A Love Story

by  Diane Herbst

In 2006 while in West Virginia, Rebecca Skloot saw a six-month-old homeless puppy running down the middle of a highway dodging semi trucks. Skloot rescued the pup and named her Rhoda.

Skloot then rescued a puppy she named Clarence. Skloot, known as the best-sellng author of "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," is also a life-long animal lover and committed dog rescuer! On the Facebook page "Clarence and Rhoda, a Love Story" Skloot writes: "Clarence was born in Memphis in March of 2009. Four weeks later, a woman walked up to a group of children at a birthday party in a local park, dropped a starving and flea-infested Clarence at their feet and said, 'Tell your parents to take this home.' She left and no one took him."

It just so happens that one of Skloot's friends was walking by. She called Skloot, who said, "Go back, get the puppy. Bring it to me, I'll find it a home." As the love story begins: "A few days later, Rhoda and Clarence met. Clarence has been sitting on Rhoda ever since. (Sometimes he puts her whole head in his mouth for fun: http://on.fb.me/nCx8RM. She doesn't mind.) At first, Rebecca thought Clarence would grow up to be about Rhoda's size. Then she started feeding him."

Skloot is now working on a book about the human-animal bond. "Rebecca has been bringing animals home since she was a child, much to her parent's dismay," according to "Clarence and Rhoda, a Love Story." "She couldn't have a pet until she was old enough to take care of one herself (which she believed coincided with her ability to walk -- her parents disagreed)."

By the age of five, Skloot had memorized a dog encyclopedia so she could ID any dog she saw. She once broke into a neighbor's house to walk the neighbor's dogs when she wasn't home. Years later, Skloot worked for more than a decade as a veterinary technician in general practices, emergency rooms, and veterinary morgues. Her plans to become a veterinarian changed when she fell in love with science writing.

Still, Skloot's love for animals continued. The story of Clarence and Rhoda, the two dogs saved by Rebecca, is truly a love story. You can see more photos of these two by clicking here.