A child's wish turned into

reality this summer, as a three-legged dog brought home the true meaning

of family.

The story begins around the

dinner table of the Abshires in Peachtree City. Barry and Susan Abshires'

daughter, Grace, announced that she wanted a pet.

"I told her that she would

be responsible for the animal and that she would have to do research and

determine what was the best animal for her," Barry Abshire said.

Well, Grace plunged into the

project, and consulted different pet books and Internet sites. Finally,

at another family dinner this summer, Grace told her family that she had

decided on a beagle.

Grace's brother, 4-year-old

Henry, also had his idea on a pet.

"I want a black, brown

and white dog with three legs," said the youngest Abshire sibling.

Well, the family laughed at

Henry's answer, and set about finding a beagle for Grace.

"We talked to beagle rescue

people, and never really got anybody to call us back. So, we decided to

go look at the Fayette County Animal Shelter," said Susan Abshire.

Susan and Grace told the animal

shelter folks that they were looking for a beagle. The shelter employees

said they didn't have any on hand, but would be glad to take their phone

number when a beagle was available.

Just as the Abshires were getting

ready to leave the shelter, an employee said they did have a beagle, but

it was in bad shape and the Abshires probably wouldn't be interested in

it.

Susan insisted said they wanted

to see the dog, and was absolutely amazed at what she saw.

"There was a brown, black

and white beagle with three legs. Just like Henry said!" Susan Abshire

said.

She said the hair stuck up

on her arms, and an eerie feeling came over her.

"We knew right then we

had to have the dog," she said.

But the beagle was in really

bad shape. Susan Abshire praised the efforts of the workers at the Animal

Shelter and said they worked hard to try and get the downtrodden dog in

better physical shape.

"He had scabies and other

problems. It took them over three weeks to get him ready for us,"

Susan Abshire said.

Finally, the beagle came home

and was quickly christened "Charlie." Charlie is now a bona

fide member of the Abshire family.

"They told us at the shelter

to beware because a three-legged beagle is faster than a two-legged human

and they were right," said Barry Abshire.

Charlie has quickly bonded

with the family, and the Abshires are still wondering about Henry's ability

to predict their new family-member's look.

"We always knew he was

a special kid. Now, we're really starting to wonder," said Susan

Abshire.

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