After giving cancer the paw for nearly two years, Stella said goodbye on January 28. Will you please make a donation in her memory?
When we bought our apartment in 2012, we knew that to make it a home we needed to adopt a rescue dog. Off we went to a shelter located under elevated subway tracks in Queens. After meeting several dogs, we noticed an adult dog lying quietly in her crate. The caregiver explained that she was the heart of the shelter, but was afraid of the subway noise and wouldn't go outside. Unfortunately, this meant she often relieved herself in the crate and slept in the filth.
When the caregiver opened the door, Stella burst out of the crate and excitedly stood up with her paws on Thomas's shoulders and covered his face with licks. After that moment, her pawprint was forever on our hearts.
As we talked about her on the trip home, we noticed a terrible smell that you only encounter on the subway. As we frantically looked around the car trying to figure out where it was coming from, we realized we were the source of the terrible smell. Stella had cleverly marked her dads by grinding poop into Thomas's coat. Every dog knew we were spoken for after that.
From the moment Stella came to Park Slope, it was a never-ending series of adventures:
- She was afraid to leave the building, so Richard built a potty area on the terrace as she grew her confidence with the help of a trainer.
- She was allergic to multiple foods, so we did months of elimination tests and special diets to identify all her allergy triggers.
- She was allergic to most of the environment, so we gave her personalized medicine to alleviate her itching. She never liked the pump in her mouth, so we placed the drops on a spoon and played the choo-choo game. She licked the spoon clean every time, often while lying on her side.
- She was viscously attacked by another dog who ripped her chest open. We spent months nursing her wounds and taking slow walks.
So when we were given a diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma cancer, it was just the latest challenge. It was terminal, but for two years Stella didn't let surgery, multiple rounds of chemo, or countless doctor visits get her down. Her tail never stopped wagging and she loved tracking down a chicken bone from three blocks away. When the end came, it was sudden and our hope for a few more months was cut down to just a few days. She wasn't in pain, and we wanted to spare her any agony. So we told her we loved her and laid next to her as the euthanasia drugs were administered.
We know we gave Stella a good life filled with love, but she gave so much more. Whether she was rolling around on her back inviting belly rubs or offering a high five to ask for a treat, she filled our days with joy and our hearts with love.
Our hearts are broken, but there are many Stellas out there waiting for a kind person like you to take them home.
Will you please make some good come from our loss by making a generous donation in Stella's memory? We'll gratefully match donations to Best Friends so that more Stellas can find their home.
Thank you for your kindness,
Thomas & Richard