Meet Crash Gladys.  She's an adorable 4 month old deaf border collie, bred by a backyard breeder in Butte, Montana.  I orginally heard about her in the Dogster group. Deaf but not Dumb.  A lady in Maine was going to adopt her, but wasn't able to and was very concerned about the conditions Crash was living in.  Since Crash was in Butte, I told her I'd see if I couldn't find her a home.  I posted a message on the Deaf Dogs List, hoping that someone would be interested in adopting her.  That night, I heard from a really nice woman, Jan, who was interested in adopting her.  Jan then contacted the "breeder" and they agreed, Jan would adopt Crash.  Now, Jan lives outside of Chicago and Crash had to find a way to get there.  I offered to take her with us when we head to the east coast at the end of December, but Jan couldn't wait that long.  Jan looked into setting up a transport, but discovered that wasn't going to work either.  So Jan decided to have Crash flown from Montana to Chicago, but Crash had to a) get a health certificate from a vet and b) get to the airport.  I, of course, agreed to get Crash to the airport at the appointed day and time.  Getting the health certificate proved slightly more difficult.  Crash's "breeder" doesn't drive and she doesn't live in town, so getting her to the vet was an ordeal.  When she got to the vet's, she wasn't healthy enough to fly.  Poor Crash was malnourished, dehydrated and had worms.  She would have to stay at the vet until she was well enough to fly home.  A few days later, Jan called.  Crash would be well enough to go home in 2 days-the day after Thanksgiving.  Could I pick her up that day and put her on a flight out of Bozeman Saturday morning?  Of course I could!  On that cold, dark Friday morning, Matt and I both woke up early to drive to Butte.  Two "hills", a cup of coffee and a wrong turn later, we arrived in Butte, excited, but anxious to finally meet this puppy.  At first. she was a little scared of us, but quickly warmed up to us, giving us kisses.  On the way home, she had fun exploring the car.  At home, she started by giving all of our dogs play bows, and tried to run around with them in the yard.  Inside, she was a holy terror, racing all over the place, climbing on the coffee table, the couch, and the counter, and falling off of the couch onto Doc.  Oh, and did I mention that she wasn't housebroken in the least?  But we adored her anyways (and Matt is the one who named her Crash).  That night, we prepared her crate for her big trip.  We lined her crate with blankets to keep her warm, and acting on the advice of another rescuer who has flown numerous dogs, we froze some water and a stuffed Kong for her.  The next morning, we woke up early again (I know, 2 days in a row. That's unheard of for me and Matt!) to get Crash to the airport by 7:30.  Even though she'd only been with us for a day, it was hard to leave her.  We already loved her and were worried about her.  What if something happened to her, or she got lost in transit?  And even more importantly, what if Jan thought she was too much of a handful, or wasn't who I thought she was.  I kissed her goodbye with tears in my eyes, hoping that everything would work out for her.

    That day seemed like one of the longest days of my life, waiting for word from Jan that she had arrived safely.  When I hadn't heard from Jan by 4:30 (Crash was supposed to arrive at 2:45), I gave in to my anxiousness and called Jan.  Crash had been delayed and she had just arrived.  Jan sounded so happy on the phone, which once again, brought tears to my eyes.  I was still worried that Jan had no idea what she was getting herself into, but things were off to a good start.

    A few days I heard from Jan.  Crash is fitting into her new home very nicely.  One dog mothers her, while another one is her wrestling partner.  She is gaining weight and her coat is coming in much thicker, and she is learning about housetraining.  She is loved and adored, and her new family is very greatful to have her.

    If time permits, we have been invited to come visit Crash in Chicago on our way home in January.