Scared of Thunder ......................................... Will Travel.

In appreciation of Wicket Hubert Warwick Bannister Lanman....... the first.

It was a very cold Edmonton night, just a couple days before Christmas. It reached -40 that evening, and had been -30 or worse all week. Zeto was driving down 50th St. when she saw this mangy looking fur-ball running down the middle of the road. She had the decency to stop, unlike the many other passers by.

She had the kindness in her heart to bring him home and show him love. He wasn't in the best of shape. First of all, he stunk. His fur was so matted and full of rubbish, that it wasn't until Zeto cut out most of the mats that the smell began to dissipate. As she removed his outer layer she discovered he only had one eye and was very hungry. He didn't seem to have suffered too badly from the cold. He just needed to be somewhere warm, and sleep. He was a shy dog at first, but immediately fell in love with her little girl Tiny. Zeto I'm sure contemplated keeping him for her family to love, but wasn't quite sure of how to add one more mouth to feed into her already very full home. After a couple days to let him settle, and once the neglect he suffered became more obvious to her, she made the decision that he was better off anywhere, but where he came from.

That night she went to bed exhausted. She prayed for guidance, patience and understanding in this difficult situation, right before Christmas. That night she dreamed he was sleeping with me in my bed. She dreamt that I had a dog, and that dog was him. She called me the next day, and she said just this “SO I found this really nice little dog a couple days ago, and last night Les, you wouldn't believe it, but I dreamt you two were sleeping together.” Now I'm not one to believe in dreams, or one to ask God for help. But right then in my life I needed someone. My love was bursting at the seams, my fear was so big, and I was feeling so hurt. I needed someone to love, and someone who would love me unconditionally. That afternoon I spoke with Bex and asked if it would be OK if we got a puppy, and of course it was more than OK. I don't know why I just knew that when I went to Zeto's I was going to come home with him.

Lol's had already dubbed him Hubert, but that name didn't fit to me. I knew he would be someone else when I got him home.

My first stop was at Bean's, I wanted to show off this animal, I hadn't claimed him as mine yet. I wasn't attached. I was only holding onto him for a while, just until I could find a good home.

Bean once had a beautiful dog, just like him, named Shu-Tzi. When I brought him in her house, she cried. She loved him so much, I immediately tried to give him to her. I know she was tempted. You could see that she wanted him... but she gave him to me, ; under strict instructions to take good care of him. She also let me know, with one of her big loving hugs, that she would always be there if I needed help.

I brought him back to the car and took him into the apartment. He immediately went into my room and curled up on the bed. I knew he was my puppy now. I knew we were together, and that he needed me. He was a pretty sick little guy for the first couple months, but has proven to be a worthy investment. I understand people who invest in their pets with money and love. You can't give up on them. I knew I had the power to give him a fresh start, a new life... a good life. And that's just what we did. After all the surgeries he needed 20 teeth removed, he needed to be fixed, he needed an existing hernia operated on, and his only eye was infected.

After administering the surgeries, the eye drops, the antibiotics, the ant-iinflammatories and the cone cap. I had a new dog.

So through this all, my love for this pooch has grown. He is my companion, my friend, mon petit prince, my amigo, my compadre, my PIC....

My Wicket.








(not neglected, just resting while camping)