It's not so much that Moonbeam minded being back in a cage, this one was very spacious, there was fresh water all the time and the meals were very good and on a regular basis. She had a nice soft blanket to sleep on and it was always nice and warm in her cage. It's just that she was so used to being free and running loose that any kind of confinement was not her idea of fun. There was even a small door at the back of the cage that was opened three or four times a day to let her go out into a nice yard to take care of business and socialize with a lot of other dogs in the same predicament she was in.

She had been here for what seemed a lifetime but it had only been a month or so. She remembered very little of how she came to be in this place but she did remember that the nice man who came to feed her every day had been the one who had placed her here. He always had nice words for her and a few ear scratches to give out but there were so many animals here that he didn't have much time to spend with each of them on an individual basis.

As Moonbeam was laying on her blanket one afternoon, the nice man and another human came down the aisle and stopped in front of her cage. The nice man was speaking to the other person and was saying that the little min pin here was a rescue from the devastation caused by hurricane Dora four months ago.

He said that she had really been a mess when the rescue animal league volunteers had found her, adrift on an old door and half dead from starvation, dehydration and exposure.

The devastation caused by Hurricane Dora to Taylor County had been catastrophic. Not only was the dollar amount damage over 2 billion dollars in orchard and property loss, 174 people had lost their lives and countless animals had been stranded or killed in the aftermath of flooding.

The Taylor County Animal Rescue League had worked non stop bringing animals into a number of makeshift shelters where owners could find and claim them.

Most had been claimed within a week or two but after three months no one had come forward for this little Female Min Pin so it was assumed that her owners had either perished or she was a stray that got caught in the storm and she was transferred here to the County Animal Shelter last month.

The other person was saying that a small dog would just fit the bill as a buddy to ride the highways in an 18 wheeler which the person drove for a living.

Kneeling in front of the cage, hand stuck out, the person started speaking to Moonbeam.

My name is Charlie and I want to adopt you to be my friend and companion. It gets very lonely out on the long highway and I know a couple of truckers who have Min Pins and they seem to be the perfect long haul dog.

Charlie opened the cage door and Moonbeam felt her tail stub start to wag. She slowly walked over and sniffed Charlie's hand, and the match was made.

The bail out cost of $100.00 for Moonbeam put a little strain on Charlie's wallet. As an independent trucker, not affiliated with any union or large company, Charlie's loads were on a first come first haul find work where you can basis and things had been a little tough lately. The adoption cost covered Moonbeams stay in the shelter where she had been spayed, shots given up to date and lab work done for tests such as Heartworm and a complete blood scan to insure she was healthy.

The roar of the big K.W. diesel engine cranking up startled Moonbeam. She had been laying on the shotgun seat after totally exploring the spacious cab of the rig.

There was a nice soft bed to lay on and covers to burrow under. It was very roomy and Moonbeam was sure she would be comfortable here.

Charlie had placed a collar on her and there was a water and food dish back by the bed.

Charlie talked to her while she did her exploring and found the food and water dishes. Whatever had been in the food dish had been very tasty and filled her up so she had settled down in the right hand seat to relax while Charlie talked on.

She was in Tyron to pick up a load of citrus and haul it to Michigan. The crop had suffered severely during Dora and was just now starting to recover somewhat.

She was hauling for one of the smaller orchards on a delivery consignment basis and only had three days to get the load to Battle Creek and the big canning company there.

This was more or less a make or break load, there would be no payment until the citrus was delivered in acceptable condition and she had to post a bond for the merchandise.

Charlie didn't need a refer unit on the rig, at least this time of year because Mother nature herself acted as a cooling unit, this being the latter part of January.

As long as the roads stayed passable, Charlie figured that there was plenty of time to make the run.

Charlie then began to explain to Moonbeam that her real name was Charlene, her Father always called her Charlie, she was 35 years old and long hauling was the only life she had ever really known.

Being a woman in this field was very difficult, the industry seemed to always go around her and contract with men drivers. She knew she could make it in this business by herself if she could only get the same opportunities as her men competitors.

