It
was Easter weekend 2006 when Jill, Ishkas Foster
Mother, brought her to my home. Jill got out of the car,
brought her to me and asked me to hold her leash while she got
her IG boys out of the car. While I was standing there outside
my home, I looked down at this little frail sweet angel and saw
that she was shaking. I picked her up, held her close and
kissed her face, told her that everything would be alright.
When Jill came back up to the house, she was amazed to see me
actually holding Ishka. Jill told me that Ishka had been
hard to place in a forever home because of her mistrust for people
and her many fears. I knew of her traumas as a Hurricane
Katrina victim and for being kept constantly in a cage her entire
life. We had an immediate connection and I believe she knew
I would provide the love she so desperately needed. I already
had one Italian Greyhound as a member of my family (Bullet) and
wanted her to have a companion. The first thing I did was
change Ishkas name because if she was going to have a brand
new life with a new start, she needed a brand new name.
I decided to name Ishka Remington and called
her "Remi" for short. It fit her daintiness,
her personality and she responded to it immediately as if she
were Remi all along.
Although
Remi and Bullet never really played together they had mutual respect,
protection and love for each other. Bullet started sleeping
in her own huge condo crate and gave up her place beside me in
the bed because Bullet realized Remi needed the closeness and
love more than she did at the time. Bullet had been with
me 7 years at that time and we have an immensely strong bond.
It was a selfless act, and I will always be grateful for Bullets graciousness
when Remi came to us. Remi slept with me every night and
her life started to change. Her body still reflected the
ravages of the traumas she had experienced, but it was obvious
she was happy and felt comfortable in her new home. She
learned that going out in public, going for walks, going to parties
and meeting new people were actually good things. She was
welcomed everywhere she went by my friends and she got better
and better at being a part of a family. I made sure she
knew she was loved every day and she embraced that wholeheartedly.
At
Christmas time, my husband felt the need for his own puppy, so
we adopted a Chihuahua and named him Squeaky T. We had no
idea when we got The Squeak (as we call him) what a profound effect
he would have on Remi. She started playing tug-of-war, chasing,
wrestling, and loving on The Squeak as if they had been playmates
forever. They slept side by side and it was obvious that
the puppy brought new life to Remi. Her back started to
straighten out and she had a new pep to her step. It was
an amazing transformation and I was so happy I cried.
When
Remi hurt her back while playing in April of 2008, The Squeak
and Bullet stayed by her side non-stop for two solid days.
The Squeak, being only a 6 month old puppy, would kiss her face
constantly and make sure that she was okay. After we found
out that Remi had a soft tissue injury and that she would always
be in pain, the doctors told us we needed to have her hooked up
to IVs and in a hospital for a long period of time. I knew
right then that I could not do that to Remi because she would
have been terrified the entire time. It was one of the hardest
decisions Ive ever had to make. Remi and The Squeak
laid side by side when the doctor came to our home. After
the initial shot to stop the pain, Remi was able to get up, go
outside for one last time, and then came back to lay down in her
favorite spot on the couch. When Remi drifted slowly
off to Rainbow Bridge, The Squeak cried for her. I saw her
back get straighter than I had ever seen it before. She
no longer had a look of pain, she had a definite smile on her
face and Remi died with dignity and grace.
I know
the last two years of Remis life were truly happy, truly
fulfilled and she knew she was loved very much by our entire family.
Remi taught us all lessons on how to love even though someone
is not completely perfect, that it is possible to trust again
and that when you are loved, everything will be okay when it is
your time to go to Rainbow Bridge.
Remi
is still very missed every day by Bullet, The Squeak and by me
and my husband. She had a profound effect on all of us as
well and we will always think of her and love her.