This blog post is dedicated to MH and Chuck. Chuck is that beautiful German Shepherd pictured here. He always wants to be the leader of the pack and dashes out in front of the other dogs when they are walking. He always turns back to see whether the others are following. So cute.
MH is my mother's friend and a wonderful lady who devotes her life to saving dogs. She doesn't have an official organization but her work is well-known through word of mouth. She takes in dogs who have either been abused or have owners who can no longer take care of them. She keeps them as "foster dogs" while trying to find a permanent home for them. When she lets a dog go, she always reassures the new owners that they can "return" the dog any time they no longer feel they can care for them.
Chuck was referred to her by a friend of the owner who was single and dying of cancer. MH had Chuck for about three months, then the owner passed away. In her will, she had given a significant portion of her estate to whomever would look after Chuck upon her death.
MH (who is independently wealthy) has never asked for money to look after the animals and frankly, she doesn't need it. However, an animal "protection" group found out about the cash. They then offered to "adopt" Chuck. MH found it suspicious but Chuck was never registered to her (since she only fostered dogs) and let Chuck go believing the organization would take good care of him and use the money for other work. Within weeks of taking Chuck, they claimed he had cancer and put him to sleep "for his own good." He was fine until he was taken away and even if he did have cancer, MH was going to tend to him until he drew his last breathe. She retrieved the bones and now prays for Chuck to forgive her for making the wrong decision. She cries daily. They could keep the money. She only wanted Chuck. It's sad, it's sick and it's outrageous. Chuck was well loved until almost the end and MH will love some more. All I can say is they both had honorable lives and bless them both.
