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The Legacy of Old Fella by Gary Shapiro
“Went camping this weekend at a campground on the lake, had not been there for a few years. Once there I began to walk around looking at the different sites when I noticed a very old dog. He just lay there until I got too close then he got up on three legs and hobbled away. Just judging I would say he is at least 11 years old. Well back to my story. The next afternoon he wanders into camp and just sits there looking. He looked so sad, so the wife got a bowl of our dog’s food and put it down for him and he came over and ate. He then walked over to our dog and the two of them sniffed each other over and then they lay down together for the rest of the afternoon. That night he disappeared.”
This was written on Labor Day, 2005 by a semi-retired Southern Baptist preacher from Georgia named Richard Daniels on a popular camping and Recreational Vehicle online forum called “RV.net”. Thus began one of the most incredible stories in animal rescue, one that is still being written. This old black dog, probably part Labrador and part Chow (and part who-knows-what), had been haunting this campground in South Carolina for about 5 years, living off of campers’ handouts and what he could get from neighboring farms. Half of his foot was missing, likely the result of getting caught in a steel trap, he was mangy, half-starved and flea-ridden, and apparently very wary of humans. Richard was asking the people on the pet-related part of the forum whether he should go back to the campground and rescue the dog. His intentions at the time were merely to get it to his vet and see whether the dog could be saved and adopted out. The response was overwhelming and unanimous that he should go back, which he did, but, at first he couldn’t find the dog, and then couldn’t catch the wary canine. Finally, with the help of some friends and some sedatives obtained from the vet, he managed to trap the dog and dropped it off at the vet. Meanwhile, an increasing number of RV and camping (and dog) enthusiasts were already becoming addicted to the daily postings about the dog that had already been named “Old Fellow” (soon to be revised to “Old Fella”)….
The vet soon reported the news on Old Fella: the dog had heartworms, needed surgery on the bad foot, a tumor that needed to be removed, and needed extensive dental work, as well as a general cleaning up. The heartworm treatment would be risky, especially for a dog of Fella’s age and condition, and again Richard asked the forum members what he should do, and again they advised him to go ahead. Old Fella struggled, but pulled through the initial treatments and started his recovery. The vet graciously offered to reduce his fees for the treatment and boarding of Old Fella, and forum members donated enough money to cover the rest of his rather extensive veterinary expenses.
Now came the problem of what to do with the old dog. Initial attempts to find a new home failed, and most of the forum members were now urging Richard and his wife Sue to adopt him themselves. At first, he was reluctant, because he already had an Australian Shepherd named Levi and his wife’s cat, Izzie, and he wasn’t sure they would all get along. The dog, however, had already become much more trusting of Richard, and their relationship was already blossoming. Finally, Richard and his wife talked it over and decided to keep the dog and, on October 3, 2005, four weeks after the first post, Old Fella joined his “forever” home, but the story was just beginning….
Fella quickly began to recover and thrive at the home of the Daniels, becoming good friends with Levi and even the cat. He began to put on weight (eventually a bit too much, and he had to go on a diet). Meanwhile, the online family continued to grow and daily updates were “demanded” of Richard and his new friend. Old Fella had literally been adopted by hundreds of RV and pet enthusiasts around the country and the world. Already, there was talk of using his story to help other stray and abandoned dogs. Unfortunately, the entire county that Richard lived in had one shelter and one part-time employee, and virtually no budget, with a big stray dog problem that almost always resulted in death for the dogs, if they were caught. Richard promised that he would try to help his town and county do better. An author volunteered to write a book about Old Fella (it is still looking for a publisher), and a movie deal was talked about and Old Fella even got an “agent”. Several of the forum regulars suggested that a rally be held the following summer to celebrate the rescue of Old Fella (a rally is a gathering of campers or RVers for socializing, sharing stories and just enjoying each other’s company). It was eventually decided to hold the rally the following June at a campground in Branson, Missouri, because of its central location and numerous attractions.
Fella continued to improve both his condition and his outlook, becoming more used to his new home and new routine, and more trustful of people in general. It became quite clear that he had been a well-cared-for pet at one point in his life, and had even had some training. Richard posted pictures on the forum, and you could see the improvement over even the short time since the rescue, especially the eyes, which no longer sported the “haunted” look they had earlier. Talk continued of the rally and the book, and the online family continued to grow.
Meanwhile, the heartworm treatment continued and Fella had to return to the vet for one last treatment before he could be put on a regular preventative. Suddenly, the old dog had trouble breathing. The dead worms had lodged in his lungs and they almost lost him. For the first of many times, Richard and the forum members prayed for his survival and Fella, always the fighter, pulled through. Old Fella was going to need some recovery time, but he would be OK. Once again, he had beaten the odds, and had even started to join Richard and his family on camping trips, going with them to Disney World in November.
