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Loading...Woman’s Dying Wish to Hold the Dog She Saved from Puerto Rico
By Twig Mowatt of All Sato Rescue
One of the women in the All Sato Rescue network received a call about a dog that was in very bad shape and had been abandoned in a very upscale part of San Juan. Unbelievably, the affluent residents of this community weren’t doing anything to help the dog. He appeared to be a Shar Pei mix, but had terrible mange, was emaciated and had all sorts of parasites and worms.
He was a sweetheart though right from the start; he had a noble air about him and was given the name Bucare. Edilia Vazquez, our Founder, took him in and had him for quite awhile and was trying to pack some meat on his bones.
Last winter, we got the idea to do a Valentine special, where people could visit our website to view a long list of dogs that needed sponsorship, and they could make a donation on behalf of their sweetheart. We had huge success with this because there were lots of traditionally cute dogs. But, Bucare didn’t get a single person to sponsor him….that is, until my dog-loving friend Lynn stepped in. I had met Lynn through her work to help ban greyhound racing in Massachusetts. In the process of falling in with the movement, she and her husband had adopted four of their own retired racers. She had a heart of gold and would never rest if she knew an animal out there needed something. When I told her about the Valentine project, she asked me to sign her up for whichever dog had not had any takers….that’s how she ended up with Bucare.
She Started Sending Money for Her Valentine Dog
Lynn started out sending money toward his skin baths and overall treatment and the longer his recovery went on, the more she wanted to know about him and the more she fell for him. Eventually, he was ready to make the flight up to New England and find his forever home. Well, of course, the plane flight is very expensive — so Lynn stepped in yet again, writing out a check for his ticket. We sent him to our partner, Puppy Angels in New Hampshire. They have found homes for many of our larger dogs and they work with a couple who foster some of the ones that need a bit more TLC. They took in Bucare and they too fell in love with him and almost kept him. At the same time, Lynn, who was battling brain cancer at the time, was trying to get to New Hampshire to meet him. But, every time she tried to go, some health issue would come up.
She just was so determined to meet the dog that she had fallen for and done so much to help. I know that she was trying to get her long-suffering husband to agree to adopt their 5th dog — nd she was also sending his photo around to all her friends in hopes that someone she knew would adopt him. But, destiny was working for Bucare. He was adopted by a guy named Jim, who is a firefighter in Worcester, MA. Jim has an elderly Shar Pei mix named Grizzly, who is 13 or 14. Jim wanted to get another dog to ease the transition. He had been looking at all sorts of candidates, but when he saw Bucare, he knew he’d found the right one.
The Firefighter
Meanwhile, Bucare’s foster parents didn’t really want to give him up unless it was to the perfect person. They realized that Jim was that person. Jim picked up the pup and was an amazing dad from the get go. He took Buc took a natural healer/dog nutritionist, who somehow sensed that he might have a thyroid issue. Jim took him right away to the vet and asked the vet to run every test under the sun, no matter what it cost. It turned out that Buc did have a thyroid issue. Bucare got on medication and then Jim started him on a really healthy diet and his lovely coat grew back in. He also turned out to be a very gentle brother to Grizzly. Jim says that he is very calm and caring with his older sibling, but when he’s with his canine friends who are the same age, he really blows it out. He is such a cupcake — he even fell asleep and started snoring on the exam table at the vet’s.
So, as all this good stuff was unfolding for Bucare, Lynn had gotten some awful news about her disease. It had begun to spread. She was in and out of the hospital and losing a ton of weight, even though she was already tiny. I was getting increasingly upset and searching around for things to take her mind off her cancer. I called Bucare’s foster parents and they gave me Jim’s contact information. I called him up, hoping that I might be able to persuade him to send me a photo of him with Bucare that I could then get to Lynn…but he did the most amazing thing! He just immediately offered to drive Bucare from Worcester to Lynn’s house in Malden so that she could meet him. We set up a time and all met for a lovely lunch on Lynn’s deck and a chance to hang out with Bucare. Jim told us all about Bucare’s new life and Lynn got plenty of time to spend with Bucare….who is so lovely and gentle and has a beautiful thick coat now.
There on the Porch, We Surrounded Lynn With Support
It was such a nice day and it meant so much to Lynn. She kept telling me how great it was to have had something to look forward to. She also said that her own dogs were a great comfort to her during her illness and that having animals in her life had given her purpose.
Now, the hardest part. Lynn lost her battle with cancer just last week. She had been given three to six months more, so it was really a blow to have her go that soon. I think all of us who had a part in the story felt that something very special had happened — that Bucare had brought all these people together — in the midst of this fatal illness, and given everyone a shared mission.
Her Legacy Lives On
Today Lynn’s legacy of compassion lives on not only in Bucare, but in the many others she rescued as well. She was a champion for greyhounds and for the dogs of Puerto Rico. If you would like to follow in Lynn’s very grand footsteps and help provide food, shelter and veterinary care for the dogs we rescue, please consider making a donation here today. I can’t help thinking how honored Lynn would be to play a continued role in saving the lives she so valiantly fought for. To see a photo of what Bucare looked like when he first arrived, click here.
