Sweet Alice . . . her memory lives on
Meet the inspiration, Alice, for the creation of Alice's Angels Rescue and the reason we work so hard to save as many shelter dogs as possible. It all began with a random phone call from my friend Barbara asking if I would be willing to be a foster parent for a dog that was going to be euthanized unless it was rescued from the shelter immediately. That was the day everything changed.
Before Alice, I had never been a foster parent for a dog and had never even considered it because, at that time, I was unaware of the extreme need. I was not involved in rescue at all except to choose rescue dogs as pets rather than buy one from a pet store. We have both large and small breed dogs as pets, so Barbara thought of me in her desperate attempts to save a life. I asked her what kind of dog it was and she said there were actually two dogs, both Chihuahua mixes. I asked her who would be taking the other dog, in case the other person had a preference, and she said there was no one else. She told me that the dog that wasn't rescued, would be euthanized that day. She was essentially asking me to make a choice between two lives. That was not a choice I was willing to make, so I told her we would be saving both lives that day. I thought, "How hard could it be? They're just two small Chihuahua's that need a temporary home."
Before Alice, I had never been a foster parent for a dog and had never even considered it because, at that time, I was unaware of the extreme need. I was not involved in rescue at all except to choose rescue dogs as pets rather than buy one from a pet store. We have both large and small breed dogs as pets, so Barbara thought of me in her desperate attempts to save a life. I asked her what kind of dog it was and she said there were actually two dogs, both Chihuahua mixes. I asked her who would be taking the other dog, in case the other person had a preference, and she said there was no one else. She told me that the dog that wasn't rescued, would be euthanized that day. She was essentially asking me to make a choice between two lives. That was not a choice I was willing to make, so I told her we would be saving both lives that day. I thought, "How hard could it be? They're just two small Chihuahua's that need a temporary home."
We picked up Buddy and Alice that afternoon and it was love at first sight. Alice was a beautiful, very demure and timid Chihuahua mix. Buddy was a friendly, outgoing and curious Chihuahua/Pug mix. Alice allowed me to pick her up and hold her. Eventually she curled up in my lap as we drove home. We were so happy to have saved two precious lives from certain death and began the process of acclimating them into our household. The next day everything was fine and both dogs were fitting in nicely. Alice seemed to be a little withdrawn but we attributed that to all the changes she had been through in the last week (two shelters and a new home) so we gave her some time to come out of her shell. Late that evening she became ill and we began to worry.
The next day she was still quite but very alert and would wag her tail and greet anyone that was nearby. She was eating and drinking so we watched her closely and hoped for the best. Later that night Alice appeared to take a turn for the worse and we really began to worry. I decided to do some research to try and determine if there was anything I could do through the night before she went to the vet first thing the next morning. During my search I came across information about Parvo virus. Alice's didn't appear to show the definitive signs so, while it lingered in the back of my mind, we continued to watch her closely and hope that it was nothing more than stress. She did not appear to be getting any better . My daughter stayed up through the night keeping a watchful eye on Alice so I could get a few hours of much needed sleep.
First thing the next morning we headed off to the vet hoping that Alice would be better after a check up and perhaps some medication. Alice's condition was rapidly worsening but we remained hopeful that she would improve. Unfortunately, Alice was diagnosed with Parvo. The veterinarian advised us to euthanize her because it was unlikely that she would recover. Thus, began one of the worst days I had ever experienced.
I contacted the rescue group that pulled Alice from the shelter and advised them of the diagnosis. Ultimately, the decision about how to proceed was left up to me. I had never had to make the decision to euthanize a dog before and was not prepared for what was to come as a result. After speaking with the vet again about any possible alternatives, talking with rescue friends, asking God for guidance and my family for input, I had to make the heart-wrenching decision to end the life that three short days before we had saved. It is not in my nature to give up and the last thing in the world I wanted to do was give up on Alice. It is a decision that will always haunt me since there is no way to know, definitively, if it was the right one. Sadly, I gave my consent to end Alice's suffering. I went to her kennel and looked into her eyes as I said my final goodbye. It was, by far, one of the hardest things I have ever done and I will never forget that day. Thankfully, I have a wonderful vet with an outstanding staff and when it was over I was not the only one shedding tears over the loss of Alice. The remainder of that terrible day was spent in deep sorrow, shedding buckets of tears and trying to figure out the lesson that was being taught through this horrible experience.
Later that night, a thought hit me about how the loss of Alice could save others that were in her situation. It was at that moment that Alice's Angels Rescue was born. I was determined that Alice's life would mean something so I told my husband and family that I wanted to start a rescue group to help so many other animals that needed a second chance and didn't deserve to spend their last days in an animal shelter. Thankfully, everyone was supportive and so began the journey of Alice's Angels.
