PAW S F O R R E F L ECT I O N
With Darren Low, DVM
STORIES THAT REMIND US OF HOW MUCH WE LOVE THE FOUR-FOOTED MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILIES
AN OPEN HEART
leads to the love of a Pesky puppy Darren Low, DVM, practices companion animal medicine and surgery in Sydney, Nova Scotia, where he lives with his wife, son and 10 four-footed family members. He writes a weekly column for the Cape Breton Post.
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PETS
hen Kathleen headed to Mexico for a late November surfing vacation with friends, she thought she’d come home with a tan— she never imagined she’d come home with her four-legged soulmate. Nine years ago Kathleen arrived in the tiny fishing village of Pescadero on the Pacific side of Mexico’s Baja California region. A surfer’s dream, Pescadero had a beach that stretched for miles and miles in an almost undiscovered paradise, with ocean currents that produced excellent surf conditions. Besides the local fisher folk, the area was only populated by a few Americans and Canadians. Kathleen deemed it magical at first sight; a magic made radiant by the puppy that started hanging around the surfers. The pup looked hardly more than six weeks old and, with pale golden waves of fur, looked something like a Golden Retriever with the sharp muzzle of a Husky. Kathleen was immediately smitten and noticed the pup had a significant hind-end limp. Closer inspection suggested the leg was broken, but despite the remoteness of the beach, help was close at hand. An American resident who made it her mission to help the many stray dogs of the area already patrolled the beach, and a local veterinarian silhouetted the horizon among those catching a wave. As Kathleen stood with the pup in her arms, ready to pass him over for care, she said, “I hope he finds a home.” In reply the American said, “I think he already has.” Kathleen laughed at the lady’s remark. She was only on vacation—she couldn’t take a dog home to another country. Plus, Kathleen lived in a small apartment and kept busy hours running her own small business. She had no room in her life for a dog. But, it turned out that she did. The Pescadero resident drove away with the pup and 30 seconds later Kathleen went looking for them. A month later the pup Kathleen named Pescadero, a.k.a. Pesky, a.k.a. Mr. Handsome, was flown from Mexico back to Kathleen’s arms. The veterinarian in Mexico had performed surgery on the leg to repair it and the Good Samaritan resident had organized
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
Kathleen And Pesky.
Pesky’s flight. For the next eight years the two were just about inseparable. Although Pesky never loved the beach, he’d go with Kathleen when she surfed and he’d sit by the car and watch. When Kathleen climbed into her car to visit with clients for her business, Pesky climbed in too. Near the anniversary of their meeting, Kathleen felt lumps in Pesky’s neck while petting him. She called me right away, fearing the worst and it proved to be the worst. Pesky had lymphoma. Kathleen tried everything from chemotherapy to natural healers. She gave up her apartment and stayed with a rotation of friends so she could use the money that would have gone to rent for treatments. She cooked Pesky only organic whole foods. At Christmastime that year, Pesky went into remission. Kathleen celebrated the miracle, but sadly it didn’t last. Pesky’s lymphoma returned and in May he passed away. It’s always hard to lose a loved one, but Kathleen lost more than her best friend. Unmarried and without children, Pesky was her everything. His loss crushed her, but she consoles herself in that she never expected to have Pesky in her life and yet he made her life perfect. Now she just waits to see what other perfect surprises await her in her future.
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