THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 28, 1996 TAG: 9601260269
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Mary Reid Barrow
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
In an instant Wili Engel knew something was drastically wrong when she looked through the underside of a pickup truck heading down Virginia Beach Boulevard and saw the legs of a four-legged creature moving along, barely touching the road.
``We were looking from the driver's side and looked under the car and saw legs running,'' Engle said.
Her husband Harry and other nearby drivers began honking their horns as each realized the problem. A little dog, tied to the bed of the pickup truck, had jumped or fallen off onto the road and was desperately trying to keep up as the truck moved away from the light.
The Engels were stopped at the Oceana and Virginia Beach boulevards intersection as the truck began to pick up speed. At the sound of the honking, the driver looked around but didn't realize it was because of the dog.
``Then the truck started going so fast, the dog was spinning around,'' Engel related. ``And luckily he slipped out of his collar. I saw him spin off to the side of the road. I figured he had broken his back and he'd have to be put to sleep. He was flipping around and couldn't get up.
``When he got up and began to run, he'd fall down and run again. He went through a couple of yards.''
Fortunately that was the worst of it. From then on, it was all up hill for the young brown and black dog, because Engle was out of the car and to the rescue, running through the yards herself. When the pup stopped running momentarily, blocked by a fence, Engle squatted and called.
``He came right to me,'' she said, ``limping on his left rear leg. I still thought we'd have to have him destroyed.''
She carried the dog back to where her husband was waiting. ``He was greasy and dirty,'' Engel said, ``and we were patting and holding him.''
The man in the pickup truck drove back, looked down at the dog in her arms, drove off again and never returned. The driver must have known it is against the law to have a dog in the back of a pickup truck and drove off to avoid paying a fine, Engel surmised.
Immediately, the couple took off for veterinarian Dr. Jack Cochran, who treats their three dogs. Cochran offered to help them out with a discount on his fees. Turns out the dog had only a bruised and scraped hip.
The dog is about 8 to 10 months old now, Cochran told them, and probably will fill out but not grow much larger. He has a Doberman's brown and black coloration. Brown spots over his eyes look like perky brown eyebrows and he has brown boots on his legs.
``He was shell-shocked the first three days,'' Harry Engel said. ``But just like that, he settled down when he got over the pain.''
The Engels got him all his shots, had him wormed and gave him a good bath. Earlier this week, they even went ahead and had the little dog neutered.
The pup certainly appeared to be over his trauma as he played with the Engels' 4-year-old nephew, Wells Legler, who calls him ``Billy Dog.'' Every so often Billy Dog would come around to the adults in the room and put his head or fore paws on their laps for a little love.
``He doesn't act like an abused dog,'' Engel said. ``And he's healthy and not skinny.''
The Engels already have three dogs, one of which doesn't like Billy Dog, so the pup is staying with Wili Engel's sister and mother of Wells, Perri Legler. The Leglers are not low on pets either. They have two dogs, two cats, rabbits and fish so both couples want to find Billy Dog a good home.
``He's house-trained and real good with kids,'' Legler said. ``He has a real nice disposition.''
All are emphatic that the only way the dog is leaving the family is to a home they approve of.
``I want to find him a good home, not just a home,'' Harry Engel said. ``We could find a home anywhere.''
If you are interested in giving Billy Dog a really good home, call the Engels at their business, Hatteras' Silkscreen, 486-2976.
P.S. Persimmon tree fancier Sam Gollub called to suggest that anyone who wants a persimmon tree from the Virginia Dare Soil & Water Conservation District Seedling Sale should buy two of them at least to try to get both a male and a female persimmon because females are the ones that bear the orange fruit. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by MARY REID BARROW
Joining the very lucky Billy Dog on the couch are: Perry Legler,
left, Wili Engle, Harry Engel and Wells Legler. The Engels rescued
the dog from the truck incident; the Leglers are keeping him until a
new owner can be found.
by CNB