For Rocco

I will say, I never wanted to (and still don't want to) be one of those "crazy rescue people". You know the ones, who post a bajillion times a day on Facebook about urgent dogs and dogs on craigslist. While their hearts are in the right place, I just don't want to be that absorbed.

Unfortunately, I have a very realistic mindset when it comes to rescue. I love rescues, but I also know that we can't save them all. It's not the county's fault, it's not the volunteers' fault. It is society's fault. Dogs are put down and there is no way around it.

I adopted Maggie, on an impulse. A couple weeks before I met Maggie, an estranged relative (who used to be much less than estranged) surrendered his dog to the Shelter. He surrendered this dog knowing that it would be euthanized. He surrendered this dog knowing that family members would help. He was not speaking to me because of some things that happened with his significant other, (for lack of what I would really like to call her) that he or she have yet to own up to, and likely never will. That being said, the fact that I do not respect him, or his life choices, has nothing to do with the fact that an innocent dog was killed because this person would not swallow their pride and ask me for help, knowing what I do for a living and the connections I have in the rescue community. By the time I found out his intentions it was far too late. The part that stung the worst was that this person, who I used to call one of my best friends, would rather murder his dog, than speak to me.

Rocco was a great dog. He had his issues, like any dog does. He loved his family though. He was a big boy, with a lack of training. That became too much to handle once a kid came into the mix. Although this persons significant other never liked the dog, and I believe that has a lot to do with it, I can't really say much on that matter. Bottom line is it was decided that Rocco was too "aggressive" since they had a baby now,

Rocco was in our family since he was a puppy. He loved to swim, he loved to play. He was a great dog. I would have taken him in a heartbeat.

The day I found out Rocco was being surrendered my heart sank. My job is literally to educate the community on the importance of taking care of your pets. The company I work for has a mission that if we provide affordable care, less pets will be surrendered and in turn, less will be put down at shelters. Yet someone in my family turned around and surrendered this dog.

I fought through the embarrassment of admitting I knew Rocco's original owner, and was on the phone with the shelter multiple times a day. I contacted every rescue I knew, we had a foster in place and he would have been going to a great home.

Unfortunately, Rocco spent too much time in that shelter. He was not up to date on vaccines, so he became very sick. He had an untreated infection that got worse because of the environment. His aggression became worse, as he was caged up in the "pound" with all these other poor dogs, with the smell of euthanasia in the air.

The last time I went to visit Rocco, we gave him treats. He sat in his own feces. I cried the whole way home, knowing there was nothing I could do for him. This dog that would have done anything for his owner, was betrayed by him. He didn't stand a chance in that shelter.

This is how I became one of those "crazy rescue people". This is why I advocate for getting pets spayed and neutered and for keeping them up to date on shots. I will also stand behind the shelter, as it was not their fault that he had not seen a vet recently, and was not up to date. It was not the shelter's fault that he ended up there in the first place.

Rocco died because his owner felt his life was disposable. Not because of the shelter.

A week after the last time I saw Rocco, I had an event at the shelter. I was hoping he would not be there. I knew what him not being there meant, and I knew of the inevitable, but I just did not want to face him again, and look Rocco in the eye knowing there was nothing I could do to save his life. At that point, after having been in the shelter, this was what was best for Rocco, and I became okay with that.

When I got to the shelter, Rocco was not there. He had crossed the rainbow bridge, and for some reason I became at peace with that. I would have loved for him to have never known shelter life, to have found a better home, to have lived a better life, but I realized in that moment that it was completely out of my control and I did everything I could.

It did have an emotional toll on me, and that is most likely why I ended up coming home with Maggie that day. Some would say "everything happens for a reason" and I know Maggie wouldn't be a part of our lives if it weren't for what happened with Rocco.

I wouldn't be advocating for shelter dogs, had I not experienced first hand what happens to those dogs. I will continue to advocate for those dogs, and educate pet owners to make the right choices so that dogs like Rocco do not end up at the County shelter.

I know I can't save them all. I know nobody can. I will keep spreading the word, and encouraging people to adopt...for Rocco.

#dog #adoptdontshop #apittieandthreekitties #rescue #mastiff #boxer #shelterdogs