BOOMER’S STORY
Our
fund to help pet owners with emergency vet care for life threatening
conditions is deeply in the red, due to so many job losses. We
are borrowing from our general fund to help the most serious cases.
The following is the real story behind the Boomer Fund. (All
donations from the public go to this fund. The monies we earn
go to spay and neuter).
Our ( the Thode family) first dog was an
abused young collie/sheltie mix living on the east side of Stoughton
(this was before the SAA had been formed). A dear friend was
neighbor to the owners. She asked if we could possibly take in
this dog. We had only had cats, so were not convinced but we
promised to drive by and see. We made a fast decision when we
saw a very thin scared dog attached to a clothes line in a yard.
We went up to the door and asked if we could buy their dog.
The man gruffly said “you can have her!!!” He gave us her
brush and leash and we loaded her into the car. We had a
toddler son at the time and very little money but now we had a dog.
She was scared to death of men and shoes. The vet visit found
her malnourished and very anemic so we had to build her up before
she could be spayed. Even so, she almost died during surgery as she
hemorrhaged. She became an expensive “free” dog, but she was
worth her weight in gold – a wonderful companion to our oldest son.
(They were toddlers together and grew side by side). She was a
“Real Lady” who never dripped water after drinking and always
cleaned up the crumbs from her milk bones. She loved being outside
even in snow until she got arthritis and decided warm was better.
She developed a limp at age 13 and it wasn’t just arthritis.
X-rays revealed bone cancer. When two legs broke due to the
cancer, we had her euthanized under our maple tree in the back yard
with all of us gathered around her. It was very hard on our
son as she was his confidante who would always understand his
emotional needs. Lots of tears were shed.
One week later, to the day and hour,
our son’s best human friend and grand father died unexpectedly.
We knew then that another dog was needed. We prayed for one
that needed us as much as we needed it. The answer came in the
form of a stinky, untrained, not house broken 18 month old “mutt”
named Boomer. We heard of this dog who was “unadoptable” and
George went to get him, without telling the boys. We all sat
on the couch while George opened the front door to release the dog.
He made a beeline to two squealing boys. They didn’t care that
he stunk – only that he loved them. It took two days to
housebreak him so he would “go” on command. It just took time
and dedication. We had him groomed. The groomer showed
us the pelt she removed from his back. How that
must have pained him every time he moved. Truly the Lord
wanted us to rescue him. He attended every SAA meeting,
sometimes “helping” from my lap. Everyone loved Boomer.
When he died at age four from a fast acting leukemia, friends sent
donations to the SAA in his name. I just found the
sympathy cards we were sent then. What a blessing to read them
again. Here is one from a neighbor ”We’re so sorry about
Boomer. We can really feel your grief – we still miss Prince
so after all this time. God gave us these beautiful pets to
love and he fills them with so much love for us. We can see
the wonder of God in each creature He has so wondrously made.
Each of our pets is so unique, with such varied personalities.
Boomer was blessed to have you love him.” This was the
beginning of the Boomer fund. We knew how much vet care can
cost as he had two blood transfusions plus other treatment, but the
leukemia over whelmed his body. Truly, we can say we empathize
with those who have lost a beloved pet.
Here are a few suggestions for coping
with the loss of a pet:
- Find a listening ear – one who
understands your loss. If you have no one, talk to the Lord who
understands our every need.
- Have a closure ceremony whenever
you feel ready. We have many pets buried in our favorite spots
on our property. Now we are in the city, so we had cremation and
saved a collar and lock of hair from our dog. (Our vet sent home
a paw print on a card for our last cat.)
- Give a donation to an animal
organization that you trust in memory of your pet.
- If other pets in the house were
bonded to the deceased pet, let them sniff the body and
investigate. It helps to give them closure too.
- When the time is right, look for
a new pet, to fulfill your need for a companion. Consider an
older pet from a shelter or contacting a breed rescue group.
Stay away from “free to good home” ads, pet stores, or ads
offering several breeds of dogs available or Craig’s List.
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