by Anne Cosgrove Wimberly | Photos by Linda Earley
Hit by a car. Shot by a pellet gun. Hungry. Scared. Covered in burrs. Scrawny. Young. Old. Large. Small.
Healthy. Choked by a rope. Hiding in a haystack.
Those are the conditions of the dogs that Alyson and Dr. Brian Geister and their sons — Nick, Bennett, and Brandon — have rescued.
Alyson and Brian are lifelong Oklahomans who have lived in Oklahoma City since 1978. Brian is an oncologist who is slowing down his practice. Nick, who works for Paradigm Life, moved back to the city after completion of graduate school in 2018. Bennett and Brandon live in Tulsa.
Danny, Diesel, Sissy, Doby, Lacey, Crystal, Bella, and Blondie are the lucky ducks — er, dogs — that became part of the Geister family.
The current OKC Geister canine clan includes Bingo, Dibs, and Dory. The Tulsa clan includes Ginger, Pepper, and Daisy Mae.
The Absolute Best Dog Ever — Danny
“I can’t talk about my dogs without talking about my first dog. His name was Danny,” Nick said. “He was just the absolute best dog in the entire world … but I say that about all my dogs.”
Nick adopted Danny, a four-month resident of Oklahoma City Animal Welfare (OCAW), on March 7, 2011. Nick was preparing to leave Oklahoma City for graduate school in Utah, where he had no friends or family. He thought a dog would provide companionship.
“The first night I got Danny, I stayed downstairs with him,” Nick said. “I woke up at, like, three in the morning, and he was sitting and just staring at me. I think he was afraid.”
From that night on, Danny had eyes only for Nick.
“It was amazing how his attention would be on me at all times. We could be in a room, a racket could be going on, and he would be staring at me,” Nick said.
Alyson, Brian, and Nick Geister walk their canine clan — Bingo (left), Dory, and Dibs.
12 OKC Pets • January / February 2024
The Other Best Dog Ever — Dory
Nick returned to OKC in early 2018. Six months later, Nick and Danny spotted Dory in their neighborhood.
“One day, we saw this black dog, and she had a rope around her neck. It was so tight on her skin. I thought it was embedded. I ran inside, got a pair of scissors, and cut the rope off, and she ran,” Nick said.
Nick actively searched for the dog but didn’t see her again until July 11, 2018. “We were out walking, and she strolled up to us. I said, ‘OK, you’re going to follow us.’ We started walking back to my house, and she followed us into the backyard.”
Nick called his mother so she could meet and potentially rescue the newly acquired dog.
“We gave her a bath in the backyard, and she rolled over on her back and looked up at us, and I said, ‘Oh, I’m gonna keep her,’” Nick said. “Having two dogs as companionship is awesome. Having one dog was great too, but having two dogs feels right to me.”
Dory and Danny lived happily together until Danny’s death in October 2021.
Yet Another Best Dog Ever — Dibs
Almost two years after Danny died, Nick and Dory and some neighbors noticed an injured Pit Bull mix in their neighborhood. “A crowd of us all stood outside an apartment complex,” Nick explains. “Three of us had bowls of food. We all wanted to help this dog. I said, ‘If anybody’s able to corral him and get him in a backyard or something, I’ll foster him until we can find him a home.’”
Nick saw the dog a few more times after this group effort, but the canine remained aloof.
“He would eat food if people gave it to him, but he wouldn’t let anyone touch him, and he would just run.”
One day, October 12, 2023, to be exact, Nick heard a knock on his door. The man at the door explained that the injured dog was in his neighbor’s yard. He asked if Nick was still interested in fostering. “I was shocked. But I gave them my word that I would do this, so I’m gonna do it.”
Nick and Dory walked to the neighbor’s house. The dog seemed to find comfort in the backyard confinement. He let Nick and the neighbor collar and leash him. Nick and Dory led home the dog, now named Dibs.
Nick took Dibs to the vet, who discovered that Dibs had been hit by a car. He
had severe road rashes on each side. The left side of his pelvis was fractured. The X-ray further revealed that he had been shot by a pellet gun.
Nick said, “It just hurts my heart to even think about how much pain Dibs was in and how scared he was.”
Under Nick’s care, Dibs is healing emotionally and physically.
“It’s been a real joy watching him come out of his shell and feel secure,” Nick said.
“It’s like watching a flower unfold.”
Nick wanted to affirm that Dibs was comfortable with all humans and situations. He gave Dibs the ultimate test that a family pet needs to pass. He introduced Dibs to his young niece and nephews. “He ended up being a big teddy bear,” Nick said. “They were doing little-kid things like bopping him on the head and grabbing his ears and doing stuff dogs don’t like. Dibs just sat there and let them do it.”
One More Best Dog Ever — Bingo
Alyson and Brian have owned dogs for most of their 43-year marriage. They took a hiatus that began in the summer of 2017 and ended in December 2020. “We had lost four dogs in a very short time period,” Alyson said.
Brian added, “We had so much heartbreak that we decided that we’re not gonna get any more dogs. Then three years ago, right before Christmas, Alyson said, ‘Let’s go get a dog.’”
Nick confirmed the date. “You guys got Bingo in December 2020.”
Alyson already knew which dog they would adopt. She had searched the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare online site for a young dog and had found Bingo. “We met him and played with him for 30 minutes,” Alyson said.
Alyson and Brian noticed that Bingo was shy, skittish, and afraid of his shadow. The OCAW staff told them that Bingo had been adopted earlier but was returned a few days later.
“They said that if it doesn’t work out, you can bring him back anytime,” Brian said. “We said we’ll take him,” Alyson said.
The couple had no choice. Alyson already felt committed to the dog based on her online search, and Brian couldn’t let a dog that had once been rejected remain without a home.
Canine Clan Success
The Geister family’s success with dogs comes from a willingness to embrace patience, trust, and kindness. The Geisters are quick to point out that many organizations share those responsibilities. Brian praised various rescue organizations, including the OCAW, for their commitment to caring for and finding healthy homes for animals. Alyson expressed gratitude for veterinarians who treat pets like children by remembering their names and helping them feel comfortable in the clinics.
Nick agrees that finding the right vet is important. After all, Dory and Dibs are more than his companions; they are his family.
The Geisters have cared for numerous dogs. And now, thanks to the current best dogs ever — Bingo, Dibs, and Dory — the OKC Geister canine clan continues to thrive