We know that Alice is waiting at the Rainbow Bridge, ready to welcome all the others that have gone after her. Our small comfort is that Alice knew love and kindness in the last few days of her life and died humanely with those that loved her nearby. Alice is still with us in spirit and in a beautiful box inscribed with her name that is displayed a place of honor in our home. There is not a day that goes by that she is not remembered in one way or another.
Since that awful day light has come from the darkness. We have saved some great dogs, assisted others in the journey to their second chance and shared many with the rest of the world. Sadly, there are so many that need help it seems as if were are not making any progress at all. Then I look around at our resident pups and our foster dogs, who are all rescue dogs with their own stories and I realize that the results of our efforts surround me. I am proud to help in this effort to save homeless animals and especially proud of all the people in the rescue community, especially Melody Chen from Love and Second Chances who, like many others give so much of themselves, their money and countless hours to be a voice for those that have none.
We could always use more Angels so if you have been inspired by Alice, please contact us for more information about ways that you can help. Thank you for reading Alice's story, we hope that it inspired you in some way.
The next day she was still quite but very alert and would wag her tail and greet anyone that was nearby. She was eating and drinking so we watched her closely and hoped for the best. Later that night Alice appeared to take a turn for the worse and we really began to worry. I decided to do some research to try and determine if there was anything I could do through the night before she went to the vet first thing the next morning. During my search I came across information about Parvo virus. Alice's didn't appear to show the definitive signs so, while it lingered in the back of my mind, we continued to watch her closely and hope that it was nothing more than stress. She did not appear to be getting any better . My daughter stayed up through the night keeping a watchful eye on Alice so I could get a few hours of much needed sleep.
First thing the next morning we headed off to the vet hoping that Alice would be better after a check up and perhaps some medication. Alice's condition was rapidly worsening but we remained hopeful that she would improve. Unfortunately, Alice was diagnosed with Parvo. The veterinarian advised us to euthanize her because it was unlikely that she would recover. Thus, began one of the worst days I had ever experienced.
I contacted the rescue group that pulled Alice from the shelter and advised them of the diagnosis. Ultimately, the decision about how to proceed was left up to me. I had never had to make the decision to euthanize a dog before and was not prepared for what was to come as a result. After speaking with the vet again about any possible alternatives, talking with rescue friends, asking God for guidance and my family for input, I had to make the heart-wrenching decision to end the life that three short days before we had saved. It is not in my nature to give up and the last thing in the world I wanted to do was give up on Alice. It is a decision that will always haunt me since there is no way to know, definitively, if it was the right one. Sadly, I gave my consent to end Alice's suffering. I went to her kennel and looked into her eyes as I said my final goodbye. It was, by far, one of the hardest things I have ever done and I will never forget that day. Thankfully, I have a wonderful vet with an outstanding staff and when it was over I was not the only one shedding tears over the loss of Alice. The remainder of that terrible day was spent in deep sorrow, shedding buckets of tears and trying to figure out the lesson that was being taught through this horrible experience.
Later that night, a thought hit me about how the loss of Alice could save others that were in her situation. It was at that moment that Alice's Angels Rescue was born. I was determined that Alice's life would mean something so I told my husband and family that I wanted to start a rescue group to help so many other animals that needed a second chance and didn't deserve to spend their last days in an animal shelter. Thankfully, everyone was supportive and so began the journey of Alice's Angels.
We know that Alice is waiting at the Rainbow Bridge, ready to welcome all the others that have gone after her. Our small comfort is that Alice knew love and kindness in the last few days of her life and died humanely with those that loved her nearby. Alice is still with us in spirit and in a beautiful box inscribed with her name that is displayed a place of honor in our home. There is not a day that goes by that she is not remembered in one way or another.
Since that awful day light has come from the darkness. We have saved some great dogs, assisted others in the journey to their second chance and shared many with the rest of the world. Sadly, there are so many that need help it seems as if were are not making any progress at all. Then I look around at our resident pups and our foster dogs, who are all rescue dogs with their own stories and I realize that the results of our efforts surround me. I am proud to help in this effort to save homeless animals and especially proud of all the people in the rescue community, especially Melody Chen from Love and Second Chances who, like many others give so much of themselves, their money and countless hours to be a voice for those that have none.
We could always use more Angels so if you have been inspired by Alice, please contact us for more information about ways that you can help. Thank you for reading Alice's story, we hope that it inspired you in some way.