Zora - RIP

Zora was a “throw away” dog.  To her “owner” Zora was trash.  I have never seen a dog look like Zora in all of my life.  5 months ago Zora was a bag of bones.  She was rescued from a horrible situation.  She was not fed in weeks – no water – no human interaction – no wind/weather break, no blanket, no bedding.  Zora lived in an outside kennel with a cement floor and an igloo dog house.  But sadly, she had so much waste in her doghouse that she wouldn’t go into it anymore.  When it would rain, snow or sleet on Zora – she would literally freeze to the cement.  She would have to pull her poor body off of the freezing surface – and pulled her skin off while doing it.  She was simply waiting to die at the hands of her “owner” who couldn’t be bothered with her care.  This once beautiful, hard working, wonderfully trained police dog – had wasted away to almost nothing.

Rhonda rescued Zora and welcomed her into her home – and into her heart.  Zora was so emaciated that she could hardly lift her head and her body was literally curled in on itself – her only protection that kept her alive was to curl into a small ball and keep her internal organs as warm as she could.  Her poor skinny body had open sores, scars, bruises…   Rhonda could see beyond all of that.  She could see the beautiful soul that still shined bright out of those big sad brown eyes.   It was unknown if Zora would last through the first night because of the frost bite, dehydration, starvation that had caused her organs to begin shutting down – but she did live through the night.   Rhonda held Zora in her arms and hand fed her through those first few nights.  In the coming days and weeks Rhonda would cook liver, boiled chicken, rice… anything to put fat on Zora’s bones.  Her total focus was on Zora – and bringing her through this horrible life that she had lived before coming to live with Rhonda.   A warm place to sleep, a full tummy, gentle hands, quietly spoken words of encouragement – Zora thrived!

As time passed, Rhonda and Zora fell more and more in love with the life they had made together.  As Zora grew stronger – there were plenty of walks and off leash runs together.  Zora had perfect house manners – and Rhonda felt very safe knowing that Zora was watching over her as she slept.   And Zora felt very safe knowing that she had Rhonda to protect her from ever having to live the hell she had lived before.  Both Zora and Rhonda were happy and it seemed that the dark days had passed.  They pulled each other out of a hard winter – and looked forward to many happy years together.  They were absolutely dedicated to one another. 

Sadly, on Monday, April 25^th, Zora passed away due to an unfortunate accident at a boarding facility she had stayed at for one day.  Rhonda is absolutely devastated!!  Everyone that knew and loved Zora was stunned and heartbroken.  Both for the wonderful dog – as well as for our dear friend Rhonda.  Her loss is complete.  There are no words that can comfort Rhonda. 

While we all know – time does heal.  We also know that when we lose a loved one – our lives are never the same again.  Zora was a bright and shining star – and our world has dimmed with her passing.  We believe that every tear that is shed for this girl – is a tribute to this wonderful creature that blessed this world for such a short time.  As a dog lover, we know that this was not “just a dog” – but a beloved  companion, a friend, a family member.   This dog had lived through such a tragic life –  she was no longer “trash” – she was no longer a “throw away” dog…  but at the end… Zora mattered.  Zora was loved.  Her life meant something.  And that is the best that any one of us could hope for!

RIP ZORA