Comments Off on Shaggy from 2002; JRCC Original Pen Pals
My story is a little different as it comes from the perspective of an ex-offender who participated in the Pen pals program when it originally was adopted into JRCC back in the early 2000’s.
My name is Jonathan. I was in the original Pen pals program as a trainer and an inmate at JRCC. I was in the very first Animal Planet special for Cell Dogs. While I trained and worked with quite a few dogs, Shaggy was the one who stood out to me. So intelligent, loving and playful 🙂
I was released after spending almost 8 years in the prison system. Here is my story.
Growing up with no father and a heroin addict mother, most thought I was destined for prison at a very early age. Passed from family member to family member when my mother would end up in jail or rehab was a typical lifestyle for me when growing up. Of course after my mother died of a heroin overdose when i was 14, I went into a downward sprial into the criminal and mentally unstable world.
To make a long story short; I got into trouble at 17; tried as an adult and sentenced to 80 years with 70 suspended (all together), for a string of felonies stretching across 3 cities.
I spent from 1997 until 2004 in the jail and prison system. From 18 years old until I was 26 years old.
At a time in my life when i could not see a light at the end of the tunnel, I had no wher to go, no one to lean on; I built a hard outer shell to protect myself in prison and to make sure everyone knew I didn’t care about anything. Then Pen pals came around. I had a dog who didn’t care where I came from, what i had done or what I looked like. He loved me for me as long as I treated him good 😉
This helped lead to my hard outter shell softening. I started to care, not only about people and other things, but most importantly, myself. I then spent my last few years in prison working with dogs, studying computer books in hopes one day i would get out and change my legacy forever 🙂
Well, here I am; 11.5 years after being released in March 2004. While it surely hasn’t been easy, but I now work for one of the largest IT Consulting Firms in the world. I am married with 3 daughters and identical twin boys due in early september 🙂
I went from prison to minimum wage job to now making close to $200K a year in a leadership role for my firm.
It all started with that dog who showed me that no matter where, who or what; i could be loved 😉 When I saw I could be loved … I knew I needed to give love back 🙂
Hope this story didn’t bore you, just wanted to share and give an update as I was one of the very first Pen pals trainers from JRCC and in the very first Cell Dogs aired on animal planet.
My name is Dana and I am writing to tell you about a very vital part of my family…my dog Buster. I never had many pets so I didn’t know how rescuing Buster was going to change my life. In all reality I think he rescued me! 8 short years ago I lost my mom to cancer. Very soon after that loss I rescued Buster because I had such a voided empty spot in my life. I took one look in his eyes and knew in that moment I needed him as much as he did me! He has not only become a family pet but has become my child my companion and my best friend my therapist my personal trainer….I could keep going! I came home from work about three weeks ago and saw his lymph nodes on each side of his throat were swollen like golf balls. Long story short he has Lymphoma. I feel like I’m living that aweful day 8 years ago when told my Mom had 6 weeks left. I heard of Fetch A Cure through my vet Kelly Broz. What an amazing organization!
Maxwell was the best thing that ever happened to me. 5 1/2 years ago I was looking on Petfinder.com and there he was, such a beautiful dog, I knew I had to adopt him. I went down to the APL and saw him. He was so sad and scared, sitting at the back of his cage. I knelt down and he slowly came to me, smelling my hand and allowing me to pet him. They brought us into the playroom and he walked over to me and sat right in my lap. That was it, we had found each other. Soulmates, best friends forever. We both needed unconditional love, safety, and comfort. I promised him from that day on, he would never want or need for anything, and I would make sure with everything I had, he would always feel loved and safe. He brought so much to my life, he was everything I could ever ask for. It was me and him, partners against the world. Through a few moves, ups and downs, different jobs and loves, he was my constant, my rock. All he had to do was look at me with those big, beautiful eyes, lay down next to me as close as he could, and nothing else mattered. He was perfect. Perfect for me. He would lay next to me all night, no matter what. Wherever I was in the house, there he’d be. That meant the world to me. I wanted, each minute of his life to show him how much he meant to me. I knew he had a horrible past with previous “owners” and months on end at kennels and that brought a feeling of uncertainty and fear to him. I was so conscience of everything I did, I tried to always make him feel comforted and loved. I loved to nuzzle in his furry neck. I loved the way we would lay on the couch together, either me lying on his back or him lying at my feet. We would get all cuddled up and felt no need to move until we absolutely had to. That’s all we needed, each other. He’d tap at the door of the bathroom with his paw, as to say come on, let me in. Sometimes he’d choose to enter, other times he’d lay right outside until I came out. Either way, was close to me, protecting me. He was so proud on our walks. If we passed a stranger, he’d bark, watch them, and then after we had passed I would pat him on his back and say “good boy Boobers” (that was my nickname for him), he’d perk up, head held high, and wag his tail as we kept on our way. When I would pick up the pace and start a little jog, he got so excited, smiling as wide as can be. He loved squirrels and any other land critter he could set his eyes on. His senses were impeccable. He could spot things a mile away, hear sounds that escaped me and the sense of smell…whenever I got a new outfit, he knew. It was amazing. He’d walk up to me and just smell away, as if to say, “new outfit, eh?” He loved his comforts too, big pillows, comfy blankets and a soft warm doggy bed. I wanted to spoil him as best as I could. Whatever I could afford, I wanted him to have. Sweaters, hoodies, even a pair of Christmas jammies with legs and all, he loved and proudly wore out on our walks. He loved my homemade chicken stock, especially when poured over his usual dinner time food. He never begged, really. Just quietly sit next to you, hoping and waiting that something would drop. Trust me, when it did, he found it. Sometimes he may tap your leg to remind you that he was there while you were eating, but that was as far as the begging would go. One of the funniest things he would do is when he was eating, if he heard something he should be barking at he’d try to do both at the same time. Munching away he’d throw in a low bark. It was so adorable. When he would dream, which was pretty often, his whole body would go into these waves and movements, I couldn’t get enough of it. He was so big, 130 lbs and to see him just wiggling about and his paws quivering, it just made me smile. Come to think of it, pretty much everything he did made me smile. I could be having the worst day, come home, and within minutes my heart and mind would heal. Just the look on his face when I’d walk through the door. He’d always be right there, within a foot or two of the opening door. Just as happy as can be. Talk about feeling so loved. If I had to do something before we took our walk, I’d make sure to bring out his leash and place it on the table so he knew, even though there may be a delay, we indeed were taking our evening walk. i didn’t want him to think I’d forgotten. He always knew he’d be getting a treat, too. If mommy had to leave, 9 times out of 10, he would be getting a little something on her return. The few times I couldn’t bring him something I would bring out one of his Milk Bones. It was so cute, he’d look at it and turn away, like he was saying “no, thank you”.
There are not enough words to describe how I felt about my beloved Maxwell. I wish I could describe every emotion, every moment he brought me joy. There are so many and I miss him so much. My life was so full with him in it. I never wanted for a hug, or love, or a friend. I had it all. He gave me it all. I know I tried to do the same for him, every moment of every day. He deserved that and the world and more. When I would wake up, and there he’d be right next to me, either sitting or lying next to me, that’s all I needed to start the day. When he’d look at me out of the corner of his eye from the couch when I’d leave, I just felt so good. He was keeping his eye on me, I loved it. I wish with all my heart, he was with me right now. The nights are so empty and lonely. We would sit down and watch our shows and do our routine until it was bed time. I miss that so much. I thank God I was blessed with him, I prayed for him all the time. I never wanted our time to end.
Friday night he was feeling fine. I got home from work we did our usual walk and came home to relax and I gave him his bone. All of a sudden a hour or so later, he showed some discomfort. He started walking around trying to get comfortable. He got sick, and then laid down with me, still agitated but trying to just lay with me. The next morning, yesterday (Saturday) he was lethargic and wouldn’t even take a small piece of fresh roasted turkey. I knew something was wrong and took him to Great Lakes Vet Clinic. His gums started turning pale grey on the way. We rushed him in and found after an ultrasound his belly was filled with blood. An undetected mass had ruptured. They went ahead with diagnostic testing and saw all his tests, urinalysis, blood, x-Rays, were not showing anything negative. They said he was an excellent candidate for surgery. We decided to have it done that same night at the Westpark Animal Hospital. My best friend and I Jacqueline rushed him over there and the surgeon was very positive. It could be a cyst, a hemotoma, or a benign or malignant Tumor. An hour or so later they began surgery, 20 min later they called me in. They found 3 tumors on his liver that were inoperable and were going to rupture. He wasn’t going to live the rest of the life he was meant to. He passed away. What is so hard is that this all happened within 24 hours. They said these types of tumors are undetectable and show no signs until they rupture. I can’t believe he’s gone. He was so healthy and active all the way up to late Friday night.
He made me feel so happy, so complete.
I thank God he brought him to me, I pray to God he unites us again when it is my time to leave this earth. Until then, I just hope and pray with all of my heart and soul, that he is here with me in spirit and can feel my love, each day growing. I miss you, Maxwell. I love you, Maxwell. Please wait for me and guide my way to you when it is my time. When that day comes, we can play and run in the snow, the leaves, the water. We can cuddle up close and keep each other loved and safe for all eternity. Til that day comes, stay with me, close to me, know that I will miss you so much until that day and know that my love will do nothing but grow and keep growing.
