Posted March 7, 1999
Revised November 6, 2000

Alex and Jack came from one of the worst situations imaginable. They were the victims of serious neglect and abuse, caught in the tragic fallout of a broken marriage, abandoned to the control of a sick, drunken man.   

Sometimes they were left outside, regardless of the weather -- for days on end. They ended up escaping from their yard, running the streets, nearly getting killed. Well-meaning neighbors returned them to their nightmare existence, where they were then trapped in their house -- along with two Siamese cats -- for days and days without food or water. 

When we were finally called in to save them, we found the house in horrible condition. Filth was everywhere. The animals were living in their own waste, locked in various rooms in the house. There was powerful evidence of their struggle to escape. The walls were clawed until their paws bled.

We were able to liberate Jack and Alex with the help of a very special man. He is to be commended for going -- again and again -- into conditions not unlike a war zone. We were also able to save one of the two cats. Unfortunately, one had died in the house, and we found her stiff little body under piles of debris. She had evidently succumbed to dehydration. 

The other cat, a gorgeous male, was suffering kidney failure from the same affliction. A fellow rescuer took him into a cat shelter, and it took a lot of time to get him well. It was really touch and go for awhile, and we knew from the beginning that it would be an ongoing struggle to give him a quality life. 

Fortunately, sweet Dustin found a loving home for the rest of his days. Unfortunately, those days were tragically cut short a few weeks ago. Dustin is now with the angels, waiting for all of us at Rainbow Bridge. We have the satisfaction of knowing he had a happy home and was much loved for the past few years. I wish it had been longer. 

 Alex and Jack definitely fared better, but Alex, too, nearly died from problems associated with his previous neglect. It took much time, lots of care, and the love of two special people to see him through. These people love Alex and Jack and have taken them fully into their hearts and their home. 

One of the cats from that horrible situation lived happily for awhile, and both dogs are very loved and hanging in there. I wish we could have done the same for the cats, but we have to try to accept our limitations. One was gone before we got there, and we did all we could for her brother for as long as we could. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway.

I thank my friends who assisted in this amazing effort. We went into a real hell hole, but we saved some precious lives. Many thanks to the adopters of these special animals, too.

This page was written by
Valerie Macys
nancyk@CockerAdoption.org