Our little energizer bunny, Belle, went to the Bridge. She was one sweet feisty little old lady. She was 17 and had multiple organ failure related to a very bad heart. Meds had helped for a few weeks but she told us last night that it was time. Her breathing was so bad and she was filling up with fluid to the point she could hardly move. We only had her for two and a half years but she added so much to our lives that I do not regret taking her in. She was the tiniest one in the house at 12 pounds but she didn't take any nonsense from the rest of the pack. She was my first foster (I sort of fell into fostering with her).
For those of you who may not remember her story let me tell you about this wonderful senior lady. Belle was abandoned in an apartment in Pennsylvania at age 14. Her owner put a note on a neighbor's door stating that he had left town and would not be back and for her to feed the animals (there was also a six month old kitten with her). The neighbor was a college student who did her best but could not take care of animals while going to school and working. She was about to take them to a shelter when her mother contacted NEBTR. This was in January and the rescue had had a large influx of dogs, many of them seniors so no one had a spot for Belle. I did not plan to foster until I retired which was a year or more off but I could not bear the thought of her going to a shelter and probably being put to sleep because of her condition.
You see, Belle had a serious heart murmur, a skin condition where she was almost bald, many hot spots, was nearly blind and only had about six teeth left. So I drove to PA in a snowstorm to meet Kym another rescuer who had driven down to get her and so Belle became part of our family. We know at the outset that she would be a permanent foster due to her age and health. No one, even our vet thought she would live more than six months. Well, to keep this long story short, we gave her lots of tlc, she gained weight, grew her hair back and lived for two and a half years with us. She was such a little sweetheart. My husband often remarked that he would have liked to see what she was like as a pup, as she must have been pretty spunky. She was happy to get up in the morning and eat breakfast. Her appetite was always good - we fed her chicken right up to the end (she is allergic to chicken but loves it so I wanted to make her last moments happy ones).
She is running free at the Bridge, probably chasing Mr. B away from her food bowl just like she did when he was here with us, too. I am attaching a picture that I took yesterday. This is how she greeted me every morning. I will never regret opening my home and heart to a senior in need.
Joan Starkey, Ontario NY.
No comments:
Post a Comment