Early in June of 2024, Judy Flicker was outside working in her gardens when she heard a whimpering sound. At first she chose to ignore it but as the woeful sound went on, she decided to check it out. Judy lives near Lake Crystal in Morris and the sound was coming from somewhere closer to the water. There are paths behind the old bus garage leading toward the lake. She decided to walk down one of the paths and see what was making the noise.
As she walked and the sound got louder, she came upon a very upsetting sight. There was a dog, tied to a tree, in very unhealthy conditions. The dog was matted, fur tangled, dirty and very thin. It’s leash was wrapped tightly around the tree almost strangling the dog. It was whimpering probably from pain but also hunger, thirst and neglect. Judy went home, got a blanket and transported the dog to the Stevens County Humane Society.
A police report went out about the lost dog and no one reported it missing. Almost immediately, Kathleen Jost and April Mevissen at the Humane Society knew where this dog needed to go. A good customer and dog lover had just lost her dog of nearly 13 years. They called Karen Bolling and told her she had to come and see this dog.
Karen was not quite ready for another dog after the difficult choice to put her dog MacGuyver down due to physical problems. That had only happened a week before the call so the thought of getting another dog was not her priority. With the encouragement of the ladies at the Humane Society she decided to at least go and meet the dog.
Karen admits that she was not prepared for what she saw or the love that formed almost immediately. It was obvious that the dog everyone started to call Crystal, because of where she was found, had been abused and neglected. The way she was left tied to a tree to die was just one of the inhumane signs of this abuse.
When Crystal first met Karen, the love was mutual. Crystal got really excited and ran up to her wanting attention. Karen soon recognized that this dog would be with her for the rest of its life.
Crystal had to stay for a bit longer at the Humane Society. She was washed, x-rayed and an ultrasound done to make sure she was not pregnant and a procedure done to ensure that did not happen in the future. She underwent shots and blood tests. The veterinarians determined from her teeth that Crystal was 3-4 years old. She ate some healthy food to get back her strength and on the road to normalcy. Crystal also had a large cut on her side perhaps from another animal or from being tied up. This was stitched up in order to heal properly.
Karen visited Crystal every day, sometimes multiple times each day. They formed a bond that is unbreakable and eventually Karen was able to take her new pet home.
Crystal loved her new home and ran around excitedly. Every day Karen would work with her and train her to do new things. Crystal took easily to being trained to go outside and had very few accidents. Karen was told to enroll her in obedience classes but she didn’t see the need as she could do that on her own. Also since the dog had been abused, Karen worried about scaring her. The two went to the dog park often and Crystal learned to love those excursions.
However, Karen started to notice a few things about some of those trips. When told to get in her kennel, Crystal would cower down low and whimper. The same would happen when asking her to get in her dog house. Instead of being excited to fetch sticks, Crystal would react with fear. Karen patiently worked with Crystal to teach her that these things were no longer forms of punishment and now the dog will happily engage in these commands.
Karen has had a love of animals, especially dogs, since her mother got the first family dog when Karen was 14 years old. After leaving home, Karen waited until she had a home of her own before getting a dog. This dog was a puppy she got from Wes and Ione Lange and she had him for 14 years. Her second dog, named Festus by her husband, was a black lab cross and also lived to old age with the couple. McGuyver was her third dog and the last one she intended to raise due to her age.
However, Crystal and the veterinarians at the Humane Society knew better and both are pleased about the new ownership. Karen has a lot of praise for the Humane Society and would encourage anyone looking to adopt a pet, to consider a rescue animal at the Humane Society. However, there is something a new pet owner needs to do first.
“If you are thinking about getting a pet,” Karen advised, “my hope is that you will be able to take good care of it. Consider how much time you will need to put into working with the pet and attention the animal will need. You can’t just get a pet and then leave them in a kennel for long periods of the day. Give them a lot of Tender Loving Care.”
The Humane Society not only needs people to adopt pets but also volunteers to come in and spend time with the animals. Karen said that volunteers need to help not just with cleaning the cages but also with walking the dogs or cuddling the cats. These needs are just as important as food and water.
If you find the right pet, it can actually become like a family member. Karen said that Crystal sleeps in bed with her and follows her around religiously. She is now working with Crystal to stop jumping when she gets excited, especially around children. Again since Crystal had been abused she has to be careful with the way she says no. Karen puts her on a leash, gently pulls back when the dog wants to jump and says ‘no’. Crystal is starting to learn that this is not okay.
“Even though I was not ready when I got that phone call,” Karen admits, “I am glad they chose me. They said that the minute they met Crystal, they knew that this dog belonged with me. I am glad they saw this and moved forward on it.”
