That's What I Call True Puppy Love

Nothing makes my heart go pitter patter more than the fantastic folks who take care of the—figuratively and literally speaking—underdogs in our society. Take my friend Linda, for instance. She recently adopted a 15-year-old blind, incontinent Chihuahua. Most of us would shy away from such a daunting commitment, but not this tender Texan.

“I was driving home one day and my car just turned toward the animal shelter,” Linda remembers, with a twinkle in her blue eyes. “I found myself getting out of the car, walking right past the front desk, and directly out to a pen of lively young dogs. I looked over in the corner and saw a little dog with big blind eyes cautiously poke her head out from a dog house and I knew instantly that I wanted to adopt her.”

That disoriented doggie immediately captured Linda's heart and the rest, as they say, is history. "Dallas" moved in last month with Linda, her husband Marv (who cheerfully gets up with Dallas for her frequent middle-of-the-night potty breaks!) and Chihuahua chum, Dancer. Linda hopes that Dallas will be around for a long time, but she's not kidding herself about her new friend's fragile future.

“I don’t know how long Dallas will live,” Linda admits. “She may be with us a week or a year, but whatever time she has left, I just want her to be comfortable and happy.”

That’s true love.

And then there’s my friend Craig, who spent the last year fostering Otis, a Rottweiler/Lab mix. A good Samaritan found the 8-year-old dog wandering alone in the desert and brought him to a local animal shelter. There, Otis was examined by a veterinarian who diagnosed him with Masticulatory Myositis (which is a fancy name for lock jaw). Because Otis couldn’t open his mouth to chew his food, he was slowly starving to death.

Craig took on the challenge of caring for Otis in his home and before long, the good food, long walks, and cocktail of eight different daily medications helped to perk up the poor pup. Otis was soon able to open his mouth without effort and he could tear up a hefty rope toy like nobody’s business. The goal was to get Otis healthy enough so that he could be placed for adoption, but sadly that day never came. While the medications were helping Otis’s physical health, they were taking a toll on his mental well-being by causing severe anxiety and aggressiveness that couldn’t be resolved, no matter how much the doctors tweaked the dosages. Even an animal behavioral specialist couldn’t ease his suffering.

Craig had nursed this big boy back to health, but ultimately, he had to say good-bye. It was the humane thing to do. On a brisk December morning, the pair took one final walk in the hills high above Santa Barbara until Otis was tuckered out and ready for a nap. They drove to their veterinarian’s office where, surrounded by friends, Otis passed away in Craig’s arms. Even now, nearly two months after Otis’s death, Craig still talks about his pal. “When Otis died, he left a hole in my heart. I still miss that dog!”

That’s true love.

And let’s not forget Karen, a volunteer with the French Bulldog Rescue Network (www.frenchbulldogrescue.org). You may remember me writing about my friend’s work with Gabriel, the starved French bulldog, in one of my recent columns. In addition to Gabriel, Karen is also fostering Rosebud, a 6-year-old Frenchie who was rescued from a puppy mill (a mass breeding facility where dogs are treated like commodities rather than canines). It’s amazing that this wee girl—she’s only 14 pounds, small by French bulldog standards—was as bred at all as she has a long list of health problems, including an elongated palate and herniated belly-button (both of which were corrected with surgery), a congenital spinal and leg deformity, bad hips, and allergies, not to mention a smaller-than-average lung and a healed-over puncture wound in her right eye that was never treated. Sigh!

Even with all this going against her, Rosebud is one of the most affectionate lap dogs I know, thanks to the love lavished on her by Karen and the folks at French Bulldog Rescue. Rosebuddy (my nickname for her!) is doing so well, in fact, that she’s ready to be placed for adoption; which is a bittersweet victory for Karen. “I’m happy that Rosebud has become so strong, both physically and emotionally, but I’m going to be SO sad when she leaves,” Karen says wistfully. “My greatest act of love will be when I let Rosebud go to her new home.”

That’s true love.

This Valentine’s Day, amid all the decadent dinners, diamonds, and declarations of devotion, I propose that you take time to share your love with an animal in need. As a special gift to your significant other, consider making a donation in his or her name to your local humane society or rescue organization (the perfect present for the person who has everything!). If you don’t have a furry friend of your own, visit your local animal shelter and let cupid—I mean a volunteer—help you choose a deserving dog (or cat or bunny!) and give them a forever home.

Now that’s true love.

 

Let Karen know about the four-legged Valentines in your life by sending her an e-mail message at karenleestevens@cox.net.

 

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By Karen Lee Stevens,
Founder & President, ALL FOR ANIMALS, Inc.
Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.

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