by Lori Weise

Founder and Director, Downtown Dog Rescue

What would you do if you could not afford to take your sick dog to a vet?  Many dog owners face this challenge and are forced to surrender their suffering pets to animal shelter where they die alone.  Not every old dog was “dumped” by their owner, some had no alternative.  Downtown Dog Rescue’s Operation Safety Net provides that alternative so that a dog owner can treat their dog, sometimes paying part of the cost, other times, DDR pays 100%, whatever it takes to make the dog comfortable.  We also offer end of life, humane euthanasia which is something that not all dog owners understand that they need.  Again, some bring their old dogs to the shelter because that’s what they saw their parents or neighbors or friends do with their dogs.  For many of us, it’s not a culturally acceptable way to see a beloved pet spend their last hours of life, sitting in a cage, waiting to be euthanized at a shelter.

Carrie reached out to DDR when her pit bull Diamond was sick.  Sam Simon Foundation generously removed the first tumor at no charge and Diamond appeared to be doing well but that didn’t last long.  About a month later, she had trouble walking and even breathing.  Because Carrie was so connected to her dog, she knew it was time or at least she thought it was time.  She came to our Watts clinic and we talked, then she wrote to me several times until she decided that she couldn’t watch Diamond suffer anymore.  An appointment was made to humanely euthanize her.  Which also meant that she could hold her in her arms, not sign a paper, hand over the dog and walk away, as her dog of ten years would be pulled down a hallway at a shelter.  Diamond passed peacefully on Wednesday July 25^th at noon.  Her suffering is now over.  I asked Carrie to tell me what Diamond meant to her and this is what she wrote, “I rescued diamond when she was puppy off the streets three days after my first pit bull died in my arms. To me, she saved my life. I was so depressed about killer (my first pit) that I really didn’t want to live without him.  Diamond gave me a reason to live and a way to cope with my grief, as well as a new place to channel my love.”

Downtown Dog Rescue’ mission is to continue to offer compassionate care to as many dogs as possible who live in underserved communities.  If you would like to sponsor a surgery or medical treatment, please donate on our website at www.downtowndogrescue.org