Happy Ending #1

Music, sweet music...
-------Beautiful eyes and a smattering of freckles drew Marianne Lordi of Youngstown, OH, to the online photo of a two-year-old beagle-collie mix. What she couldn’t tell from the picture was that the canine had been saved within minutes of her life. Says Marianne, “Her time was up at the pound when the owner of Canine Crusaders, a local dog rescue, paid her fee and posted her photo online, hoping to find her a special home.”
------- Well, it worked! Marianne swooned over the photo and when she went to visit, the pup swooned right back. The dog shyly settled down at Marianne’s feet and rolled onto her back, staring up at her new human friend. “I couldn’t resist,” says Marianne. “I named her Banjo because she made my heart sing.”
-------Marianne’s choice was confirmed when, at home, the pup cast her gentle spell over the family pets. “Banjo made friends with my two Westies immediately,” remembers Marianne. No sooner was the pooch running around the yard with her new friends than the family’s ten-year-old cat walked over and began to give her kisses. “Banjo just sat there, letting the old boy check her out,” Marianne recalls. “That was all I needed to see!”
------- Nowadays, the furry charmer continues to expertly play the family’s heartstrings. “Although the dogs are both smaller than she is, Banjo always lets them win when they’re playing,” says Marianne. “She’s so gentle, even the cat plays with her.”
------- But don’t be fooled—this little virtuoso also sings to another tune. “She found out quickly that if she sat upright and begged, we would give her a treat,” Marianne informs us with a smile. “Now when we tell her that she’s had enough, she sits straight up and waits, knowing we can't resist her.”