As much as the comic follows my real life, I should know by now that reality doesn’t always have the happiest ending. I write the strip months ahead of the publication date. A lot can change in a month, and a lot did.
As most of you know, I have foster dogs in and out all the time. Then came Annie and Louise. And for almost a year, they were sisters. Both had issues, Louise more so than Annie. Louise came from a horrid background and has a severe fear of humans. With dogs, she was normal.
After about six months we knew Annie and Louise had found their forever home. I had bonded with Annie from day one. That had never happened before with any dog. And I was committed to rehabbing Louise. A long and slow process, but worth it.
Then reality strayed from the comic. Weezy got provoked by someone outside the fence. She jumped up and came down on Annie, nipping her ear. Annie instinctively struck back. The two locked up. I got them apart. It was a case of mis-interpreted cues that changed everything. Now, whenever they were outside and Weezy got anxious, both girls thought the other would attack.
This becomes a situation that requires full time management, and with the other training Weezy needed and my Luther’s auto-immune disorder, not to mention the other fosters, the only way for me to help both girls was to have Annie moved. It tore my heart in half.
The rescue, however, had another plan. They knew from the start that we were Weezy’s last chance and had wanted to put her down from the get go. They weren’t willing to move Annie and told us the decision had already been made. If they moved Annie, we were told she would be boarded and would most likely meet the same fate as Weezy.
I’m in this to rescue dogs and to do whatever it takes to save as many as possible. Every dog deserves a chance, and after having Weezy for a year, there was no question that she deserved one. This was not some extreme, out of the ordinary situation.
This happens with dogs and if you’re going to help them you have to be ready to handle it. I had an outside, professional trainer assess Weezy. Their conclusion: there was no reason Weezy should be put down, other than it was the easy way out. Sadly, the trainer had seen this many times before.
The only way I could get the rescue to re-foster Annie was to adopt Weezy. So that’s what we did. I signed the papers and they took my Annie. “Sucked” is not a strong enough word for that day. The only bright spot, and the most important, was that both my girls got to live.
I’m keeping tabs on my Annie. And I’m keeping her in the strip. I’ll miss her forever. Dog rescue is not always easy and I never take the easy way out. My focus now will be giving Weezy the life she deserves, and nursing my Luther back to health.
