraught over his recent divorce, he had

sought revenge through the shepherd. He hadn't even wanted the dog, but he

fought to keep him to spite his wife. Once his wife was gone, he couldn't

bear

to see the animal. The man was charged with abandonment, and Samson came to

stay at the shelter.

The wife and the couple's son were located in Pennsylvania. They were

horrified to hear what had happened to their dog and agreed immediately to

have

him come live with them.

There was just one problem: The wife was nearly broke after the divorce

and

their initial move. She could take no time off from work to drive to New

Hampshire and get the dog, and she couldn't afford any other method of

getting

him to her. She hated to have Samson in the shelter any longer but didn't

know

what to do. " We'll come up with something, " the staff assured her, but in

their

hearts they didn't know what. They were concerned, as well. Samson had

lived

with his family all his life. Within a few weeks, his whole world had been

turned upside down. He was beginning to mope, and the staff could tell by

his

eyes that if he wasn't back with his family soon, he would give up.

Christmas was only two weeks away when the angel arrived. He came by

pickup truck in the form of a man in his mid-thirties. Through a friend of

a

shelter staffer, he had heard about Samson's plight. He was willing to

drive

Samson to Pennsylvania, and he would do it before Christmas.

The staff was thrilled with the offer, but cautious. Why would a

stranger

drive hundreds of miles out of his way to deliver a dog to people he didn't

know? They had to make sure he was legitimate and that Samson wouldn't be

sold

to meat dealers or dumped along the interstate.

The man understood their concerns and, thankfully, checked out to be an

upstanding citizen. In the course of the conversation, he explained why he

had

come forward.

" Last year, I left my dog in my van while I went to do some grocery

shopping, " he explained. " While I was inside, the van caught fire. I heard

people hollering and rushed out to see my van engulfed in flames. My dog

meant

everything to me, and he was trapped. I tried to get to the van, but people

restrained me. Then I heard someone shouting, 'The dog is safe! The dog is

safe!' I looked over, and there was this man I'd never seen before, holding

my

dog. He had risked his own life to get my dog out. I'll forever be in his

debt. Just when you don't think there are heroes any more, one comes along.

" I vowed then and there that if I ever had the chance to do someone a

good

turn when it came to a beloved pet, that I would. When I heard about Samson

and

his family, I knew this was my chance, so here I am. "

The shelter staff was amazed. They all knew about the van rescue

story.

It had been in all the papers, and the shelter had even given the rescuer a

reward, but they had never dreamed that Samson's angel was connected to this

earlier good deed.

A few days later, Samson and his angel were on their way. The dog

seemed

to know he was going home, because his ears perked up and his eyes were

brighter

than they had been in some time.

Just before Christmas, the mail brought one of the best cards the

shelter

had ever received. Along with a thank-you note were photos of a deliriously

happy Samson romping with his family in the snow and snuggling with them by

their Christmas tree. Samson was truly where he belonged, and the staff

knew he

would live out his days happily there.

They also knew that Samson's journey home was a true Christmas miracle,

and

that angels - and heroes - may still appear when you need them, even in the

most

unlikely forms.