We adopted our “Christmas Collie” eight years ago — and we laugh every Christmas remembering how Bella hid under our tree for days. Once her hiding place was hauled out to the curb, though, she had no choice but to join our family’s pack. Eventually she came around, graciously accepting her new role as “The Princess.”

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Sharing time with family is tradition during the holidays and our celebration includes our dogs. As we bestow special treats upon our pampered pets on Christmas morning, I cannot help but remember the unlucky ones still out there waiting for a home. One simply needs to Google Petfinder to see there’s a crisis. As dog lovers, we do what we can. Admirably, we adopt, we foster, we volunteer and many of us support rescue organizations financially.

There are a few dedicated people who do even more, working day in and day out, holidays included, to save lives. It’s hard work, unglamorous, costly and, often, downright heartbreaking. Nevertheless, they do it anyway. Take Connie and Dave Guthrie of Save Our Strays, Oklahoma, who never turn a blind eye to a dog in peril. Rescuing the downtrodden is their passion. Christmas day, like any other, is spent caring for the homeless of Sequoyah County, with hopes these orphans will celebrate next Christmas with families of their own.

Becoming acquainted with Connie and Dave has given me a glimpse into their world. They spend countless hours transporting dogs to safety and shadowing them for just one day left me in awe.

Connie and Dave’s extraordinary story resonates with the spirit of the season, largely in part because it’s about the unwavering love these parents feel for a child. Their daughter Stephanie passed away when she was only 23 during a transport to Joliet — yet she still serves as their compass and navigator. Connie’s voice cracks as she confides that “Stephanie will always be our little girl with the big heart who couldn’t pass up a stray. She rescued as a girl and continued into early adulthood with our support.”

The Guthrie’s commitment to their daughter’s mission keeps Stephanie’s compassionate spirit alive. “Our daughter would have wanted us to do something good and not sit around mourning her loss,” Connie says. “I know Stephanie’s pleased. She’s looking down at us, smiling from ear to ear, happy that we have continued her humane work.”

It’s humane work that merits sharing, especially because local organizations like Naperville Area Humane Society, West Suburban Humane Society, Chicago Canine Rescue and Second City Canine Rescue are all stops along the way for the Oklahoman pups the Guthries rescue. Each dog is given medical care, neutered and readied for adoption to a forever home. “If it weren’t for special people up north, these adoptable dogs would have no hope,” Connie says.

Jacquie Cobb of Second City Canine Rescue sees the other side: “They make an unbelievable drive to help the homeless and use every last resource they have!” she says.

A typical journey for Connie and Dave begins late afternoon in rural Oklahoma. Their van, dubbed, “The Dog Gone Express,” is gassed up, air pressure’s checked in the tires, snacks are packed, water bottles filled, cleaning supplies stowed and paperwork organized. They eagerly pull away from the temporary holding kennel they built with funding obtained through a Petco grant. Gizmo, their little shaggy dog rescued from a meth lab, sits in Connie’s lap as Dave takes the wheel for another trip northeast toward Illinois. It’s a grueling trip. The crates, loaded with many puppies, will require frequent stops to refill water bowls and clean, which adds considerably to the hours spent on the road.

On this trip, the weather’s not cooperating, yet they’re undeterred. Today they’re transporting 31, including several mothers with pups. Turning back isn’t an option. Returning would cost lives, so they forge ahead cautiously. A long ride with cramped quarters is a small price to pay for the rare opportunity awarded these passengers.

In fact, each could be named “Lucky” or “Chance.” Today, fate has smiled upon these dogs because two kind humans spared them from certain doom.

Throughout the night and into late morning, The Dog Gone Express continues down the road. Connie and Dave are bleary-eyed, but feel satisfaction in knowing this handful of orphans is headed toward brighter futures. Connie calls their journey, “the trip of a lifetime.” Her meaning is to be taken literally as well as figuratively.

Finally reaching their first stop, Naperville Area Humane Society, at 8:15 a.m., the road weary travelers pull up to the shelter’s side door to unload. Animal Care Manager Michelle Lenz and tech Rebecca Kolzow greet them, ready to assist. I inch close to the van with my camera as the van’s back doors swing open. Surprisingly, there’s no barking. The bewildered passengers of this transport are quiet, as tired as their drivers. I read the tough trip in Dave’s eyes.

Methodically positioned for the sequentially planned deliveries, crates display color-coded labels. These indicate what dogs go to which organization as communicated with the shelters’ managers prior to transport date.

The team gets busy unloading pink-labeled crates. A momma dog eyes these unfamiliar faces with wide, apprehensive eyes, but Connie’s familiar gentle voice reassures her. Her three puppies whimper with tails wagging and do not resist as Dave, Connie, Michelle and Rebecca gently scoop them up and transfer them into the building. The tired momma, leashed, follows compliantly behind her pups.

Next, older dogs are taken one at a time into the shelter’s kitchen where they’re checked in. They’re happy to be liberated from confinement. Most enjoy the attention and their tails wag. However, little brindle Britta with a white blaze and soft doe eyes is a bit timid. Finding a quick friend in Rebecca, she snuggles up close. In no time, Britta’s charm shines through. She welcomes a scratch under her chin and returns the favor with an affectionate kiss. Her tail, once tucked way up under her tummy, gives a slight low wag as she presses in closer for more love from her new best friend. It’s easy to fall in love with sweet Britta. I have! Those warm brown eyes — they could melt anybody’s heart. As Connie describes her sad past, I fall only harder. No doubt, she’ll make a wonderful companion for someone looking for a special dog.

With paperwork exchanged, each is given a collar with tag and escorted to a kennel. They slurp eagerly from their bowls and give every inch of their kennels the once over with a thorough sniffing. Content to have cozy bedding, they circle, circle again and settle.

