Hudson was rescued by B.O.N.E.S. from a bad situation in Limington, ME. After the gentleman called 911 (and subsequently passed away), the local ACO found 20 dogs living in squalid conditions.
B.O.N.E.S. took most of them and found them new homes. Overall, Hudson was in very good shape but when he had his physical, they found a serious mast cell tumor in his nose. As much as possible was removed.
B.O.N.E.S. wanted to find a wonderful home for Hudson and we did. John is a long-haul trucker that had lost his beagle companion of 13 years. He wanted a new companion. Luckily John found Hudson (or Hudson found John). It was a wonderful match. Hudson reported in regularly, and we share his "Chronicles" on this page.
Greetings from Bakersfield, Ca.
Before I get started, I'll let you know that I'm including a picture that will tell you the answer to last months question. I'm sure you have either, been able to answer the question, or have not been able to sleep for not knowing. Sorry about that.
Well anyway, since my last update, John and I had a trip out to the midwest. We had some barn doors going to Pennsylvania, and a machine that had to go out to Minnesota. After we delivered the machine, we headed to Iowa, where we loaded a skid steer loader. After we got it loaded we headed south on hi way 71 to our next pickup. about 10 miles later, there was a loud bang and the truck started pounding and shaking like it was falling apart. John got the truck pulled over and came to a stop, only to find out that the front tire had a blowout! Luckily, we had just come into a town, so there was a shoulder where John had room enough to pull over. Just a few hundred yards back, the road was a country two lane road with no shoulder. He was also able to find a tire company in town that was able to come out and replace the tire. The problem was that the tire that exploded was brand new. John had both front tires replaced before we left on this trip. He's still waiting to see what is going to be done about this. It was pretty exciting, to say the least.
After the tire was replaced, we were back on our way. Our next stop was Roulette, PA, where we had a car to load that was headed back to Maine. The car didn't run, and John was told that the owner would help him get it on. Famous last words. John called and got directions to the residence and as soon as he turned off the main road there was a sign that said load limit 20 tons. Well, we are close to that with just our empty weight! We've been in this situation before, and, as any seasoned professional knows, just ignore the sign. Well, the next road had a sign saying 10 ton limit. We were both getting a little nervous at this time. We could see the house, so we were almost there! That's when we came upon the bridge that said 10 ton limit as well. By this time, John was mumbling under his breath. He set the brakes and got out and started walking toward the bridge. By this time a couple of men were walking toward the truck. they started talking and pretty soon John was back. Log trucks used these roads and bridges all the time, so over the bridge we went.
John got his ramps set up and was able to use the skid steer to pull the car up the ramps, on to the trailer. I have to admit, the second try, they looked like they knew what they were doing. That's right, I said the second time. The first time wasn't so pretty. They had a strap on the car and hooked a chain to the strap and in turn hooked it to the skid steer. John gave the neighbor, who was helping, a chock block, just in case something happens. Things were going well and the car was half way up the ramps when the strap broke. Well, the car started rolling backwards,the neighbor threw the chock block under the car and missed the tires, and the car was rolling right for the guardrail. Luckily, it stopped before hitting the guardrail. They pushed the car back into position and hooked a chain instead of a strap. At this time, they noticed that the strap had put a hole in the radiator, so antifreeze was leaking and running everywhere. The second time went like a charm, and it was fun to see the three of them so excited and proud of themselves.
Our last pick up was in New York, where we had a mini excavator to pick up. It was in a tight residential neighborhood. John had arranged to meet the owner at his house after he got home from work. He was delayed in traffic, so by the time he got home, it was dark! On top of that, it had started to rain. By the time John had everything loaded, chained and put away, he looked pretty cold and wet. I actually felt sorry for him. He had trouble getting turned around in the narrow streets, but after about 45 minutes we were headed out! At least nothing went wrong.
The next morning, we unloaded the skid steer at a dealer in Massachusetts, where they came out with a forklift and unloaded it off the front of the trailer, saving John a lot of work. Next came the car. We delivered it t a body shop that was going to restore it for the new owner. They knew what they were getting into, so when we showed up, they had a meeting of the minds, and decided to set up the ramps and roll it off into a field beside the parking lot. The owner had shown up about the time the ramps were set up, so he was volunteered to get in the car and go for a "ride" Since the car didn't run, it didn't have brakes and the steering was really hard. He looked a little nervous, but they assured him he was working with professionals. Unfortunately, John had already told him about the mishap loading the car. They gave the car one last heave-ho, and off it went, bouncing and bucking all the way to the field, just like they had planned. Again, there was cheering and clapping, like they just sent someone to the moon.
The next morning, we were in Machias, Maine delivering the excavator. That came off without a hitch, and we were finally on our way home, ready for our next adventure.
Hudson, the semi-beagle
