32 REMINISCE.COM * JULY 2018
To o G o o d
Not to Share
by Michael Steczo • Milliken, COhen I was growing up on the
south side of Chicago in the
1950 s, I had a pet collie named
Lady. For nine years, Lady and
I were inseparable and, at 14 ,
I loved her with all my heart.
She had uncanny intelligence and instinct.She’d saved my little brother Ricky’s life when
he’d toddled into an alley just as a large truck
was turning into the lane.
Lady ran to Ricky and pinned
him up against a fence until
the truck passed.
One day I went to do
my paper route, leaving
Lady in our yard as usual.
Unfortunately, I forgot to lock
the gate and she got out.
When I realized she was
gone, I was devastated. For
weeks, I searched high and
low for her, to no avail. I had
to resign myself to never
seeing her again. My sorrow
almost overwhelmed me.
Yet a few months later,
while riding in my cousin’s car
several blocks from my house,
I saw a man walking a dog that
looked a lot like Lady.
“Stop the car!” I shouted.
“That’s my dog!”
I spoke to the man, who
A teenage boy, a disabled older woman
and the special dog they both loved.W
told me that the dog was his mother’s; she’d
had her for several months. He looked doubtful
when I told him she was mine, so I turned to
her and said, “Lady, come.” She immediately sat
next to me in the heel position.
“It appears she is your dog,” said the man,
who had found her wandering around his
neighborhood and had taken her in. I was eager
to get her home, so I agreed to go with him to
break the news to his mother.
When we got to the house,
Lady ran directly to the
man’s mother, who was in
a wheelchair.
Lady had been the woman’s
constant companion since
they’d found her, the son said,
and had done wonders for his
mother’s attitude and outlook
on life.
It was clear by the way
she sat so faithfully at the
woman’s side that Lady had
bonded with her.
When the woman learned
I was there to reclaim my
lost dog, she began to cry.
Her son, who was also crying,
apologized but insisted that
they give Lady back.
By this time tears were
streaming down my cheeks,
too. I was faced with a terribleHEROIC HOUNDS
Since 2011, American Humane’s
Hero Dog Awards have honored
caninesinsevencategories.
Abigail, above, a victim of
dogfighting, was the 2017
Emerging Hero winner and the
top Hero Dog overall. The 2018
finalistswerenamedinMayand
the winner will be announced
at a gala to be televised on
the Hallmark Channel this fall.~ ABIGAIL ~AMERICAN HUMANEOur Heroes