Ren, Boomer and their litters
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Not Basenjis, but I'm still crying cause all my "furkids" are special. :)
I work at a local no-kill shelter that rescues dogs from local kill shelters and rural shelters that just don't take care of their animals. A lot of the dogs come in injured or sick, but we've always managed to save them. They want a second chance at life and fight for it.
Ren came in as part of a litter of 4. Cute little German Shepard mixes. One of his brothers had coccidia and died almost right away. I wasn't there for that, but it's still sad. One of the brothers we got adopted out and he is still doing great. Ren and his brother Stimpy were the 2 that were left. I was taking care of both of them, trying to get them adopted. Ren got really sick and was taken to a vet. Stimpy got adopted and is doing fine. I kept checking in on Ren, he seemed to be responding well to treatment and was getting better. But one night later that week I got a text saying that Ren was doing worse all of a sudden. I got in my car and drove the hour to the shelter at 11pm to look after my little man. The cute little puppy who could sleep curled up in my hands passed away in my hands. I sat there cuddling him and bawling my eyes out. It's hard to lose a dog, and it's so much harder when they're that young and had so much ahead of them.
Boomer was a PitBull mix that came in as part of a litter of 6. They were all so sick all ready. Four of them died when we first got them, but the other two seemed like they might make it. I got Boomer and one of the other workers got his brother. The first day with me, Boomer was showing signs of parvo, and when I took him to the vet, they confirmed it. I asked them to do their best. And they did. They worked so hard to save that little puppy. But in the end they couldn't. They asked if I wanted to be there when the put him to sleep. It was 4 days after Ren had passed, I was still shook up, but I agreed. I sat there and petted him and kissed him and told him "everything's going to be alright" until he passed. Then I went outside and screamed and yelled and threw stuff. His litter was sick, so sick because they were Pits. Because the shelter they came from was just going to let them die because they were PitBulls and weren't good anyway. Boomer and his siblings could be healthy and happy in great homes right now if they'd gotten treatment right at the beginning.
I'm crying typing this. I had a lady ask me yesterday what the hardest part of my job was. I told her- losing puppies. I can take the dogfights, the poo, the pee, the horrible injuries that some of these guys come in with- but it is so HARD to have them not make it. But I keep doing it. I do it because there's dogs like Boomer and Ren all over the world that need someone to care for them, even if it's only for the last couple days.
Thanks for listening, I needed to get that all out. :)
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It's people like you that make this a better place.
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I worked for vets several years ago. You can get so attached so quickly. I had some die in my arms. I tried to tell myself, I told them they were good and ok in there final moments and that may have been the last and maybe the first time they'd hear that. At least we can help them go as peacefully as possible with a warm loving heart next to them…they were not alone and that counts..it really does. I am crying with you as I type. Keep up the hard work you are very special and the animals know that more than even the humans do. So smile you do great things !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Most of all remember the ones you saved and helped they will help you through the hard times.
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