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Read more: all sato rescue, animal rescue, cancer, dog rescue, dogs, harmony-fund, puerto rico
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Recent Comments from Causes
Disgusting and exploitive. I'm glad it's been shut down.
1.) She was not advised of her rights by the police who arrested her. The police did not do their true…
Well said, thanks. The fight for equality must never stop.
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beautiful...bless this loving and kind woman
Very moving story. Lynn's mercy and compassion will live on in all those she has touched.
love this story and so thankful lynn got to meet bucare in person before she left this world, she sounds like a person i would have gotten along with very well. she's my type of person. thanks to all involved in bucare and jim for giving lynn her final wish. happy for u bucare!!
Thanks for sharing!!
I believe that meeting Bucare helped ease Lynn's heart; thanks to all who made that possible!
The recent arrival who had been watching, was amazed. "What happened?"
"That was a rescuer," came the answer. "That person spent a lifetime trying to help pets of all kinds. The ones you saw bowing in respect were those who found new homes because of such unselfish work. They will cross when their families arrive. Those you saw restored were ones who never found homes. When a rescuer arrives, they are permitted to perform one, final act of rescue. They are allowed to escort those poor pets that couldn't place on Earth across the Rainbow Bridge. You see, all animals are special to them...just as they are special to all animals."
"I think I like rescuers," said the recent arrival.
"So does God," was the reply.
--Author Unknown--
kennel workers could give him as he left his miserable and unloved existence on Earth for good. Because he had no family or special person to give his love, he has nobody to escort him across the Bridge."
The first animal thought about this for a minute and then asked, "So what will happen now?"
As he was about to receive his answer, the clouds suddenly parted and the all-invasive gloom lifted. Coming toward the Bridge could be seen a single figure...a person who, on Earth, had seemed quite ordinary...a person who, just like the elderly dog, had just left Earth forever. This figure turned toward a group of the sad animals and extended outstretched palms. The sweetest sounds they had ever heard echoed gently above them and all were bathed in a pure and golden light. Instantly, each was young and healthy again, just as they had been in the prime of life.
From within the gathering of pets waiting for their special people, a group of animals emerged and moved toward the pathway. As they came close to the passing figure, each bowed low and each received a tender pat on the head or a scratch behind the ears. Their eyes grew even brighter as the figure softly murmured each name. Then, the newly-restored pets fell into line behind the figure and quietly followed this person to the Bridge, where they all crossed together.
continued...But alas, as he came closer to the Bridge, his way was barred by the appearance of an Angel who spoke softly to the old dog and apologized sorrowfully, telling him that he would not be able to pass. Only those animals who were with their special people could pass over the RainBow Bridge. And he had no special beloved people...not here at the Bridge nor on Earth below.
With no place else to turn, the poor elderly dog looked toward the fields before the Bridge. There, in a separate area nearby, he spotted a group of other sad-eyed animals like himself...elderly and infirm. Unlike the pets waiting for their special people, these animals weren't playing, but simply lying on the green grass, forlornly and miserably staring out at the pathway leading to the Bridge. The recent arrival knew he had no choice but to join them. And so, he took his place among them, just watching the pathway and waiting.
One of the newest arrivals at the Bridge, who was waiting for his special people, could not understand what he had just witnessed and asked one of the pets who had been there for some time to explain it to him.
"That poor dog was a rescue, sent to the pound when his owner grew tired of him. They way you see him now, with graying fur and sad, cloudy eyes, was exactly the way he was when he was put into the kennels. He never, ever made it out and passed on only with the love and comfort that the kennel workers could give him as he left his miserable and unloved existen
A Tribute to Rescuers
Unlike most days at RainBow Bridge, this day dawned cold and gray, damp as a swamp and as dismal as could be imagined. All the recent arrivals were confused and concerned. They had no idea what to think for they had never experienced a day like this before. But the animals who had spent some time waiting for their beloved people knew exactly what was happening and began to gather at the pathway leading to the Bridge to watch. They knew this was something special.
It wasn't too long before an elderly animal came into view, head hung heavy and low with tail dragging along the ground. The other animals on the pathway...the ones who had been at RainBow Bridge for a while...knew the story of this sad creature immediately. They had seen it happen far too many times.
Although it was obvious the animal's heart was leaden and he was totally overcome with emotional pain and hurt, there was no sign of injury or any illness. Unlike the pets waiting at the Bridge, this dog had not been restored to his prime. He was full of neither health nor vigor. He approached slowly and painfully, watching all the pets who were by now watching him. He knew he was out of place here. This was no resting place for him. He felt instinctively that the sooner he could cross over, the happier he would be. But alas, as he came closer to the Bridge, his way was barred by the appearance of an Angel who spoke softly to the old dog and apologized sorrowfully, telling him that he woul
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