It is a story of triumph over hardship, that tells of perseverance. A story about seeing what seems impossible and making it possible. It is wanting a spot on the bus and getting it.
Waylon, a stray golden lab-mix dog, knew his way around the area he called “home,” finding a meal here and there in a neighborhood in Carnesville, Georgia.
Maybe he’d seen the bus before and heard the sounds of joyful barking. Maybe he knew where it was going and was determined to go along with it.
Risking it all
On July 16, Waylon took a risk and ran beside the “Pup Bus” belonging to Keller Creek Dog Boarding as it made its rounds picking up fur babies that spent the day in doggie daycare. He caught the attention of owners Tyson and Ashten Cash, who videoed the dog running beside their “Pup Bus.”
“He was waiting at the stop where I normally pick up another lab,” Cash said. “He wanted on the bus so bad.”
Cash said he couldn’t pick him up because he didn’t know him. In their daycare for doggies, all dogs are vaccinated and free of ticks and fleas, and he couldn’t take the risk.
Sadie Peace, who is a regular customer at Keller Creek Dog Boarding, had been looking for a companion for her dog “Nelli,” a yellow lab.
Sadie and her boyfriend Hunter had been through all the stages with Nelli, from puppyhood to grown dog. With their busy schedules, new home, jobs, and school, they decided to put a friend for Nelli on the back burner.
When Sadie saw the Facebook Post on Keller Creek’s page, she reached out to learn more about the yellow lab running beside the bus.
A regular at Doggie Daycare
“Nelli is a regular at their daycare and so I called Tyson to find out what the story was on this dog running beside the bus,” Sadie said.
Currently, Sadie is a student studying to be a sonographer. She and her boyfriend have been together for six years, raising Nelli, who is two years old.
Sadie learned that Waylon was a stray who many in the area provided meals for and at the time, he had been staying at someone’s home who could not keep him but felt a need to help him. She took Nelli to meet him.
“I fell in love with him immediately,” Sadie said. “His mannerisms and the way he walked right up to Hunter and me with a look in his eyes that said it all. He just wanted a home and to be loved.”
When she took him to the vet for vaccinations and a health check-up, she learned he had a microchip. After several conversations with the microchip company, she waited for them to contact the owner and see if they would agree to allow Waylon to be adopted. They accepted for the company to change ownership and Waylon became a part of a new family.
A forever home
“There are so many dogs that need homes. I want to encourage anyone who wants a pet to reach out and open their home to one who needs being rescued,” Sadie advised.
As all good stories find a happy-ever-after-ending, Waylon found his seat on the bus, beside Nelli. He also has a home, a place to call his own and a family who loves him.
There is much to be learned from Waylon’s journey. Sometimes we have to risk running after what we desire, pushing through, and not giving up, to find our happy-ever-after-ending.
