Thanks to a fan (and board member) of the shelter
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Going the Distance:
Ginger, the One-eyed Wonder Dog
When we first moved to Marrowstone Island eleven years ago, we had one dog and three cats. We had often thought our 6-year-old collie needed a canine companion but wanted the move to be over before we added another member to the menagerie.
So we started meeting dogs at the Animal Shelter on Critter Lane. Ginger had come over from the shelter in Clallam County. A tousled looking, 40-pound Terrier mix, with a black, curly coat, she had soulful brown eyes. She had been in her new digs at the Jefferson County shelter for about a month. We fell in love with her and brought her home. It was Halloween, 2006. She was initially intimidated by our larger dog and our big tabby cat that lived up to his name-Tiger.
But Ginger (her name refers to her ebullient personality, not the color of her coat!) became part of our family very quickly. In the last eleven years she has mourned with us the passing of our elderly pets and welcomed four new pets, including two shelter cats and a feral cat who ended up moving into our house and becoming best buds with Ginger.
When we tended a vineyard on Meade Road, she helped us control invasive voles and in our new house she barks away coyotes. Her picture graced the labels of two of our wines. Despite losing her right eye a couple of years ago to a malignant tumor, Ginger chased a deer that got through our fence. Nearing twelve years old, she still enjoys chasing her tail, ground squirrels, and our other dog. She is a trooper. And we are so glad we found her on Critter Lane more than a decade ago.
