last weekend was my dad's 60th birthday. we spent it at the cabin on lake whitney. it was relaxing, fun, and mildly celebratory. saturday morning we awoke to find a ancient, cute, burry, deaf, loving, smelly, blind, loving, loving, bleeding cyst eyed cocker spaniel at the doorstep. this dog looked like hangover in purple collar, but until roughly two weeks ago was obviously someone's pet. i gave her a bath, food and water, clipped the burrs out, and pinch-plucked most of the fleas. posted a sign at the local mart. inquired with neighbors. left a description with B.A.R.K. (Bosque Animal Rescue Kennel), which is volunteer and only has an answering machine. sunday morning came and we had to go. Todd and i drove 50 miles to the nearest real shelter in waco. i received a phone call this morning from the old lady that runs B.A.R.K. she was toothache sweet and this is how i imagine her. she explained that a kind elderly gentleman had called her about an ancient, cute, burr...