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Angels Among Us - Spirits that Touch Our Lives
An angel is defined as a “heavenly being” or a “kind person” in the dictionary. I envision an angel as a person or animal that’s soul is good, pure, honest, radiating light, goodness and kindness to others. There are many angels I have been privileged to meet in my life - most often in my life’s work with Animal Education and Rescue.
In this series I will share with you angels I have met, both human and animal, as well as times I have felt a “light guide me in an angelic way.” This is not meant to be religious in the traditional sense. I believe that we must have faith and hope that there are things that are good and kind that we don’t necessarily see with our eyes and may or may not be of “this world.”
Molly’s Angels
A wreck…no other way to put it, a little rag-a-muffin wandering the streets of Waukegan, matted so badly you couldn’t see her eyes and very, very skinny. Susan, Animal Warden for Waukegan, called me and told me about the little dog. The despair clear in her voice she said, “This dog is old, very old. Sandy, you would not believe the mess she is in, it’ll make you sick. Where the heck is this dog going to go?”
Susan was supposed to meet me the following morning to volunteer at one of our adoption events so I said, “you know what, bring her along. You never know maybe a volunteer will take pity on her and offer to foster her.”
The following morning AEAR volunteers were bustling around Petco setting up cages, filling water bowls and getting animals situated for the event. I was running a million miles an hour as usual. After everything and everyone was settled I walked over to where Susan sat and said, “where’s the old dog?”
“Here,” she said, pointing to the small crate by her legs.
I opened the crate and peered in. What met my eyes could have been mistaken for a black and gray, filthy mop, if I didn’t know better. I gently took the tiny dog out of the carrier, feeling every single bone in her body. I gently brushed the hair away from her eyes and my breath caught. Her eyes were completely clouded over. It was obvious this little dog was blind. “Poor baby,” I said as I began to think, what can I do? I placed her back in the crate.
In short order Jen, one of our volunteers, came over to me and said, “that dog by Susan, can I take her out of the crate?”
“Sure, I said.
A short time later I looked over and saw Jen, Maureen and Chris crowded around and hunched over something and on closer inspection I saw they were hovering over the little dog, cooing and clucking like mother hens.
“She needs a foster home,” I told them. It took a mere second for both Jen and Maureen, seasoned foster moms, to say they would take her. Maureen ended up being the logical choice because she wasn’t working at the time. I watched as Maureen walked out the doors, the filthy little dog cradled in her arms.
Maureen named the dog Molly and she received a well-deserved grooming, completed with red bows on her ears. After her haircut we guessed she was probably a poodle mix. Molly settled into Maureen’s home, ironically in the same town for which she was found wandering the streets. Chris was assigned Molly’s guardian, a volunteer who helps the foster parent and animal any way they need it. Maureen’s dogs and cats accepted Molly without incident and Molly joined into the rhythm of the house.
The veterinarian estimated Molly at being between 12-15 years old and he confirmed that she was blind and we quickly learned she was deaf as well. She also had a pronounced limp in her back legs from unknown causes. Our attitude with Molly was just to make her as comfortable as possible. While we did put Molly on the web site I highly doubted she would get adopted.
Chris and Maureen kept in regular contact with each other and after a month or so Chris called me and said, “I’ve visited Molly many times and I am concerned that she just isn’t bonding. She just walks around and doesn’t seem to seek attention or affection. I don’t know. We’re just worried she’s not happy.”
The following day Chris and I drove up to Maureen’s house and we brought Molly and her other two dogs outside in the warm summer sun. I was there to observe and analyze Molly. The limp was pronounced but she didn’t seem to be in any pain. We sat down on the pavement and I watched as Molly wandered around aimlessly.
After a bit I got up and went over to Molly and picked her up. I then sat down with her on my lap. Ever so gently I began stroking her and scratching her. After just minutes Molly stretched out, her eyes at half-mass. Seeing how much she was enjoying that I began rubbing her gently, my palms rubbing her body in circular motions, She loved her massage and leaned in towards my body for more. From that Maureen learned that she could pick Molly up and massage her and scratch her and not worry about hurting her. From that day forward for maybe the first time in her long life, Molly was bonding to someone.
The summer passed and autumn came welcoming cooler weather. Other than a urinary tract infection that cleared up shortly after starting medication Molly was happy. Taking one day at a time and living each moment as if it’s your last are great mottos to live by and Molly reminded us of that daily. While I knew that she probably didn’t have a long future I kept reminding myself that today she is happy. So when I got a call from Chris that Molly was starting to have accidents again in the house and that a urine sample concluded that she didn’t have an infection my heart sank. In short order Molly began to urinate and defecate in her sleep, Maureen having to clean her bedding and bottom more than four times a day. I realized this might be the start to the end.
Each morning Maureen woke up and when she padded to the kitchen for breakfast Molly met her at the baby gate to say hello. Maureen talked to Molly, even though she knew she couldn’t hear. The soothing vibration of her voice comforted her. She got to feel the clean, fresh air on her skin as she walked around outside. She slept on a dog bed with layers of soft and cushy blankets on top.
The ride to the animal hospital seemed like forever and very short at the same time. Molly lay comfortably in Maureen’s loving arms and Chris drove, periodically glancing over protectively at Molly. They were led into a room, Molly still secure in Maureen’s arms. Molly was quiet and relaxed.
Tears streaming down their faces, Maureen and Chris held Molly and said goodbye. Molly flew up and away to a better place.
Two weeks later Maureen placed the box containing Molly’s ashes in her bedroom and told me, “She’s right with me.” And, “I really loved her.”
This is the story of angels right here on Earth. We can choose to be sad for Molly because of the horrific life she appeared to have had before coming to us but I bet Molly wouldn’t want us to think like that. Instead she’d want us to be happy for her that she had people who loved her and cared for her and stayed with her until the very end.
Date: January 26, 2012
Posted By: Sandy Kamen Wisniewski
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