From the SPA
By Christine Foster, Oct 20, 2006

Chapter two

You may remember “Chapter Two” as the name of a play by Neil Simon about a second marriage, and, most importantly, a wonderful second chance for love. When a person loses a companion, whether to death or divorce, it can certainly be hard to have the courage to try again. It’s just as tough, if not tougher, for an animal. Humans at least have a sort of predictable and increasingly understood grieving process, including denial, anger, depression and, finally, if things go well, a kind of acceptance and a moving forward. But a dog can’t comfort herself with anything so abstract. To animals, life is in the present and demands to be lived. Loss is present pain. Pain continues until a new love comes along to replace it. 

Samba’s owner died. Now she’s in a cage. And she’s only two years old. She is a house-trained, leash-trained, nearly pure-black Lab with great intelligence, presence and trust. We can’t tell her it’s going to be all right.

But we believe she will have her own “Chapter Two,” and we can only hope that it will begin soon, so she doesn’t wait so long she begins to lose hope. She’s a fine spirit, used to being an only, cherished dog. She’s ready when you are.

 

The Pink Panther is a cheeky rascal that actually did come in with some sort of pink stain on his paws. Perhaps some kids had a go at “improving” his markings with finger paints. Or maybe he jumped into something out of sheer curiosity.

In any event, no harm done—it soon washed off. Now he’s back to his classy basic black and white, but still shining with pure personality. He’s one of a dozen half-grown beauties who are just the right age to adopt—not as needy as tiny kittens, and ready and eager to bond with new families.

We would love anyone with an extra dog crate, carrier or portable kennel of any size to think about donating it to the SPA. Perhaps you have one your own dog has outgrown. We are running critically short of them. We use them to safely protect puppies while their cages are being cleaned, as well as for recovering surgical patients and for transportation. 

We are also always grateful for pet food, dog toys, cat toys and old towels and blankets now that the nights are getting colder. Please stop by the Jardín on Thursdays between 11:15am and 1:15pm to see who we have brought for you to admire and play with. Come visit at the SPA at Los Pinos 7, just off Calzada de la Estación, on Monday through Friday from noon to 2pm to volunteer, donate or choose a pet.