Ellie

Sue didn't know where the big black dog in the backyard had come from. It had just showed up this morning. She didn't even know how it had gotten into the yard, what with the gates closed. She needed to open the gates and lure it out, but she wasn't sure if the dog was vicious.

Gathering her courage she went out into the yard to open the gates up. She opened the one beside the house first, then the one to the alley. The dog followed beside her panting the entire time. When she was done, she went back inside, leaving the stray on the patio.

Lunch came and went, and Noah and Neil wanted to go outside to swing and play. It'd been a good hour since she last saw the stray dog leave the yard by the alley gate. So she took the boys outside, and she shut the gates.

They'd spent a good thirty minutes outside before the trouble began. The boys were playing on the swing set. Sue was weeding the garden beds. Suddenly, a man climbed over the alley gate.

Noah and Neil immediately screamed and ran to their mother. Sue jumped up from the gardening and ran towards the boys. They were all rightly scared, for the man came at them waving a knife and screaming at them all to lie on the ground. Even if Sue would have brought the phone out with her, she would have never had enough time to call 911.

The man advanced on them menacingly, because they were not moving fast enough for him. He waved the knife and hollered at them some more. Neil started crying louder. Noah moved behind his mother. About then, a miracle happened.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sue seen a blur of black soar over the fencing. Out of nowhere, a black furry body launched into the horrible man. The black dog was back, and she was fighting the man for his knife. She was biting and shaking and growling. She was a fighting machine, and her target was the intruder.

The man aburply screamed and dropped the knife. Turning, the would-be abductor fled the scene. The amazing black dog chased after him until the man jumped back over the gate. Then the beautiful dog trotted back to Sue and her boys.

Standing up, Sue took the boys and their new dog inside the house. Calling the police, she reported the intruder and asked for a car to be sent out. She wanted that knife gone. They sent a car almost immediatily and took Sue's statement and picked up any evidence left in the back yard.

She made the boys a snack and gave them chocolate milk to calm them down. Then she looked over the large ball of fur. The solid black with a pink tongue German shepherd, possibly full blooded, turned out to be a female dog. She had a beautiful bone structure. Sadly, her fur was all matted and dull.

Noah and Neil both wanted to name her Ellie. Sue thought that was a beautiful name for an awesome dog. They loaded the Ellie up and took her to see the vet, where she got a clean bill of health and a set of booster shots. Then they took Ellie shopping at PetSmart.

Ellie got a good grooming and Sue waited patiently off to the side for her to be finished. While Ellie had a bath, the boys took a cart through the store and picked out toys and dog supplies their Mother told them they could pick out. When Ellie was done Sue picked out a good dog food and went to the checkout line with the boys and Ellie.

When they got home, they set all Ellie's new things out around the house. They would give Ellie her furever home. Not because they were rescueing her, but because it was meant to be. She was their rescuer.