A little over two weeks ago, I packed an eat-in-the-car picnic, bundled into the car with Christian, picked up my dad, and headed to the snowy, beautiful Eastern Townships. We were on a mission to meet a very special someone. Someone very furry. And hopefully, very friendly.
My friend Caroline had tipped me off. Caroline is an amazing woman who actively supports animal shelters and saves doggie lives on a regular basis. Last Christmas, due to the holidays, thirteen dogs were going to be put down at a high-kill pound just outside of Montreal. Thanks to her and Paws for Life Rescue, all the dogs were relocated to other shelters. Over her holidays, she drove an hour and a half in a snowstorm to personally deliver three big dogs to a shelter in the country that had room for them. One of them was a dog named Lupa. Caroline told me about her - sweet, friendly, gentle. Oh, and adorable. Did I mention she was adorable? Caroline sent me a few pictures and my heart melted. We had to meet her.
We had lost our sweet dog Chelsea to cancer a year and a half ago. She got ill very quickly and it was over before we even knew it was happening. We and our families were gutted. I still can't look at her picture without welling up a bit - but part of owning a pet is accepting that you will outlive them: loving them to bits, being loved in return, making each others' lives better, and then saying goodbye. I had been slowly warming to the idea of becoming friends with another doggie. Our two cats would be furious, of course, but...
So there we were, taking in the charming scenery of the Eastern Townships on a crisp, sunny, snowy February afternoon, nibbling on cheddar and cornichons and wondering how the day would end. Would we be returning home with a fourth family member in the car? The GPS sent us on a dirt road shortcut, and as we wound past old barns and beautiful farmhouses. I thanked goodness for all-wheel drive and thought of Lupa the dog.
When we arrived at the Frontier Animal Society we were met by the wonderful Joyce Dekker, who runs the place; she brought us in to meet Lupa. A big, fluffy, smiling Lupa. She was bigger than we expected, as overstuffed as your favourite teddy-bear. We bent down to say hello and she welcomed us with kisses. We took her for a walk in the woods and she didn't leave our side. She ran up to our car and put her paws up to the window. It was a done deal.
Joyce bent down to say goodbye. She took Lupa’s face between her hands, looked into her eyes and affectionately said: “don’t screw this up”. We all laughed.
The first few nights were a little bumpy; Slinky and Blue were woefully unimpressed. We set up a doggie pen in the hallway to let the cats have "recess" and enjoy moments to themselves, while also permitting Lupa to have her own quiet time with her food, toys and blanket. She has been nothing but a sweetie - although she has a hard time listening when she's distracted, she wants to be good and tries hard to leave the cats alone. She's quite confused as to why they don't like her, because everyone else seems to love her so much. She's a snow dog through and through, and the past couple of weeks have been one winter frolic after another. Last week we made it official: we got her a city license and named her Panda (Caroline's husband's suggestion, which we loved).
It's painful to imagine someone dumping her just a few days before Christmas, knowing full well the fate she would face. It's even worse to know that this happens all the time, to all kinds of animals. Thank-you Caroline and thank-you Joyce, for working tirelessly to save animals that otherwise wouldn't stand a chance. The Frontier Animal Society is a no-kill shelter and is always looking for clean old blankets and towels, animal treats, and any number of other donations. This lovely video about them really just says it all. Aroooo! :)
