They say everything happens for a reason and I have found this to be true many times in my life. It was a series of coincidences that led me to a page on Facebook called Urgent Part 2 – Urgent Death Row Dogs. It started with a popular on-line interactive game through which I connected with a woman from New Jersey, who was friends with another woman who was affiliated with a New Jersey animal rescue group. I had never personally met either of these people.
The Urgent Part 2 page posts daily lists of dogs (and also cats) in the New York City shelters who are at risk of being destroyed. What I saw broke my heart. I wanted to do something but was not ready to adopt another pet at the time. I was told that networking the dogs would help save lives so that is what I did – every single day.
I felt like it wasn’t enough though and, over time, there were several dogs I offered to foster but, each time, I was bypassed in favor of people in closer proximity to New York City. I was fine with that. The dogs were rescued and that is all that mattered to me.
One day I saw a cute hound mix and fell in love with his picture. He had been dumped in the shelter along with another dog. The hound was adopted rather quickly but, because of him, I started looking for the other dog that had come in with him. His “brother” showed up on the urgent list a few days later and was posted for about ten days and still there were no perspective foster or adoptive families for him. The shelter notes said he was very tense and fearful and I tried to put myself in his shoes (or paws, actually). I tried to imagine how he must feel. He had lost his people, his home and now his canine companion. Of course he was afraid.
In what would have been his last hours on earth he was saved – by me (with help from a rescue group). He is now my dog – my first pit bull. He has changed my perceptions and my life and because of him I have become a rescue volunteer and staunch pit bull advocate. If not for him, I would not be writing this post today.
The woman who’s family adopted the hound and I became friends on Facebook. They named him Izzy and we planned to meet one day so the dogs could see each other again. Sadly it was not to be. Recently, Izzy died unexpectedly but I feel it is because of him that my dog Mickey’s life was saved. If I hadn’t seen Izzy first, I would never have been looking for Mickey and he almost certainly would have died at the shelter.
R.I.P. Izzy. Your life mattered to your family and also to me. You were the reason that Mickey is alive today. In essence you saved his life. I am truly sorry I will never be able to personally hug you and properly thank you. Even though we never had the chance to meet, I will never forget you.
The Urgent Part 2 page posts daily lists of dogs (and also cats) in the New York City shelters who are at risk of being destroyed. What I saw broke my heart. I wanted to do something but was not ready to adopt another pet at the time. I was told that networking the dogs would help save lives so that is what I did – every single day.
I felt like it wasn’t enough though and, over time, there were several dogs I offered to foster but, each time, I was bypassed in favor of people in closer proximity to New York City. I was fine with that. The dogs were rescued and that is all that mattered to me.
One day I saw a cute hound mix and fell in love with his picture. He had been dumped in the shelter along with another dog. The hound was adopted rather quickly but, because of him, I started looking for the other dog that had come in with him. His “brother” showed up on the urgent list a few days later and was posted for about ten days and still there were no perspective foster or adoptive families for him. The shelter notes said he was very tense and fearful and I tried to put myself in his shoes (or paws, actually). I tried to imagine how he must feel. He had lost his people, his home and now his canine companion. Of course he was afraid.
In what would have been his last hours on earth he was saved – by me (with help from a rescue group). He is now my dog – my first pit bull. He has changed my perceptions and my life and because of him I have become a rescue volunteer and staunch pit bull advocate. If not for him, I would not be writing this post today.
The woman who’s family adopted the hound and I became friends on Facebook. They named him Izzy and we planned to meet one day so the dogs could see each other again. Sadly it was not to be. Recently, Izzy died unexpectedly but I feel it is because of him that my dog Mickey’s life was saved. If I hadn’t seen Izzy first, I would never have been looking for Mickey and he almost certainly would have died at the shelter.
R.I.P. Izzy. Your life mattered to your family and also to me. You were the reason that Mickey is alive today. In essence you saved his life. I am truly sorry I will never be able to personally hug you and properly thank you. Even though we never had the chance to meet, I will never forget you.
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