She and her Father had been long hauling since she had been a little girl. Things had always been a little tough competing against the big companies but they had always made a decent living.

Her Father had passed on a few months ago and all he had to leave her was this big rig tractor and a few thousand dollars in the bank. The money in the bank was mostly depleted and the tractor wasn't totally paid for so it was make this run a good run or probably be forced out of business or into bankruptcy.

She had invested just about every penny she had left for this run and she hoped Moonbeam would be happy and comfortable with her. She explained also that in the long haul business, there wasn't much time to waste, so when she made a roadside stop, Moonbeam needed to take care of her outside business quickly so they could motor on.

Moonbeam settled back as the big tractor started moving. They would pick up the trailer which was being loaded and head north.

Charlie had decided to visit the shelter while the trailer was being packed in the hopes of finding a good companion dog. She was overjoyed when she looked at the availability list and saw there was a stray female Min Pin listed. This was just what she was looking for, maybe it was a good luck omen.

It was almost dark when Charlie rolled out of the warehouse complex heading north. Moonbeam, whom Charlie called Shamrock because she hoped the little Min Pin would bring her luck, settled into the right side seat watching every move that Charlie made.

Her motions were fluid and exact as she ran through the gears picking up speed and merged onto the Interstate. The C. B. radio was on and crackling with conversation and there was wangy, twangy music coming from the regular radio. Moonbeam was lulled off into a pleasant and comfortable sleep by the steady rhythm of the big rigs tires singing on the road surface.

On July 4th, there was always big doings in Telford. Not only was the Nation's Independence Day celebrated, it was also a local celebration called BOAGYA day. This stood for Bend Over And Grab Your Ankles Day but most folks just referred to it as Bend Over Day.

This was the day that all the local politicians kicked off their annual campaigns for election or re-election to public office.

Being like a lot of small towns across Americana, most of the public officials had been in office all of their adult life, many even taking over directly from a parent. The Whittys had held the city clerk position for generations, The Johnson's were always the town Sheriff, The Calverts the dog catcher and it was basically the same for the City Council and the Mayor.

The people of this small Tennessee town just did not like change and the consensus of opinion anyway was, we know what we have keeping the same families in office, someone new or a stranger might make it worse than it was, not that it was so bad in Telford.

Most everyone knew everyone else or were related in some way and the public offices were more of figurehead positions. They didn't pay much and didn't need to because everyone in office had real jobs for their primary income. Telford's politicians were part time, if a major problem or idea needed to be considered, then a town meeting was called where everyone had a voice.

This July 4th over in Coogan Park, along with the traveling carnival which was always in town for the celebration, there were the standard orange crate podiums set up all over where the political factions could spout their promises for the coming year as well as brag on their accomplishments for the past year and the many bake sale booths, there was something new.

Bob and regina had set up a booth as a fundraiser for their rescue outfit. Many of the Min Pin Rescue League members had sent in yard sale type items and a few had even driven to Telford to help out. The proceeds were to be used to help replenish the rescue league coffers which were constantly being depleted for costs like Vet Bills, transportation and Fostering.

The booth was decorated with pictures of the plight of Puppy Mill Dogs and there were brochures explaining the chain of events which led from Puppy Mills to Pet Stores. This was very eye popping for a lot of the Telford residents, there were a lot of affirmative comments and the booth was a great success.

There were even a number of people who wanted to get involved and as there were no pet stores in Telford, a few made comments of going over to one of the larger surrounding cities and laying siege to the pet stores there with a picket line.

The Telfordites were a laid back calm people but they could get their water hot over some things and this became one of them.

Being a College town with lots of students worked out great also. The students would pick up on any cause whether they understood it or not, whether they believed in it or not or whether they supported it or not. It was any cause for a National Protest and this certainly would help to get the word out.

Moonbeam woke as Charlie engaged the "Jakes" in the slowing down process prior to pulling into a rest stop. The rat a tat tat sound of the engine brakes and the whoosh of the air brakes made quite a clatter. Dawn was just breaking as they rolled into the rest area and groaned to a stop.

