It is with terrible sadness that I report the passing of Happy (pictured in the center), renamed Tuffy by her adoptive mother. I assure you, few dogs have been so poorly named at first and so appropriately named thereafter. She was a "tuff" little girl, with a heart of gold. Tuffy was originally abandoned in Massachusetts by owners who wanted to move to a warmer climate. They left her with a neighbor who lived in a trailer. She didn't want Tuffy from the very beginning. All she did for Tuffy was chain her under the trailer in all kinds of weather. Rain, shine, snow, sleet, freezing cold, blistering heat -- it didn't matter. Tuffy stayed on her chain, suffering. She came to us at the age of thirteen, having survived conditions that would have killed many younger dogs. Eventually, the lady who chained Tuffy decided she no longer wanted even to feed her the scraps she was giving out. She was planning to shoot Tuffy. Another neighbor intervened and called Animal Control. It was obvious to the Animal Control officer who took Tuffy that she would not be adopted from the shelter. She was old and dirty and matted and malnourished. She took her to her house, but because Tuffy did not adjust well to the many other dogs inside, she was forced to keep Tuffy in her workshed. Tuffy was warm and fed, but she needed more. That's when we were called. I promoted Tuffy under her former name, Happy, and spoke of her plight on our home page in the Emergency section -- or months. Many people expressed sympathy, but almost no one offered to adopt her. Finally, the right woman came along. She is a kindhearted soul with a wonderful house, and at the time, she had two terrific Cockers, one of whom has recently passed away, too. Tiffany (pictured on the left) is also memorialized here. This formerly bright home has known its share of loss recently, and loving hearts are grieving. This lady had driven half of the way to meet the Animal Control officer, who brought Tuffy to her. At long last, Tuffy was part of a real home for the first time in a very long time, perhaps for the first time ever. Tiffany and Theo, the other Cockers, accepted her almost immediately. It was as if they understood her special need. It is a bittersweet comfort to know that Tuffy spent her remaining year and a half with people and animals who loved and took care of her. When Tuffy's heart and kidneys finally gave out, she was in the arms of someone she loved when she passed on to Rainbow Bridge. I'd like to think that Tiffany was waiting there for her when she arrived. We are grateful to the Animal Control officer for her intervention on Tuffy's behalf. And there are no words to describe the unselfishness of Tuffy's adoptive mother. She knew Tuffy's time would be short, but she opened her heart to Tuffy anyway, making every day count for her. Now she struggles with a second loss in a short time. She healed the wounds a bit when she adopted Rudi, a buff Cocker she had been fostering for us, but tragically, Rudi, too, passed on, following a life of prior neglect and precarious health. How much can one person be expected to handle? As much as they have to, I guess. I hope both Tiffany and Tuffy awaited her at Rainbow Bridge. I'm sure they did. I am happy to report that she and Teddy adopted Sadie, a gorgeous blue roan female American Cocker puppy she had been fostering. Sweet Lexie, a little black sweetheart, was added to the slowly healing family not so long ago, and Teddy has companionship again. Nothing will eliminate the pain of these terrible losses -- and I find it especially tragic for the gentle ones who knew love and happiness for so short a time -- but time and new babies to love do ease the pain and make life worth living again. Tuffy herself was truly one of a kind. I wish she had always known the happiness she had in her final days. I wish that for all of them. Please read the following memorial written by her adoptive mother.
Tuffy was a special dog. I will never know how she might have suffered during her lifetime of some fifteen years. One thing I know for sure is that she did not suffer during her last year and a half of life. Tuffy came into my life on the New Jersey Turnpike in March of 1997. She left living in the cold of an outside shed and moved into the house with my other two Cockers. She fit right in, and they all got along wonderfully, even though Tuffy was deaf. I truly believe this was a happy time for her and for us. Her health began to fail the beginning of this year. Her heart murmur was much worse, and other areas of her body became involved. It broke my heart when I had to make the decision to put an end to Tuffy 's pain. Her life had become an ordeal and was not the same as she previously enjoyed, and there was nothing more I could do for her. I will rejoice in the time that I was able to have her. Everyone who knew her loved her, and everyone will miss her. |
This page was written by
Valerie Macys
