We don’t usually blog about sad news, as you know, but tonight, as well as good news, we wanted to mention Rocky.
He arrived at the SPA exactly one week ago today at the age of 11 and his owners were nowhere to be found. He also had a large lump on his side, which looked very nasty. Today when the employees came to open the refuge, Rocky was no more. He had died during the night. He is still officially in the pound so there was still a hope that his owners would be looking for him, especially as he was identified and although tired, he did not appear to be suffering unduly. None of us knew him well, but we feel his loss keenly, knowing that we would have come to love him as we do all “our” dogs.
If you know your dog is ill, please do not leave him at the SPA gates or leave him to be found and brought to us. We cannot possibly diagnose a dog as quickly as is sometimes needed, and as Rocky was still in the pound, there is a limit to what we could have done in any case. You might think we do miracles, and it is true, sometimes we do. But you might be condeming your dog to die alone. Please treat any animal with dignity, especially at the end of their lives; Surely that is the least they deserve.
To lighten the mood, perhaps you will not have read about the other adoption that took place on Saturday. Moira did not know when she blogged that Symphonie, another of the recent mass border collie arrivals, found her new home, less than 2 weeks after arriving at the SPA. What’s more, we already have news and photos of her with her new family. And chihuahua cross, Deep, was reclaimed as well, making Saturday another good day at the SPA.
So despite the bad start to this week, we must remember that last week was very postive, with at least one adoption every day. There is plenty of time for this week to improve.