In Memory of Panny

My husband and I had the privilege of being Panny’s foster parents. We believe his story is an important one and hope you will carry it with you. We also hope that you will pass his story along to everyone you know. Especially to anyone who is even considering buying a puppy at a pet store, over the internet or through a newspaper ad. Please urge them to read his story first.

Panny was just one of the many breeder parents of those puppies, left behind year after year to spend his life in a cage, never knowing love or even basic veterinary care. Please ask those wanting to buy a puppy to put their hearts to better use, by saving a life instead through fostering or adoption.

On Saturday, June 20th we lost our dear little Panny. Over the past two weeks his body began to fail him and the years of neglect he had suffered at a backyard breeder finally won out. As we held him in our arms, Dr. Heidi helped him on his way to finding peace and a place free from pain.Panny was 6 years old, less than half the life expectancy for a dachshund.

We were only able to give Panny one year in our home. But in that time he had come to learn so much, how to be loved and about being a cherished member of our family. And we learned from him. He taught us about patience, the courage to face every day no matter how we felt and hopefully, he has made us kinder and gentler people.

He also taught us much about our own dogs’ ability to love. They became Panny’s playmates, bed buddies and a place for him to rest his chin when he needed comfort. They accepted him without condition and showed him how great it was to just be a dog.

When I think back to the day we picked up Panny, we had no idea the extent of his medical problems or what he would come to mean to all of us.

Some of his past suffering was obvious. He was terribly small and underweight, the ends of his ears were chewed off and from years of no care and lack of nutrition, his teeth were visible almost to the roots. No one who met him, from the first shelter worker in Kansas who contacted us to rescue him, to those who transported him across three states, to the numerous veterinarians who cared for him, left the same person. He inspired generosity and caring in everyone who knew his story.

Panny was only going to stay with us temporarily until we found a way to transport him to his potential adoptive home. But when that day came, Diane instinctively knew that he shouldn’t be that far from us and asked if we would like to be his forever foster home. We promised her that she would never have to worry about him again. We can take pride in the fact, for that one year, Panny’s life became not about what he could do for a breeder but about what we could do as a rescue to make up for the abuses of his past.

Sadly, in time seizures led to blood tests and biopsies and the final diagnoses of hepatitis with end stage liver failure. We tried so many different foods and medications to improve his health and so many different ways to entice him to eat but in the end his frail little body began to fill with fluid and he simply could no longer keep up the fight. It was our fondest wish not to lose Panny in the cold of winter. We were able to realize that wish and he spent his last day on my lap in the warm summer sun in his favorite spot out on our deck.

We would like to thank Diane and Doug Wade for entrusting Panny to our care and for their kind and caring support throughout this year. Had we known then what we know now, we wouldn’t change a thing. Panny was a gift we will be forever grateful for. We would also like to thank the Marchand family, who always kept Panny and our family in their thoughts. Their offers of help and words of encouragement meant more than they will ever know.

Thank you also to our family veterinarian, Dr. Stork, whose dedication to finding the most humane course of treatment for all of our family members, including Panny, is the very reason we have stayed with him for over 12 years. His quiet and thoughtful nature has seen us through many difficult decisions.

For all of you who loved Panny, contributed your time and donated funds, named and unnamed, we thank you. It was because of all of you, through each individual act of kindness, that Panny was given a chance to know what it was like to have a family and a home to call his own. It is the very definition of rescue.

Goodbye little man, you were truly loved and will be deeply missed.