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SALLY SWEETHEART
A Life Full of Love
When I first met Sally Sweetheart she was hiding under a birdcage at her foster home. It was her cave, her sanctuary. Hope Hemperly, director of Pueblo Collie/Sheltie Rescue, later told me that Sally was one of the most "shut down" dogs that had come through PCSR. I crawled underneath the birdcage on my belly to meet this timid creature. It was love at first sight. Her eyes said, "I'm scared and don't know what to do," but her soul said, "I am full of love and potential so if you love me, I will love you back with all my heart."
I am not sure where her story began, but we do know it continued in a horrendous way when she was almost three years old. She and several other dogs were dumped by someone in a van high up in the Colorado mountains. Just dumped to fend for themselves. Someone who lived there witnessed this very inhumane act but did not get a license plate number. The man did try to contact authorities from several agencies in the area. No one seemed all that interested in the welfare of the scared and confused animals. This man did put out some bags of dog food occasionally, but it seemed that Sally was definitely on the bottom of the pecking order. She became intimidated by the dominant dogs and she started to starve. Eventually, because the dogs were a mix of breeds, looking like border collies to corgis, the man found out about rescue groups and called Pueblo Collie/Sheltie Rescue. When this committed and kind group of volunteers heard about these dogs, there was no hesitation to go and help them. The other dogs were helped by other agencies, but the dog described as being a sheltie-mix came to PCSR.
This is how Sally got off the mountain and came to Pueblo, into a foster home and finally to us. Sally had not seen or experienced much of the world. It took her a while to learn to trust her new human family. She did not know what dog toys were. She did have eating habits that were hard to read, and she was terrified of traveling in a car. Each new person who came into her environment was a potential threat. With patience and love and trying to think like Sally, her personality slowing emerged. Toys were great as long as they squeaked or jingled. She would tend to try and eat the toys, so finding something tough enough to keep her attention and not end up all over the house took a few tries. In the end, she became fond of a tough material horse that she carried around everywhere. In understanding Sally's need for a safe place, we started having her ride in a crate in the car. This was just fine with her and somehow she knew that a car ride meant she would not be abandoned.
Sally enjoyed so many fun activities -- walks with mom, hiking and camping with her family, going to the mountains during ski season, and laughing at her mom when she first tried to snowshoe. I do believe Sally thought this was a very strange sport for her human mother. This last summer, she even tried swimming with her Labrador friend Mandy. I do believe she thought that swimming was a very strange sport to do with her dog friend.
Sally's true calling was to be therapy for those around her. When my legs ached from my illness, she would curl up against them. Pure magic poured from her warm fur to my hurting muscles. She was my constant companion in a particularly isolated world. She went everywhere with me and I never felt alone. Her kind soul told me that "sadness" had to go because we had things to do. When my dad, Charles, moved into an assisted living apartment, Sally brought joy, distraction and purpose to his life. I would deliberately leave Sally with Dad around lunch time. He would always sneak food from the dining room to feed her back in his room. The two of them thought they were both pretty sneaky. Eventually, she made friends with several of the residents there. She would wait patiently while the seniors lavished tons of pets on her. One particular resident, Stella, was terrified of dogs. She would hide behind someone as Sally walked in front of her. Well, Miss Sally would have none of that. Within a few months Sally had charmed her way into Stella's heart. Stella would always say that Sally was the only dog she had allowed around her. Dad had to go to a nursing home this last December. The staff was more than happy to have her visit him. Again she proved her calling. Besides being therapy to my dad, she would once again stand next to the people in wheelchairs while they gave her love. Pueblo Animal Services recently asked Sally and I to visit the Veterans' Administration clinic to cheer up this special group of people. Sadly, this was not to be.
On March 17, 2008, Sally passed away quietly at Pets and Friends Animal Hospital. She was a trusted friend and companion who showed strength of character and courage during her lifetime. I would like to thank Dr. McCarthy and the staff at Pets and Friends for all of their efforts on Sally's behalf. She was very fortunate to have had all of them taking care of her. I would also like to thank Hope and Pueblo Collie/Sheltie Rescue for giving me the privilege of having Sally in my life.
-- Sally's mom Diana
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