All of you who know me know that I am a huge dog fan. I have had dozens in my time, nearly all rescues or shelters. I have had them for varying lengths, some due to illness/age, others by finding them a better home than I could provide. I am currently down to one from an all-time high of eight. At one time.
There were times when my dog ate better than I did. I could easily have written that original post. It breaks my heart, the stories I heard at the ocal shelter. One 13 year old dachsie was left there because the husband of an ailing woman didn't want the thing and even though it was it's mommy's darling, she was in hospital (presumably not coming out) and he couldnt be fussed with upkeep, walks and feedings. Poor thing just sat in a small cage and cowered, wondering what had happened to his comfy home and his bed and his bone and whatever else he knew his whole life that was suddenly gone. Probaby also wondering what he had done to deserve this. There is, I hope, a TENTH ring of Hell for people who do things like this.
My Bongo now is a similar story. His previous owners left him tied to a tree alone for months at a time, only occasionally giving him food and clean water. He lived in a mud hole. He is NOT an outdoor dog. He is a boxer and a particularly beautiful one at that. I get compliments on him everywhere I take him.
When I rescued him, he had fleas, ticks, malnutrition, dehydration, heat exhaustion, tapeworms and something with his nerves that mystifies the vet. I paid to fix all the above, plus teaching him how to chew bones and play games and enjoy his life for the very first time. It amazes me that he is such a friendly and outgoing dog after all that. I am still working on the tremors thing. The vet has watched the videos I took of him doing it and says that althohugh he doesn't seem distressed and it is likely NOT epilepsy, he is still concerned. I am working on a log of the events to see if there is any commonality.
I have given away my babies several times, NEVER to a shelter. I always find good homes for them. Always. Because I care and because it is my duty to them.
When you love a pet, there are
rules.. I'm sure you have seen that link before. All pet owners should be required to read them. Especially #4, 9 and 10. I have held the paw of three of my furkids as they went on to doggy heaven. It hurt me, but it really made them calmer and I felt that I had then done all I could to give them the best life I possibly could.
So yes, f*ck you, Jean. You could have done much better, regardless of the real reasons. You could have had the dog put to sleep humanely, letting her hear your voice reassuring her as she went to sleep. You could have sent her to a no-kill shelter, preferable with a large donation. You could even have found a home that would have cared more than you did, with full disclosure about what you knew. But you took the coward's way out, abandonnt your faithful cfiend and companion of twelve years to an uncertain fate, to be faced alone and scared and confused.
There is a quote, variously attributed to different personalities. I don't care who said it, I only know I like it.
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."
-Willl Rogers (allegedly)
When I take in a dog, I do it with the understanding that it is for life, with all that entails. Vet visits as needed, best food I can find, without regard to the cost, playtime, personal time, all needs met. No questions asked. The love of a pet is it's own reward.
Pamela