My lovely dog Victoria is now deceased and despite knowing for months that she was suffering from chronic bronchitis and not well at all, then given a few more weeks time by modern medicine and excellent loving care. Even knowing she was going to be leaving it still didn’t prepare me for the emotions I felt when I learned that she had officially passed over.
No amount of words will ever be able to express how this little dog won my heart and mind. Of dozens of dogs I’ve loved, my little Vee just won my heart like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I want to remember her here, since it was an auspicious beginning.
It was after dark in my Sao Paulo home when the phone rang to say that there was an abandoned puppy tied by string to the fence beside a building site in my neighbourhood. We were told that the security guard was leaving for the day and doesn’t know what to do with the dog but can’t take her.
When I found the little black puppy she was cowering with fear and dread, as the story unfolded I came to learn that she had been badly abused and was with pups, so we untied her, picker her up and carried her home asses the damage and feed and clean here. She had big brown eyes and softest demeanour I had ever seen, not even an ounce of fight in her.
We named her Victoria, for the honour of her Victory in surviving the horror of her early life experience. She was operated on by experts vets that worked in the favela and provided her surgery for a small donation, then with Frankenstein stitches across the pink belly where she had been shaved the skin, which was quite a contrast to her shiny black coat. If I had to say, she most resembled a black Cocker-spaniel, she slept for the better part of three days, after her surgery.
Victoria didn’t trust people at first, she’d been past the point of trusting anyone. Her sad face was of defeat, she didn’t know what was going to happen next. We tried to find a home for her and even had a potential new owner but that fell-through and then she started eating a little and began to respond to affection. it wasn’t more than a few days and her beautiful spirit had won everyone’s heart and it became impossible to give her away.
Victoria was sent to us, to teach us about compassion and love. We are forced to look deep inside of ourselves and ask why? How could it be…. how is it possible that an animal that can could mean this much? Who matters more to God, us or Man’s Best Friend? I already know the answer….
No comments yet.