It was very cold as Moonbeam walked around on her leash taking care of business. When she was done, Charlie put her back in the warm cab and disappeared for a few minutes. By the time she returned from her own nature run, Moonbeam had burrowed as far under the bed covers as she could vowing to never come out again but the smell of Charlie putting her food in her bowl overcame her chilled body and she scrambled out to eat.

Charlie slept a couple of hours with Moonbeam curled up beside her head and then it was nature call and on the road again.

Charlie had put some pads and things on the right side seat to build it up so that Moonbeam could sit up high enough to see out the windows without having to stand up and brace herself against the window frame.

Moonbeam didn't know about oncoming traffic, so every vehicle coming at them from the opposite direction she perceived as a threat and was quick to growl and bark at them as they passed. Charlie drove all day and well into the night laughing while Moonbeam tried to guard against all the Southbound traffic, making only one stop for nature and dinner.

Fifty miles south of Battle Creek, they ran into a light snowfall and their progress slowed a little but this gave Moonbeam something else to snap at as the large fluffy white flakes settled softly on the window for a few seconds before melting away.

Charlie and Moonbeam rolled into their destination a full eight hours in front of the delivery deadline. Charlie was able to pick up a trailer of boilers destined for Oklahoma City and contracted to hook up the next morning and transport the load.

Riding the highways was almost as much fun as riding the rails for Moonbeam. As winter turned to spring, and then to early summer, Charlie always kept the wing window cracked inward so Moonbeam could stick her head out the window and pretend she was flying and could conquer the world if given the chance. The sensation of the wind on her face and ears was mesmerizing to say the least.

Sometimes an insect or a small piece of road flotsam would bounce off of her head and this would cause her to yelp and pull her head back in the window but after a minute or so, she would be right back at it. It was just too much fun to let a little thing like a sharp temporary head pain deter her. Besides that, there were just too many telephone poles, fences, animals and other things that just had to be barked at as they roared along the highway.

Every trailer pickup or delivery thy made was always in an industrial complex of some kind where there were lots of big rig tractors coming and going and there was always a nearby freight yard.

As Charlie grew more confident that Moonbeam would not run off, she started letting the little Min Pin accompany her, on leash at first, but later off, into the freight office to do the paperwork and make contractual agreements.

While Charlie supervised a trailer upload or hookup, Moonbeam would usually lay in the shade by the front wheels and just watch. Sometimes without Charlie seeing her, she would make a quick trip over to the nearest boxcars to try and find a trace of Mandy and Jake. She was only gone for a couple of minutes on these excursions and was always back and waiting for Charlie to lift her up into the cab to start their new run.

The long hauls were taking a toll on Charlie. She seemed to be driven by some unknown demon to make as many runs as she could in the shortest time, but even Charlie got to the point of total exhaustion sometimes and had to take a couple day break.

Moonbeam always liked these two or three day breaks. As much as she liked to ride, she needed to run, play and exercise sometimes.

Most of their semi long stops were at rest areas where they would stay eight to ten hours but sometimes they would stay in a motel and sometimes when the rig needed repairs, they would stay at one of the truck stop terminals.

There were always beds and shower facilities for the drivers at these truck stops, the only problem was they were of a communal nature with little or no privacy.

When Charlie's's Father was alive, he would stand guard at the door to the shower area while Charlie cleaned up to keep the male riff raff drivers from parading in on her, with him gone now, this job fell to Moonbeam and she was very good at it.

Men drivers all along the winding Interstates learned that when they touched the doorknob to the locker room, if they heard a growl on the other side, it would be Charlie's little Shamrock letting them know that they risked losing their face if they were so bold as to open the door and stick their head in.

It was the same with the dormitory room where the beds were. Charlie would always take a bunk in a far corner and Moonbeam would lay at the foot of it and anyone getting too close was seriously warned about encroachment. Usually though, no one even came in the dormitory during the five or six hours that Charlie would be sacked out.

