Miss Annieblue
Rescue
is not supposed to be about euthanasia. Rescue is supposed to be about
helping a dog have a new life. It has been over two months since Annie
touched our hearts. We first met Annie on July 3rd. She toddered
out of the crate and my heart hit the ground. I have never picked up a
rescued dog in such terrible condition. Tears welled in my eyes as I gently
helped her into the back of my car. On the 2 hour drive home, I cried.
Annie didn't deserve this, no dog does.
Despite her poor condition (severely anorexic, no muscle tone, inability to walk, inch-long toe nails, wheezing from the fluid in her lungs, filthy ears and tartar-encrusted teeth), she would greet me with her tail going in the *big Saint circle* and lick my hand. She barked at me when I put her in the quarantine pen while I cleaned the dog room. And, even though she couldn't quite accomplish it, she would try to roll over for a belly rub when I would lie on the futon with her and read to her. I wanted her to hear my voice and to know that someone cared, even if at the end of the day I would be the one to walk her to the gates of Rainbow Bridge. Even if my touch would be the last touch she would know, I wanted her to spend the time here, while we tried to overcome some of her health issues, with people who cared and treated her with kindness and respect...and would let her go with dignity if that is where we end up. To say this wasn't breaking my heart would be an outright lie. She'd been here 48 hours, I couldn't stop crying. No one said rescue was easy, but sometimes it's damn hard and heartbreaking.
Annie left us on July 9, 2001, just six short days after she arrived. We have no pictures of Annie...we were waiting until she gained some weight and muscle tone...we never got that far, we tried, but we just couldn't overcome the years of neglect and lack of care. The last 24 hours that Annie was with us, one of us stayed by her side, cradling her head, talking to her, stroking her, kissing her, watching the IV solution drip-drip-drip, hoping that this would work, hoping that this would bring her around and give her more time...we couldn't give her more love, for even though she hadn't been with us long and we didn't know that we were going to be the last home she'd know...we loved her. Even if we had tried, we wouldn't have been able to stop this sweet Saint Bernard from stealing our hearts. She left this world baptized in my tears, with her head cradled in my arms. I know that the first dog to greet me when I walk across Rainbow Bridge, will be Annie, for when she crossed Rainbow Bridge, she took my heart with her.