Knowing these nine are in good hands, Connie pats Karl, a small shepherd mix, and gives him a tender farewell kiss. I snap another shot, capturing the powerful connection between two tired beings. Dave is already outside commencing with the unpleasant job of cleaning the now empty puppy crates. Connie grabs some paper toweling and spray disinfectant and pitches in without a minute to spare; the remaining passengers grow impatient.

Back in the van and reenergized, they head east toward their next scheduled stop, West Suburban Humane Society in Downers Grove.  Again, the van pulls up to the side door of the Ogden Avenue
shelter. Animal Care Manager Sarah Stromberg along with staff members Brigitte and Mary appear ready to help. The women smile with delight when they see the wet noses of four cute puppies pressing against the cage bars. Moonie, their momma, stands at attention with an eagle eye on her pups as they are gently cradled and taken inside. Connie reassures worried Moonie, but she’s not happy until she’s out of her crate and following her pups into the building.

Connie hands over the paperwork for the family of five she’s leaving with staff and turns her attention once again to cleaning. The Guthrie’s don’t dally, knowing the next stretch, past O’Hare International on a Friday, will be slow — and the remaining dogs want out!

We head down I-88 East to 294-North. Traversing construction and heavy traffic to the Kennedy is an especially tedious drive and we’re glad when we finally arrive at Chicago Canine Rescue on North Elston.

Anna Johnson, Shelter Manager, opens the gate allowing the van to pull in. Staff members Tiara and Maria join Anna and, one more time, like clockwork, the transfer gets underway. As the litter of seven freckled puppies is collected, we gather for a photo-op, too cute to pass up.

Paperwork is exchanged, employing the top of a garbage can as a makeshift desk. Details about Buttercup are discussed. She’s a friendly
little butterscotch-colored dog, full of energy. Despite her painful back leg she’s holding up, her engaging smile reveals her sweet disposition. “Obviously she’s been hit by a car and the break untreated,” Connie explains with concern pointing out the x-ray included in her file. Anna doesn’t bat an eye; assuring Connie that Buttercup will be given medical treatment and hopefully walk on all fours again.

It’s afternoon. The van is empty, leaving Gizmo as the only four-legged passenger. Dave cleans as Connie elaborates on background details: There’s the momma of the seven puppies. She was dumped near a very dangerous dam with her pups and surely would have drowned if it hadn’t been for kind fishermen.

The two collie puppies were kept in a stock trailer. “The man said I had until Tuesday to pick them up or he would shoot them. That’s what they do down there,” Connie says. “We drove 50 miles out of our way to save these two.” Additionally, there’s Roxanne, Carnie, Aspen, Reno, and Hershey Kisses. Each dog’s story could surely bring the most calloused to tears.

With ten dogs and seven puppies left in Anna’s care, we depart. As we pull away, I notice Hersey Kisses, the handsome chocolate lab, is already sudsed up getting his bath. His tail’s happily wagging; I figure he must feel as if somebody finally cares.

We crawl in traffic, heading west. I laugh out loud as we drive under an electronic road sign displaying a warning: “Fatigued Driving Is Dangerous. Don’t Drive Tired.”  I’m exhausted after sharing a brief snippet into just one of their many journeys. I cannot imagine how tired these two must be! Knowing they’ll sleep on the road, return to Oklahoma to their never-ending task, only to repeat the trip in a few weeks? It’s mind-boggling.

When Connie describes dismal conditions that exist in Oklahoma, though, I know why they do what they do. “There are no shelters or humane societies, but many stray dogs where we live,” she says. “Sequoyah County is over 62,000 square miles of rural area.

”Many people who are very poor may have up to 20 dogs and then they have puppies. People line up in the parking lots of discount stores with boxes full of three-week-old puppies, getting rid of them as if they’re toys. If they survive, they are often dumped later, left to fend for themselves and breed.

“It’s a vicious circle. I’m praying a grant will be awarded to S.O.S. so we can establish a spay-neuter clinic in my county. I’m advocating for consistency with animal ordinances. If counties would insist on neutering, that would solve so many problems!”

Vian Police Chief Ellis says that “Before Connie, we put all the strays in a pen for five days. If they were not claimed, we sent them to the county. We are a small department and we are everything, including the dogcatcher. Some people don’t care about their dogs and Connie helps us in many situations and spends her own money caring for them and finding homes. Unfortunately, it’s a booming business down here.”

Conditions like that are hard for us Chicagoland dog lovers to comprehend. “You’ve got to understand, there is a different attitude in rural communities,” Connie explains. “People down there think animals are just animals. Too many would just as soon shoot them as care for them.”

Connie describes Hero, a dog now living in Downers Grove after being adopted through West Suburban Humane Society, as an example. Hero’s new guardian, Kristen Murphy, wonders how anybody could be so cruel. “Hero’s such a gentle boy,” Kristen says. “He’s become a therapy dog in a nursing home and also finished a cancer walk with my entire family. To this day, Hero has bullet fragments imbedded in his jaw and he’s missing the tip of his tongue, but he is still the sweetest, loving dog.”

Giving loving dogs like Hero a second chance at life is a labor of love for Dave and Connie. “There are angels on this earth and some of them are shelter managers,” Connie says. “When they step up to help, not only do they give these dogs a chance to find a loving home, but they also guarantee that these dogs will never contribute to the overpopulation crisis.

“Giving more than 11,000 dogs — and counting — a home for the holidays is the best gift of all! We owe thanks to our friends up north.”

Save our Strays, Oklahoma is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to saving neglected, abused and unwanted dogs. To learn more, please visit the website at www.sosok.org .