One day about 9 years ago, I was riding by our local Humane Society and looked over to see a lot of little dogs huddled in a corner of a big pen. They were all shaved and had pushed in faces with buldging eyes. I was intrigued so I pulled in to take a closer look. As I went to the pen to see these funny looking creatures, I realized they all looked so scared and bewildered, like they had no idea what was happening and who to trust. As I probed further and asked some questions of the staff, I found out the dogs had been products of a local Pekingese puppy mill. They had seized 38 from a basement of filth and horror. I was appauled and went in further to investigate these funny looking dogs. Their brown eyes were so big and it was obvious they had been grossley mistreated. They were skinny and had no hair as they had to shave their matted coats. I immediatly put my name in to take one of these dogs home with me.I was told I had to come back in 2 days and I could bring my new friend home.
When the day came for me to get my Peke, My husband and I went to pick up our new friend. We got to the shelter and finished the paperwork then proceded to go pick out which dog was assigned to us. As we were waiting for the staff to take us to the dogs, an old man and woman walked in holding one of the little dogs, he was not the normal buff color as the others but black and white. The old man plopped him on the counter and told the staff he didn't want that one because he was the wrong color!! My husband and I looked at each other in horror and said in unison, We'll take him!!
At that moment, at that one instant in time, I looked at this endearing little creature with the buldging eyes and fell hopelessley and totally in love. His poor little mangled malnorished, hairless body and mind were crying out for someone to take care of and love him. In return, he would give his unending faith back. All this was left unsaid in the look of each others eye.
We named him Oscar, in honor of the sesame street character in the trash can!! It was a totally fitting name and he liked it too. He honored it with his poor mangey skin, but to us he was a beautiful little Peke!!
As time went by, his hair grew so long and beautiful and Oscar learned little by little to trust again. I gave him so much love I think he must have forgotten the horrors of his first 2 years of life at least I like to think so. He was the most devoted little boy I have ever known and loved. There will never be another one like him. I anxiously await the time we can be together again because I miss him every day. At least I know for now he is safe and sound and I will see him again someday, maybe not today but someday.
Oscar fell sick about 5 years after we adopted him, he was diagnoised with a heart murmer and put on medicine, this worked out OK for a couple of years but the murrmer got worse. As time went on he started having seizures. We put him on seizure medicine and that worked for a while but they started to get worse. One day he woke up and couldn't catch his breath, then we knew the fluid was filling up in his lungs. For 4 days after that we watched him struggle to stay with us but it was getting harder and harder for him. He tried but I knew it was time to let him go. It was the most selfless act I have ever done but it was the right thing to do. He was so tired and needed to sleep.
We said our goodbyes and Oscar is now playing happily on the other side of the rainbow bridge. No sickness or abuse, just happiness.
Oscar's heart may have failed but it was not for lack of trying. He was a little dog with the biggest heart I have ever known.