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"A Lucky Dog"
Prince was a lucky dog. We don't know too much about his early life, except for the fact that he was well taken care of and groomed regularly. But it looked as though his luck had turned bad in early 2002, when his owner developed cancer and became sufficiently debilitated that she felt she could no longer care for him. She loved him enough that she felt she must give him up to another good home. She didn't know how to go about that, and wasn't familiar with rescue organizations, so she talked to the groomer, "Jackie", who she had used for several years. This was the same groomer we were using for our own Westies, and she knew we were involved with rescue. Jackie called me.
Jackie told me that Prince appeared to be in good health, but that he was 11 years old. Not too many of our applicants will consider the adoption of a dog that old.
In rescue work, we see the entire spectrum of applicants, and their reasons for adopting. At one extreme, there are those who say they want a purebred one year old female who is spayed, housebroken, and good with kids. We explain that we don't see too many of those, but some people have their heart set on such a dog, and are willing to wait, or to buy a puppy if the wait becomes too long. At the other extreme are people who have a strong sense of empathy for all dogs who need a new home, and would save them all, if they could.
We
had one applicant, "Kyra", who had such a special sense of compassion
for dogs in need. I called her, and she said she would consider Prince. I put
her in touch with Jackie, Prince's groomer, and she visited Prince. After
hearing his story, Kyra decided to adopt, then and there. It was May 4, 2002.
At this point, let me switch to some of Kyra's E-mails to me to tell the rest of the story. In July, 2002, she wrote me:
"sorry it has been such a long time since I have written to you. I have been quite busy with my mom in town and a new job, and the normal blahblah of life, just wanted to let you know that prince and I are doing fine, he is a sweet sweet dog and we are very happy together, he thinks I am his mom so I feel good about that, did not take to long to make a solid connection"
By early 2004, Kyra had decided to go back to school. She was considering adopting a playmate for Prince, and I had E-mailed her about a pair of dogs we had that needed a new home. She responded:
"i will not adopt a pair of dogs at this time, unless I am the last stop between their life and death, I would prefer a full blooded westie, but again, I would rather have a mix than have the dog put down"
Later in 2004, I had mentioned another dog to her, but she was finding that her graduate school program was a very demanding one, and she didn't feel she could take on another dog at that time. When I let her know that we had found another adopter, she wrote me:
"I am so happy to hear that little girl will have a new and safe home, I do become so irate that people are so casual with their animals, it just breaks my heart, prince is doing just fine, I am so happy to have him, he is the best dog, and honestly, other than my mother, is my dearest friend, I really cannot imagine life without him, I wish I had all of the resources to rescue every neglected, or abused animal in this world, every day I pray that all animals will be safe and protected, the disrespect with which people treat animals makes me so mad, I sometimes break into tears, and then I get so frustrated because I can't always step up and take these animals in, thank you for the work you do, I am rambling, but sometimes that happens when I get all riled up, thanks for listening, keep me posted"
Late in 2005, Kyra wrote:
"my sweet dog Prince wanted me to write to you, and wish you all of the blessings of the season, we are fine, and prince is quite well. My mother and I are now living together, which means that she now has a dog. she thinks prince is the sweetest dog she has ever seen, and she loves him very much. prince spends his days with her, and they are the best of friends"
Kyra also wrote that she had completed her program and was a Masters of Professional Counseling graduate. But then, in November, 2006, she wrote:
"just a quick note to say hello, and how are you? i hope you are still working with westie rescue. you might remember that i adopted prince from your organization. he is doing well, but has been diagnosed with lymphoma. i am very sad about this, but we are working with a great vet, and he is on meds and hanging in there. i am nursing him until he tells me it is time to let go. i thought you might like to know this. i know that many people would have said no to the effort to keep an older dog going, but i treasure each day i have with him and will do my best to make him comfortable and on his feet.
thanks for letting me speak of this with you. this is one great dog, and i have been lucky to have him for over five years."
In mid December, I got the news:
"i am writing with some bad news. prince had to be put down today. he was very sick, and i did not want him to suffer. he was a wonderful dog, and i am so sad. the house is very empty without him, and it will take some time to adjust to his loss.
thank you for matching me up with him. these past five plus years have been just so happy for me, and i hope for him. i will miss him more than anyone can imagine. he came to me at the perfect time. i think of him as a gift from heaven.
i will have another westie soon, but not today."
The love, and the loss, were apparent. Prince was, indeed, a lucky dog.
By: Westie Rescue Volunteer, Marvin Katz