Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really. ~Agnes Sligh Turnbull
This is a challenging post. A year has passed since we said goodbye to Marina. She was a tough old girl, but her body just couldn’t keep up anymore. Her quality of life suffered and her pain was no longer controllable. We knew the most loving thing we could do was to let her go.
We called Dr. Kristi Freeman, the same vet that helped us with Petey in 2013. It’s never easy to say that final goodbye, but it is a bit more bearable when you can do it in your own home. Just like Petey, Marina was surrounded with her family and lots of love. We were all there for her from puppyhood to her very last breath and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Much changed during that time. One of my brothers died unexpectedly two weeks before Marina passed. I knew I wouldn’t be ready for a new companion anytime soon. I gave myself time to grieve and let things unfold on their own.
That brings me to Kaida…
A year later, I found myself looking at dogs , or just taking a “peek” at rescue websites, I knew it would be a matter of time. The feeling that something was missing started about two or three months before we ended up bringing home our newest family member. Somehow, we’ve always “known” when the right companion comes along. This was no different.
Kaida was rescued from the illegal dog meat trade in Southeast Asia by the Soi Dog Foundation (SDF). They in turn partner with other rescue organizations in the US to help find forever homes. Kaida spent a year in Vietnam with SDF and was brought into the states in October of 2017. She was destined for a horrific fate, and has the internal and external scars of a traumatized dog. Thanks to the love, dedication, and compassion of SDF and The Barking Lot, we are able to give Kaida her forever home.
There’s much more to share about Kaida’s journey, and I’d love to hear about your experiences with dogs that have had a traumatic past.