Angel's Story
A Lesson In Fostering From The Heart (continued)

Noel the big one was lovingly called Brutella! She was pushy and demanding. We knew she would be a dog who would need a special home with someone who would want to stimulate her senses and mind. This puppy was potty trained on paper at 5 weeks! While the other pups seemed willing to be placed on their backs and have their bellies touched and gently rubbed, Noel was too busy to take the time.

Ivy was next in size; she was dark red like her sister Noel, but not quite as pushy. When mommy's nipples dried up, Ivy was content to wait until there was a bottle or refill. She was usually busy in the pool getting herself tangled in the blankets while looking for the ultimate spot. Ivy had an insistent noise, which went from a growl to a bark as she grew. She also showed a strong personality but more humorous, She loved to lie belly up whether it be to eat, sleep or be held! When I went to have a picture taken when she was a few days old we laughed because I rolled her over to face the camera and she made a sound of total discontent!

Cindylu was the blondie of the bunch; very content to be touched and sleep peacefully in a lap. She often fell asleep nursing and never seemed quite as driven to do anything like her two bigger sisters. We called her "the love bunny" because she seemed to want to be close and was extremely gentle.

Holly was the littlest. She had very little drive to push for food and often would arrive so late at the milking station that if we hadn't supplemented with a bottle she would not have made many meals at all. If she didn't get enough to eat she slept constantly. She needed a watchful human eye to help push her in the right direction. However, after 4 weeks we switched to puppy gruel and by 5 weeks to wet puppy food, she grew and passed Cindylu in size and weight! And food became a highlight of the day. She seemed more comfortable with humans as she always climbed into a lap and napped there.

Our adventure with the puppies ended when they turned 10 weeks. The hardest thing I had to do was turn them over. It was a labor of love for all of us: Angel, Mike, myself and my stepchildren. I knew that if I kept the puppies any longer I would keep them all forever and it wasn't what I thought was best for them. I wanted each puppy to know the sense of family and not being a member of a pack (we would have had 8 dogs). I thought that if each one was to become something wonderful and unique it was not with me. I will love every moment I had with them, and will watch faithfully that each one gets a home that guarantees them my image from the field.

As for their mother, Angel, my heart truly aches!

She was so gentle and loving and I loved to watch as she played with her babies. I would look out and see her playing tickle games and chewing sticks with puppies gnawing on the other end. She taught them boundaries of love. Teaching them not to bite hard and when she said no more nursing she meant no more nursing. The puppies learned to respect her demands.

An image that I treasure is in the nursery with a sunbeam shining through the window while Angel and Ivy played. Ivy upside down, paws in the air grabbing at Angel's face and ears, and Angel wrapping her neck and mouth around her in a loving hold. The love was so obvious it left us feeling like we had been given a gift just to watch.

There wasn't a day that Angel didn't know what she was doing with them and we humans should be in awe of these canine mothers. It is humans who make for most of the mean dogs in this world not their canine mothers!

Angel's ability as a mother was equally sensitive with human children. A friend came over with her children to see the puppies and the image of Angel sticking her nose through the fence so her new friends Jake and Casey, all under the age of 5, could pat her goodbye was a most compassionate gesture.

This amazingly sweet soul strived to save those she brought into the world. She had a fever, cough and worms all due to human neglect. She showed signs of having been physically abused and abandoned and yet represented only love in return! I believe that she willed us to find her, and if not, God saw Angel the way I did, and sent us to her aid!

In the end, the damage from neglect and abuse took its toll on her 3-year-old body. Her persistent cough was due to a lung condition from probably having distemper as a pup that went untreated. It created large amounts of scar tissue, which gave her a condition like asthma-only worse.

Four weeks after the puppies had left, Angel's lungs collapsed. We rushed her to Cary Street Emergency in Richmond; the news was that she would probably not make it through the weekend. She was frothing foam and blood and she was despondent other than to put her head against my shoulder.

With the help of Anita, Sandra, my husband Mike and the vet she died in my arms April 1, four weeks to the day her puppies had left. As I told all of her pups that did not survive, they would go to a better place where only love existed. I held her and told her the same. If I was love to her, this was nothing compared to what waited for her. This was from human neglect and abuse and Angel never deserved it!

As a foster parent I can only say this. If the same call comes tomorrow, I would react the same. However, this time I will know how to act faster and hopefully save 9 out of 9, instead of 4 out of 9.

Fostering is a job of unspoken rewards. It comes in the form of kisses and contented heads lying on your feet. Antics of toys and games and silliness make you take a second look, because it's such a personality change from when you pick them up. Nothing speaks volumes more about who you are than a dog that leaves with their new family feeling secure and happy. If you think you have the compassion and the fearlessness to cry at times, I highly recommend becoming a foster home.

For those who have been moved through this article, Angel needs us to find the ones like her. It would be her legacy and her wish to find them!

I know Angel was forever happy to know that in spite of all she had suffered in the end her dream became truth - people can be good and kind. Something Anne Frank never had the opportunity to see but believed in her soul.

I urge every member, foster home, adopter, quarantine, board member, and people who read this article to add one new person to our organization who can help us bring these situations of cruelty to a close sooner. Please join me in helping our Goldens in need!

Updated information about Angel's puppies can be found in our GRREAT Tales area:
Ivy, Lulu and Holly