HOLLY #177 *

#177 HOLLY (Lab/Golden X) Little Rock, AR - Argusville, ND HOLLY #177, a beautiful Labrador/Golden Retrieve mix, 1 y/o, about 35#, female became a star on this trip which began with her being rescued from a Little Rock, AR, kill shelter, being fostered in a Cabot rescue, and then being the subject of a film crew who followed her journey which was to culminate in Argusville, ND Debbie B, her rescuer, said Holly was a sweet little dog who has been at the shelter a LOOOOOOOONG time! Apparently she is either so sweet or was just overlooked when it was time to euthanize. But thank goodness for that — now she has a wonderful forever home to go to where she will be loved and pampered for the rest of her life In Jan 07 Classy Lady/Sue received a call from Nicole Henrich of RIVR Media in Nashville, TN. They had picked the Operation Roger ... Truckers Pet Transport group to film a demo. Our assignment was to identify a couple of our pets needing rides and let them know their stories, which needed to be compelling and have a Pet Finder connection. We put out the word and quickly found three possibilities. These puppy doggy stories were then relayed back to Nichole. Her team considered the possibilities and decided upon Holly. Our next task was to find not only just the right driver to transport Holly but the driver would also agree to be on film. This proved to be a bigger task for not all drivers wanted to be filmed. Driver John K stepped up to the plate and picked up Holly on Sunday 1/29. He not only had Holly on board with him and his Lab X, Buddy, but also one of the cameramen, Brud G, rode along while another cameraman, Dave S, followed in the chase vehicle. The journey took them south to Baton Rouge, LA, on John's run before heading north toward North Dakota. Two cameramen were about to get a crash course into the trucking world! After extensive filming the trio split off in West Memphis, AR, on 1/30. The cameramen headed for Springfield, MO, where they filmed Operation Roger Assistant Co-ordinator, Leanne S, keeping the Lead Co-ordinator, Michelle G, of OH, apprized of the transport. In the meantime, John K headed for Cincinnati, OH, where he picked up about 200# of surplus dog food a Chow rescue there wished to share with the Laverne Chow Rescue, north of Minneapolis, MN. Holly's new "parents," Mike and Sara, drove from their home in Argusville, ND, to Minneapolis, MN, to meet with John, the two cameraman, and Holly. That day, the temperature was well below O degrees with the wind driving the temperature down even further. John reports the transfer of some 200# of dog food from the upper bunk of his truck to the vehicle of the receiving rescue was done in less than 10 minutes. Arranged by Debbie Brattan, AR Southern Dog Rescue, Little Rock, AR Operation Roger driver John K pu 1/28/07 del 2/4/07 ************************************************************* The following message was received from the Chow rescue from Laverne, MN: We met John on his recent trip to Minnesota — we stored the dog food coming from Ohio to Laverne , Mn. John is a very genuine guy, concerned and very excited about Operation Roger and impressed us with his dedication — unloading dog food at -30 wind chills! It is great to know about your organization and we are happy to help in anyway we can! If you have trucks coming to the Twin Cities from Ohio that can take the rest of the dog food for Laverne Chow Rescue, let us know — we have a person driving from the Twin Cities to Laverne about twice a month and can get it moved. Blessings, Barbara Miller —Fleischhaker ********************* In another added note to this transport, Operation Roger would like to congratulate John on another accomplishment: On February 17, 2007, at the 2nd Annual Truckers Ball held in Scranton, PA, sponsored by Nighttime, a short-wave radio program, John's photo of Holly and Buddy, John's own pet, won First Place in the photo contest. This contest was open to all truck drivers to showcase photos they had taken. Judging was done by all the participants attending the ball. Second place in the same photo contest went to Operation Roger driver Chris C for his picture of Capone. Fourth place went to another Operation Roger driver, Candy G, for her photo of the Japanese Gardens in Huntington, CA. Congratulations to all three of these drivers *************************************************************