I love you
Mommy
As of March 15, my dog Clancy is about to start Round 2 of chemotherapy under the supervision of Dr. Lynn Harpold at the Veterinary Referral and Critical Care hospital (VRCC) in Manakin-Sabot. In early February, he was diagnosed with mediastinal lymphoma, a relatively rare variety. Survival time is only weeks without treatment, so I decided to proceed. But boy, it is a difficult decision. Is this what he wants? Or what I want?
It is interesting that Clancy started seeming different to me as early as October. His appetite changed; I had to coax him to eat. Then he had some horrible, scary symptoms. One day, he stumbled jumping back onto the deck. He wobbled, trembled, and listed to one side. He had an MRI and then an ultrasound; they found nothing. But VRCC had noted high blood pressure and put him on BP meds. Immediately, he improved and was pretty much back to normal. Was any of this related to his cancer? I guess not. But maybe it was a kind of blessing, because it prompted me to watch him more closely.
So, when he started coughing and gagging a bit at the end of January, I took note and after a couple of days, emailed Dr. Harpold. She said not to wait for her; take him out to VRCC. Days matter with lymphoma. The emergency medicine vet took radiographs, noted fluid in Clancy’s lungs, drew some out and sent it off to pathology. She told me, though, that it looked like lymphoma to her, which was confirmed via pathology a few days later. We started chemo right away.
Clancy’s protocol has included prednisone, the drug of choice for those who do not proceed with chemo. His 5-week cycle includes vincristine, cytoxan, vincristine again, doxorubicin and then an off week. That cycle repeats for a total of five times (25 weeks). We are about to start the 2nd of the five cycles.
Clancy went into remission almost immediately and is doing fine. I can tell he feels good – he’s alert and even frisky. He’s had zero ill effects from the first round of chemo – no vomiting, no diarrhea, etc. He takes his prednisone, Pepcid AC and BP med in cheese and has a good appetite. I’m very pleased and encouraged with how well he is doing. He’d probably have passed away by now if I’d done nothing. But this is not easy. Although I can (kind of) afford it, the chemo is very expensive and I have to endure the judgment of people who silently questiin spending thousands of dollars on chemotherapy for a dog. The weekly trips out to VRCC out a cramp in my schedule and were difficult during February’s bad weather. And then there’s Clancy’s personality. He’s a loving and affectionate dog with me, but turns into Cujo at the vet. He is aggressive and a bite risk. They keep a plastic cone on his head at all times, to reduce the risk. This aspect of things is very stressful on me.
But this afternoon, I’ll put a tarp on the grass (ground is wet) and then a comforter, and Clancy and I will cuddle and doze happily in the Sunday afternoon sunshine. Right now, his quality of life is normal, and I am grateful for every day we’re having together. Should Clancy fall out of remission, or should he start reacting poorly to the chemotherapy, I’ll change course. But for now, life is good.
In the late summer of 2005 after purchasing our first home, my husband and I started to think about adopting a dog. Having seen the show Cell Dogs on Animal Planet the year before, I researched the rescue group and found Pen Pals. After working with them to see if we were a match for a pup in their program, we headed to a center in VA to pick up our pup (known at the time as Blondie). We met with the inmate handlers and found that she was an awesome dog and joined our family. Though her nose always drove her brain, her heart couldn’t have been more sweet (she even had a tuff of hair in the top of her head in the shape of a heart – and no, I’m not kidding). She was a wonderful dog and so caring as we added two more members to our family over the years (my daughter then my son). But in October, just before my daughters birthday one of lumps that had started to show up on her began to grow very large and quick. By November she had the biggest one removed (about the size of a cantaloupe) and seemed to be bouncing back a little. But just after Christmas her walking abilities started to slow as did her appetite and she began to loose weight. Within the past two weeks, her hind legs could barely support her and left her pretty well settled on her bed 24/7. Yesterday, January 22, 2015, with sad hearts we did the best we could for her and allowed her to sleep. We miss her terribly, but know that she isn’t hurting anymore and enjoying chasing the squirrels and deer in heaven while eating all the pizza and cookies she can find on counters and in the trash bins. 🙂
Pen Pals is an amazing rescue that allows families to give back in so many ways. A co-worker and friend just adopted their dog from the group a few months ago after I told them about it and they couldn’t be happier with their new pup either. Hopefully after our hearts heal, we’ll look to find another pup to show lovin to from Pen Pals.
