Sweet Baby Zoe And The Exploding Heart
Last night a friend texted me three videos that made my heart explode. In a good and obviously not literal way, of course.When Cabo died in July, I knew that it was only a matter of time before I rescued a new dog to join me and Abby, my little rescue dog from Mexico. Abby had taken Cabo's passing unexpectedly hard and so I took my time starting the search for a new rescue. My plans were to open my home to a 2-3 year old dog sometime after the first of the year.
In mid-August, the worst natural disaster in the United States since Hurricane Sandy struck Livingston Parish, in Louisiana. Some regions saw torrential rains dump nearly three feet of water in just fifteen hours, transforming their boulevards into filthy rivers of debris and disease and leaving thousands homeless. In emergencies of this scale, pets too often fall far down the priority list and unsurprisingly, a legion of lost, abandoned and homeless pets descended on Louisiana's already over-crowded shelters. The unbelievably grim situation quickly deteriorated into pure terror. In many shelters, euthanasia rates began tipping 90%, with some reportedly approaching 100%. The shelters were doing the best they could, but overwhelmed, understaffed and largely ignored in rescue efforts, the traumatized staffs were often forced to see euthanasia as the only humane option for their frightened and abandoned charges.
Although the scope of the devastation lingered frustratingly under-reported in the mainstream media (because God forbid they ignore some witless, knuckle-dragging tweet from Donald Trump), news of the dire shelter conditions reached California. Inspired to swift action, a team from Thrive Animal Rescue kicked off a massive fundraising effort to underwrite the most ambitious animal rescue endeavor they could ever conceive - they would hire a jet and take as many dogs as they could fit from the killing floors of the Louisiana shelters back to California, where they would foster every single dog until he or she was adopted. Talk about thinking big. Partnering with Wings of Rescue and the Rancho Coastal Humane Society, three utterly amazing girls from Thrive flew to Louisiana and pulled 65 dogs out of kill shelters and flew them back to San Diego.But Sweet Jesus, talk about traumatic. Can you imagine walking into a shelter full of frightened and demoralized pets, knowing you can save just one? Maybe two? That's the decision each of these girls faced at the shelters they visited; each time they saved a frightened little pet from death row, they were forced to leave behind the terrified, haunting faces of many more they could not. Those scars will always run deep.At one point, my friend Susie - one of the three - was standing in a kill shelter, looking at a seven month-old puppy that was scheduled to be euthanized in thirty minutes. The puppy was active and healthy and by all outward indications, perfect. She had sent me a picture of this dog but until last night, I had never seen the videos. Here's the first one, where she's just met the dog.https://youtu.be/0va2KC2-1zAAs my friends walked through one eye-watering rescue after another, back in California, I found myself standing in the park in my neighborhood, throwing a tennis ball to Abby. In one of those weird fits of inspiration - those moments that come from some faraway, timeless space within - I called Susie. I was ready, I told her, should she find any little dogs that might like to join me and Abby for oh, forever or so. I hadn't planned on making this call and yet it didn't feel impulsive at all. Unbeknownst to me, Susie was staring at this dog. This was her little lottery winner- the happy, speckled puppy with sad brown eyes would be the one she pulled from the shelter. Here's Susie giving the good news to the pup. Damned if she doesn't appear grateful. Volume on, to hear Susie telling the dog she's coming home.https://youtu.be/JGqHtc6ezr4The rest is history. Zoe - the sweet little puppy thirty minutes from death - made the national news, along with 65 other dogs and one exceedingly lucky cat. All of these pets have found their way to forever homes and I was lucky enough to receive Zoe into our pack. For me, she is the perfect dog - a joyful, playful and mischievous little spirit who feels like my own personal sun- a source of endless light and happiness. People always talk about how lucky rescue dogs are, but anybody who's taken one in knows the real truth - the adopters are always the biggest winners.Here's her freedom walk. Go ahead and cry - I won't tell anyone.https://youtu.be/OZQuUebDMkg