Those who know me know that I love my Alabama Pug Rescue group. In that group are some of the sweetest, most caring, generous and genuine people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. We all have one common bond – the love of these silly little clowns (a.k.a. pugs). So when one of us suffers a loss, it feels like we all suffer a loss. I don’t know how I would have made it through my sweet Uncle Albert’s death in September of 2007 (yes, he was a pug…not a real “uncle”) without them. This fall, when we decided to do the paintings for Pugs and Pumpkins, I had a couple of surprise projects that I did then (and since they were surprises, I didn’t post them here). While I was working on the paintings, we found out that Bess, one of our most dedicated volunteer’s Diva Pug was diagnosed with cancer, so I wanted to do something for Bess’ mom. Then I decided that I really needed to do a special painting for Hope (thanks to one awesome volunteer, MC, who provided me with a photo of Hope), who is the reason for APRA’s existence (you can read her story here). Sadly, tragically, and unexpectedly, Hope passed away on December 4. I had no idea that when I was preparing to do the painting that when I gave it to her mom, Hope would be gone. And then, yesterday, Bess passed away. It has been hard knowing the sadness that comes with losing a dog…but not just a dog, not just a pug, but a member of the family, and in some cases, such as Uncle Albert’s and Bess’, a leader of the dog pack, and in the case of Hope, the inspiration to start an organization that has helped so very many pugs and pug friends find their forever homes or find a place to live out their last years, loved, in comfort, and cherished. Nothing is ever the same when they leave us. So while I am not the best writer, and struggle for the right words to express how devastating these losses have been, I would like to remember each of them and remember their amazing spirits, and their amazing human moms who have touched so many other people because of their love for these two special girls.
Hope, 1997 – December 4, 2008:
Bess, May 30, 1996 – January 9, 2009:
And these pictures do not represent ALL of the animals…I missed the cats and didn’t want to embarrass the naked bird. And a couple of the dogs were either shy or I didn’t get really great shots of them. Oh well, a great excuse to go back and visit!
