I have a large family, but they are all up north. Here in Florida I live with my 2 dogs ... Goldendoodles.
Farley is 3 years old. He is as loving and smart a dog as any that me or anyone else has ever met. Farley is simply love on 4 legs. Frankie is 1 1/2, and I saved him from a very abusive situation. Frankie has serious trauma. He is petrified of loud noises and people in general. I am the only human he will let touch him, but he and Farley are obsessed with each other. In the 10 months since I got Frankie, he and Farley have never been more than 5 feet apart from one another. They sleep while touching, and when awake they play together in a way that is so beautiful that not even spock could find the words to describe.
On Friday night they got our of my fenced back yard and took off. I was inside and not aware that they had gotten out. Then I heard a sound that no dog lover ever wants to hear ... I heard a dog cry in pain from the street. I ran out the front door to see Farley lying there having been hit by a car. Frankie, who was already very skittish took off, in which direction I had no idea. I carried Farley into the house and noticed he had blood coming from his mouth. Not from a cut but from internal injuries. Panicked I called a few friends for help. I rushed Farley to the hospital while 3 vehicles scoured the area searching for Frankie. It was about 9:30pm, so finding him was difficult.
Farley spent Friday night at a local hospital. He had significant internal bleeding in addition to heart arrhythmia. He was in bad shape. We could not find Frankie. I got home late Friday night to an empty house. One dog near death, and the other who has serious trauma alone somewhere on the street. I did not sleep a wink. I cried a lot and prayed often. Saturday came and the search for Frankie continued. On Saturday afternoon they transferred Farley to another hospital one hour north for better care. The local hospital felt he had a greater chance of survival in a better equipped facility.
It was on Saturday that I realized how blessed I am. Someone made and posted lost dog signs all over the place. Another person contacted animal control, the police department, and all the local vets and shelters. So many people posted pictures of Frankie on FB and other social media. The outpouring of love, support, prayers and effort was truly incredible.
Saturday came and went, and still no Frankie. He was spotted crossing a 4 lane road about 2 miles from my house. I rushed to the area and drove around for hours, but could not find him. Farley was getting transfusions because his internal bleeding was going into his stomach, which he was puking up. Saturday night arrives and I am in my house, exhausted and emotionally spent ... and very lonely without my dogs. But I had this overwhelming sense of gratitude for all the people who cared. Even people I have never met were rallying trying to find Frankie and praying for Farley. This sense of gratitude gave me time to reflect on what is important in life. I had a new found perspective, one which I needed. One which I think we all need from time to time.
What is important in life is not trying to be right. It's not sitting in judgement of others, nor arguing endlessly over trivial matters. What is important is showing kindness to one another, because we never know what someone is going through. We never know how much a person might need some kindness in their life. I know at a time when I need it most, it was there from loved ones and from strangers. I can not measure how much it helped.
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