Business fell off during the late spring. Charlie knew that the independents were being squeezed out by the big companies. The rig was in bad need of some repairs but the money just wasn't there as much or as often as it had been a few months ago.

Charlie had managed to keep the truck and insurance payments up through May but the next few months looked pretty bleak.

It seemed like every time she got word of work to be had, there would be none available when she showed up.

Twice her rig had been vandalized while her and Moonbeam were taking a required or needed break, once at a motel and once at a truck stop.

She had been offered work by a couple of National Long Haul Companies but wasn't quite ready to throw in the towel yet.

In late June, Charlie and moonbeam went to a mass meeting of independent truckers outside of Joplin, Missouri. About 500 or so showed up and they planned a rally for the 4th of July weekend in Washington D.C. to protest rising fuel and public utility costs as well as restricted driving hours and having to stay out of the city limits for delivery areas until after 7AM. This meant they always had to wait at the rest area closet to the city, sometimes 9 or 10 hours until their big rigs could be legally on the city streets. This ordinance in all the cities only applied to the independent truckers because the large companies had city delivery contracts which they paid the city fathers for and all their rigs displayed a 24 hour authorized delivery sticker on their plates.

Charlie managed to get enough work through June to keep the wolf away from the door and the bank away from the tractor but it got real tight sometimes, especially with the continuing upward spiral of fuel prices.

The rally on July 4th was a great affair even though it didn't accomplish much more than getting some back page press coverage.

The truckers all lined up and drove through the streets of the Nation's Capital blowing their horns and making a general nuisance of themselves.

Being the 4th of July holiday weekend, most of the legislators were out of town at countryside retreats for whiskey and crumpets and after a couple of hours of listening to the blast of air horns and the roar of engines in their city, the residents had had enough and started throwing eggs and tomatoes at the big rigs.

Charlie broke the line at New York Avenue and headed for the I-495 beltway telling Moonbeam that she was getting out of there before they started shooting guns at them.

The rally had been a good idea it had seemed, no one had wanted to upset the D.C. citizens, but like all large gatherings and rally's those planning it never seem to take into consideration the feelings of the local inhabitants when their turf is invaded by some special interest group which has absolutely nothing to do with them or their lifestyle. All these rally's did did was leave their city a mess and disrupt local traffic as far as the locals were concerned.

Charlie headed East towards Topeka, Kansas. She knew of a standard load this time of year she could pick up in Topeka and haul to a ranch outside of Bosler, Wyoming. It was a load of winter feed for the range cattle. It didn't pay a fortune but it was a yearly run that her Father had always made and it was better than nothing.

They drove for three days pulling into the freight yard at 9 in the morning of July 7th. Charlie had no trailer with her to load so she would have to rent one from the freight company. She had good credit here, her Father had been well liked and besides that, the trailer would be coming right back here to Topeka as there was always a load of pork bellies to haul for the return trip from Laramie.

Charlie had forgotten to let Moonbeam out to take care of business before she went into the building. Her mind was really preoccupied with the last few days and this did not help Moonbeam's bladder any at all.

The cab was parked facing forward in a loading dock stall with the ells of the stall just below the bottom of the cab doors so that when you opened the door, you could step right out onto the platform.

Moonbeam saw this and crouching down, jumped up to the window sill and wriggled through the window and down onto the platform.

The loading dock ran completely around the building so she scampered off to find a ramp to get down to the ground and relieve her aching insides.

She decided to explore a little after finishing her business so she went back up the ramp and followed it around the building.

As she turned the far corner, she saw a number of boxcars with open doors. She decided to see if she could find any trace of Mandy and Jake and went into the first one.

It was loaded with hay and bags of feed. She sniffed around a couple of seconds and then moved on to the second one in line.

As she entered the second boxcar, something whacked her a glancing blow on the back of her head and sent her tumbling towards the back of the boxcar, stunned.

Her vision was blurred and she was too groggy to stand on her feet when suddenly the barred door to the boxcar was slammed shut and a few seconds later with a lurch the train started moving.