Finally, in late November, I discovered the thread and read all the way through, which now had reached over 134 pages and more than 1300 responses. I had to keep a box of kleenex handy, as this had all the qualities of real “human” drama: humor, pathos, suspense and even a (so far) happy ending (or beginning). I soon became addicted to the thread, and looked forward to reading the updates each day. I started telling others about this wonderful story, and some of them joined our growing family. I reserved a spot for myself and for my dogs Dash, Lily and Allan for the rally at Branson in June, and I immediately started looking forward to meeting Richard, his wife, Old Fella and Levi, and some of the people I had become good friends with in such a short time.
The story continued over the next few months, with several highs and lows, but through them all, Old Fella continued to thrive and act like a new dog. In February, unfortunately, I suffered my own loss when my beloved greyhound Allan developed bone cancer and had to be euthanized. I still can never forget the outpouring of support and sympathy from the members of the online forum. When June finally arrived, I packed remaining greyhound Lily and German Shepherd Dash and lots of supplies into my motorhome and headed for Branson. There, I joined about 40 other people, many with dogs and/or cats, and finally got to meet the Daniels, Levi and Old Fella in person (Cat Izzie didn’t travel). There was even a representative from Affinity group, which runs the RVing club Good Sam and several magazines and groups related to Recreational Vehicles. An article on Old Fella had already appeared in the Good Sam Club magazine, Highways, and several articles had appeared in Richard’s hometown newspaper. Fella was becoming quite the celebrity. We all had a great time at the rally, the Daniels are wonderful people, and Old Fella thrived on all the attention like he was used to it all his life. It was hard to believe that this fat, well-adjusted, friendly dog had just recently spent five years surviving on his own in a campground.
After the rally, Richard’s work had just begun. All the publicity about Old Fella had made quite an impression on his small town in Georgia, and even the Mayor became interested in Fella’s cause. A parade was held in August in his honor, and efforts began to try to save the abandoned dogs that came into the old shelter. Richard received a promise from the county that no dogs would be put to death so long as they could find sufficient funds to care for the dogs, and foster homes could be found for the dogs until they could be placed in permanent homes. Thus were the simple beginnings of the Old Fella Burke County Rescue. The forum members continued to post their support, donations began to trickle in, and foster homes were volunteered. Soon, Richard got a call: four puppies, about ten weeks old, had been dumped by an old dumpster. Richard and some friends went to pick them up. Two were rescued rather quickly, but the other two were distrustful of people and took some time to capture. One of them, apparently the one that had adopted the alpha role of the four, even bit Richard. All four eventually were captured and Richard brought them home with him to socialize them and prepare them for adoption. Soon, they all calmed down and became like normal puppies again, even the former “alpha”, succumbing to the care and love of the Daniels. Three of them found new homes with loving families, but one, Suzie (the same dog that had earlier bit Richard), appears to have settled in permanently with Richard, Sue, Levi, Old Fella, Izzie, and a continually changing cast of foster dogs and puppies, all of which continue to amuse the forum readers with their antics. Several dogs have already been adopted out to new homes. The original online thread that started it all continues to grow, and has now reached over 5000 replies and more than 100,000 views. Thus, the story continues….
What is next for the Daniels and Old Fella? An upcoming meeting will decide plans for a new shelter to be built in Burke County.. Two rallies have already been planned for next year, one in North Carolina, the other (in early June) to be held right here in Colorado, at Mountaindale Campground near Colorado Springs. I will be “co-hosting” the rally, and hope to have Richard speak to a Mensan group, perhaps a joint meeting of the Denver and Colorado Springs chapters, while he is here. He is quite an exciting speaker, and his cause is very important.
This story has gone far beyond the simple and heartwarming story of a lost dog being found and adopted by a loving couple. It represents the thousands of “Old Fellas” still out on the streets who have been lost or abandoned and need someone’s help to find that warm, loving home we sometimes take for granted. Let’s not forget that there are also thousands of people who are in a very similar situation, with less ability to care for themselves than the animals, yet often much more difficult to help. I know I have often wondered what I will do after I retire in a few short years. I now know that I will try to do everything in my power to help as many of those “Old Fellas” and “Young Fellas” as I can. There always seems to be a shortage of volunteers for shelters, rescue groups, and other agencies, and often contributing time is at least as important as contributing money. I hope to do my little part in whatever way I can.
For more information on the Old Fella story, here is a link to the online “thread” on RV.net. Reading is open to all, but you will have to register (free) if you wish to post yourself:
For those who might be interested in the rally next year in Colorado Springs, here is a link to the Rally thread: