Monday, February 02, 2009

Milly moved many

I got a call late one night a few months ago from Mark, an old friend. He was doing hurricane Ike road cleanup in Houston, Texas and wanted to know how to start an animal rescue because he was tired of seeing all of the homeless street dogs there. I told him not to waste his time setting up an organization when Animal Matters would gladly help him in his quest to save some of these dogs. So, we went into action.

The next day, Mark spotted a small, old severely-matted Poodle mix walking in circles in an abandoned parking lot. “Milly,” as later named her, finally hit the jackpot in her weathered life. Mark picked her up, put her in his truck, and started grooming her with his industrial scissors he had in his toolbox. A few clips & voila(!), a cute face appeared. With some matted fur freed, she felt like a new gal! About a month or so, Milly lived in Mark’s truck & pet-unfriendly motel until we could devise a plan to get her to me in south Florida. Turns out, she had leg problems, was about 90% blind and had heartworms. No problem, I thought. She’s small…I can still find her a home.

Mark ended up renting a car & drove her from Houston to Orlando where Alex, our volunteer, took her in. She lived with Alex for about a month & started heartworm treatment & got the TLC she needed until she made her way down here to me. Just days before Milly was to come to Boca, she took a turn for the worse. She stopped eating her favorite foods and became extremely lethargic. We had several tests run & while awaiting results, she passed away on her comfy bed in Alex’s room. Ironically, I never got to meet Milly. That’s so hard for me to believe. She had become such a big part of my life & I never even got to touch her. Through Mark and then Alex, I got to know so much about her…her limping, running into things, funny antics, and just how plain ‘ole easy she was. Those two guys made her last days on this earth so loving, happy and peaceful. I’m forever grateful to them.

My husband and I decided to have Milly cremated. We’re big believers in treating our rescues just like we treat our own pets if they passed. She did not die like a street dog nor will she be remembered that way. She was family. Finding Milly brought out the best in the people who surrounded her. She reconnected old friends, shined a light on how fantastic Mark and Alex are (already knew this) and how awesome my husband continues to be after all these years. Milly’s rescue and passing proved that a small group of compassionate people can make wonderful things happen.

Thank you Milly. It is YOU who made our lives richer. God bless you little girl.

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