Macon Magazine

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2023 | maconmagazine.com 83 WHEN I'M HOME, HE LIKES BEING WHEREVER I AM, AND IF I'M SITTING ON THE COUCH, HE WANTS TO BE ON TOP OF ME." — DARRELL LESTER " I am, and if I'm sitting on the couch, he wants to be on top of me." Debo loves chew toys, long walks, and riding in Darrell's truck, his head out the window to take in the scenery, ears and tongue flapping in the wind. Lester laughed and said of his new sidekick, "I no longer need an alarm clock because Debo arrives at my bedside promptly at 5:30 a.m. every morning. He's sad when he sees me getting ready for work and almost knocks me over when I get home at the end of the day. I find it hard not to spoil him." JED It was a precarious time for the Fabian family. Bonafide pet lovers, their cat died the previous year, and while they wanted to add a dog to their family, they were concerned about bringing another one home due to the advanced age and declining health of their 11-year-old rescue. Liz explained, "We were hesitant to bring in a puppy or young dog to his detriment." Meanwhile, away at college in California, Liz and Matt Fabian's daughter Faith became smitten with a large black and tan puppy she found among Bondable Pups' online photos and shared her discovery with her mother. Liz arranged for a meeting with the big, playful puppy, a German Shepherd/Brittany/Shetland Sheepdog mix (they had his DNA tested!) but told Corporal Smith that while Jed had great appeal, they were concerned about the effect a lively young dog would have on the family's senior pet and weren't ready to commit. Undaunted, Brandi arranged for the Fabians to foster Jed for a few weeks. "It was nice not to be pressured. Fostering Jed allowed us to grow a relationship with him," Liz said. Unfortunately, their elder dog died six weeks after Jed was formally adopted. Fortunately, Jed was there in his goofy glory to help mend the Fabians' broken hearts. Liz is so enamored with Jed that she wrote a musical tribute to the tune of the 1960's comedy, The Beverly Hillbillies, dedicated to the dog she loves and his namesake, Jed Clampett, and posted it to her Facebook page. MILLER & KENZIE What's in a name? For Gizmo, the beautiful Australian Shepherd mix with bright blue eyes — everything. The one- year-old pup was adopted by Bibb County deputy Joanna Stokes after seeing his online photo and calling Corporal Smith, her BSO colleague, to express interest. Corporal Stokes, employed at the Bibb County jail in booking and corrections, was unable to leave work that day, so Smith took Gizmo to the jail to visit Stokes, dazzling the deputy with his beauty and ability to perform every trick in the book. Upon adoption, Stokes promptly renamed him Miller, a throwback to his rescue story: the pup had been found at Macon's dog park on Adams Street tied to a tree alongside a case of Miller beer and an unopened bag of dog food. Stokes describes Miller as "super brilliant," but she realized he was bored and needed canine companionship. Enter Kenzie. Although not actively seeking another dog, Stokes happened upon the online photo of a longhaired merle- colored dachshund puppy. "She's brown, black, white, and gray, and I fell in love with her face," Stokes recalled. Kenzie was part of a hoarding case and, serendipitously, an available Bondable Pup. Although Stokes was love-struck, she didn't know if Miller would cotton to a sibling. Repeatedly demonstrating her passion for facilitating adoptions, Smith encouraged Miller to spend the day with Kenzie at Bondable Pups by texting Stokes photos and videos of the Bondable Pups bonding. Stokes said they're quite a pair, describing Kenzie as the cuddliest dog. "She's the boss who runs the house, and I am her person." Their love is clearly mutual: Stokes has a paw print tattooed on her arm reading, "Proverbs 12:10: The righteous take care of the needs of their animals."

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