The thing is that the distress I’m feeling isn’t my own.  Yesterday Rob and Mari lost their beloved Tyler.  Our friend Trudy lost her precious Rexy, and at Pets Alive we lost Mush, Lizzie and Morgan this month.  It’s been a rough month.  These losses remind me of, and make me feel again, that horrible keening pain of the loss of losing my own animals over the years.  I have eight dogs laid to rest in my yard.  Every one of their deaths was a terrible sharp knife in my stomach that never fully went away.  Losing each one of them took away a piece of my heart that never really grew back in.

When I lost Zack (also to cancer) I used his death to propel me forward and to save other animals as a way of making his life have more meaning. (You can read that story here: http://petsalive.com/blog/2008/01/27/farewell-to-zack-a-throw-away-dog/) .  He became a catalyst for me – to spur me forward to saving other animals and want to stop the killing and the breed specific legislation. He was a great dog and to this day pictures of him and memories of him can still stab deeply.

So today and yesterday I have been thinking of Mari and Rob and their family and the loss of their precious baby, Tyler.  You see Tyler was a catalyst too.  Tyler, that previous little soul, was the connection that brought Rob and Mari into “our” world – the Pets Alive world.  I am sure  they loved animals BEFORE Tyler, and I am sure they did good on their behalf, and I am sure that – in fact I KNOW that – their families are all animal loving and compassionate people.  But Tyler, ah, you see Tyler was something more.

Tyler was perhaps an angel sent here for a greater purpose, larger and farther reaching than we’ll ever know.
One little dog.
One little soul.

That little bundle of white fur that resulted in the salvation and the changing (for the better) of the lives of thousands of other animals.
Tyler had been a badly abused dog when he found his way to Pets Alive.  Marisol and Rob fell in love with him here and adopted him.  Because of Tyler, Rob & Mari became fierce and staunch advocates of Pets Alive.  They have given us money, support, volunteer time, and the love and support of their fans.  Because of that one little life, Pets Alive still has their doors open today.  Without their help last year, we would definitely have closed our doors.  That means that last year 1000 animals that we pulled from euthanasia lists, all would have been piles of bodies on the floor.  Because of that little bundle of white fur, called Tyler (or Teetsie), those lives have been saved and have gone on to enrich the lives of the families that share their love now.  This year, Rob is on tour and could not hold a benefit for us.  I admit things are extremely tight and I worry all the time, but because of that one little soul Rob’s fans have come out and continue to support us whenever we need help.  They have helped us financially, they have volunteered here, they have spread the word about us and they have lent us emotional support when needed.

Because of one tiny, little soul.

Because of that little soul, we have helped THREE other shelters become no-kill.  How many lives have THEY gone on to save?  How many more will THEY go on to influence and change? The rock is rolling and picking up all sorts of  positive momentum.

Because of one little, tiny, soul, thousands more will be saved this year.

Thanks to Tyler and the love he showered on his family, they have paid it forward to showering it all over thousands of animals.  Because of YOUR love for Tyler’s family, YOU have paid it forward to continue to help us to save lives and to stop the killing.

Because of one tiny, little soul.

How many other lives were touched by him as he passed through his short time on earth? How many of you paid attention when you saw him at a concert or on the streets?  How did it change YOU? What did you think of a man that would cancel his concerts because he couldn’t go on due to the grief he had over the loss of this one little soul?  Did it change you?  Did it make you think? If it did, then that one little soul affected YOU too.

That little soul that left this earth yesterday, will manage to touch hundreds of thousands of lives.

That little soul may be the result of us changing this area.  Our goal.  To make this whole area no-kill.

Will that one little soul help to see Sara’s dream become a reality?

Today we placed two VERY difficult dogs.

Peanut.  And Rem.

Someone said “What in the WOLRD is going on”?

I said “That’s Tyler.  He’s still out there.  Still helping ”

I am so deeply sorry for the loss of Tyler.  Maybe though, his job here was done, and he could do more from the other side.  I don’t know why our animals, our cherished bundles of joy, are yanked from us so early and before WE are done and before WE are ready to give them up.  But perhaps there is a reason that we can not understand.  Perhaps Tyler has done his part here and in leaving will take up a new role somehow.  I can’t begin to understand.  I just know that people that I care about are suffering a great loss today because of…

..that one little soul.

Rest in peace Tyler.

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We were visited several months ago by a group of Aileen’s friends. They wanted to organize a walk in honor of Aileen with the proceeds going to Pets Alive. A lot of people come in and out of our office in any given week, and they are all special. But I sensed something extra special with this group.

I got to know many of them over the next few months as the event took shape and they came to Pets Alive to lend a hand. They were organized, effective, and friendly. They tackled a bunch of stuff that had needed to be done for a long time, and did some things I still can’t believe got done, like moving a shed across the street and down the driveway. From what I hear it was an interesting experience.

They were a presence at Pets Alive, and they were here to honor Aileen.

And her friends are just nice, friendly, caring people. Alieen’s friends Tootie and Mac even adopted a puppy from us.

Duane and Maggie are a great couple too. We can’t wait for Duane to retire. Have a feeling we’ll see a lot more of him. Jack, Pat, Ray, Arthur, Jill, Sharon …they’ve all helped us and touched us in a lot of ways. They’ve all made a difference to the animals here.

There was a poster in the kennel for the walk. There’s a button with Aileen’s picture on it hanging on the cork board in our office. On the button she’s got some funny sunglasses on and she’s laughing. I got to know Aileen through her friends and her husband, and she laughed a lot.

It’s amazing how many lives one life touches, how many lives are changed through our presence and even our absence.

The first annual Aileen Hurley Memorial Walk took place this past Sunday. The weather was beautiful, and the crowd was impressive. Kerry and Jasper were there. I was there. All of Aileen’s closest friends were there, many wearing Pets Alive T-shirts.

The start and finish were at pubs owned by Leslie Potter (and Julie Williams), another of Aileen’s friends. I was deeply touched by the posters on the walls of Pets Alive, a sort of journal of Aileen’s friends’ experiences.

I munched a hot dog and looked through a collage of pictures of Aileen. You can learn a lot about someone and how they were viewed by others by the pictures people choose for such a collage, and Aileen’s chronicled a life full of close friends and fun times.

I talked to a lot of her friends that afternoon, and I spent a lot of time listening to other people talk about Aileen and remember her fondly.  I wish I had a chance to really meet Aileen Hurley, though she touched my life deeply after she was gone.

As you probably know, we’re going broke. In fact, we are counting on the Furry Tail Evening Fund Raiser to get us through the next several months. Even with that fund raiser we’re two weeks short in funds, meaning we would have run out of money about two weeks before the event. Aileen raised $16,000 for us, an absolutely amazing amount of money for a first year fundraiser, and an amount that covers about two weeks of our expenses.

Thanks Aileen, for loving animals and sending us your friends to help us out. They’ve honored you and I hope these words in some small way honor you too. We’re leaving the button with your picture on it on the cork board, though with friends like yours there’s no chance we’ll ever forget you.

See you next year at the walk.

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