It pleases me to say that sweet Ever was adopted the same day that her video (featuring excerpts from her diary entry) was posted. She was adopted by the very woman that found her on the side of that dusty highway. She is now the happy, well-adjusted member of a wonderful family. The woman who found her simply could not stop thinking about her, and when her son met her, it was love at first sight. Ever will even let him ride around on her back—she treats him like one of her very own puppies.At the same time, it pains me to say that Orville did not experience the same happy fate. After being returned to the shelter because he and his new owner were not bonding well, he waited for another chance at a new life for weeks. Despite his waived adoption fee, no one took him home. Because he’d been at the shelter for far too long and had become depressed, Orville was tenderly ushered over the Rainbow Bridge by those at the shelter who had come to love him.
The shelter exists because this world is an imperfect place, and the most heartbreaking part of its existence is death. Orville was my friend—a friend to many at the shelter, but we can’t expect every story to be as happy as Ever’s. Sometimes, all that we can provide for an animal is love and tenderness for a short while.
Words are not adequate to describe the depth and complexity of emotion that comes from dealing with euthanasia, so I will not begin to attempt it here. Perhaps another blog post on another day. Here I will merely say that Orville was loved, and he loved us in return. I am thankful that I met him and was able to provide him some affection—perhaps the only he has ever known—before he crossed over that final bridge.
Rest in peace, big guy.
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