Dogs come to us from a variety of places: Nita was found outside the Berkeley Shelter as she was struggling to deliver stillborn puppies. Zack, from a family who gave him up when they were unable to secure a pet-friendly home. Star, from a cruelty case in Los Angeles County. Our most recent barn resident came from a story that's as excruciating to tell as it is to consider.Her name is Jondi and just under two weeks ago, her owner jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. Before she drove to the bridge, she laid a file of info including vet records on her dining room table for her friends to find. In her final two minutes before she jumped, probably while she was standing on the bridge and staring back to Oakland, she sent an email to a mutual friend asking him to please come check in on her dog. We can't begin to imagine the pain that Jondi's owner was feeling as she said good-bye to her life and to her pet, but we do know that she loved her dog very much.
Now homeless, Jondi has accepted life in a barn kennel, surrounded by many of the toys her person left for her. Unfortunately she was not properly socialized to other dogs before she came to us, so we have some work to do to sort out her limits and to help her get on track. This is a work in progress. Because we know her owner, we're experiencing a mix of grief, sadness and of course anger. There are a thousand ways to list "if onlys, " but for now we have to take Jondi's lead, stay in the present and help her as best we can.
We'll post updates as it seems appropriate. For now, please send your best wishes to this little red elf of a dog, and a prayer to her owner.
Bless her heart. So sad - so difficult to comprehend. Hoping for the best for this little girl! and Thank You!
ReplyDeleteJondi is my own dear pup pup's mom. My girl came with a fearful temperament and has required a lot of help and training overcoming but she is doing very well. Our hearts go out to mama Jondi in hopes that she too is able to overcome and find a new home with someone who will love her as her last person did. She has a very loving heart. We will be missing her person.
ReplyDeleteA friend jumped off the GG bridge almost five years ago and left us her cat, whom she adored. She had bought him solely to prevent herself from committing suicide. After she died, her kitty was discovered hiding under the bathtub at her apartment (something he never did). We suspected that our friend purposefully became angry at him so she could actually go through with committing suicide. He was, and still is, a happy cat, but we can't help but be reminded sometimes of our friend who isn't here, and how much life she's missing. Be at peace, bridge jumpers. <3
ReplyDeleteugh - anon 9:19. that hurts. peace to you, too.
ReplyDeleteI'm just now catching up with this awful news. I met Barbara back in the 90s when we both worked for Hearst Books/William Morrow. I remember her first sales conference, and talking with my colleagues in publicity, all of whom thought the same thing: how did we end up with such a cool sales rep?
ReplyDeleteFlash forward to the advent of Facebook, and there was Barbara, posting on someone's page about, what else, a pit bull. She still knew all the right people. I was worried last year, when her Facebook posts stopped. And then today I got the news.
I'm glad her dog is in good hands. We all know how much she meant to her. I don't know what I can do from New Orleans, but let me know...
Thank you Ken. Barbara's service is here at the barn at 2pm on June 25. We'd just love to imagine you toasting something Barbara-ish at around that hour in some saucy dive in nola. She would be so pleased to think of you taking a break and sipping a spirit in memory of her coolness. Yes - she was one very cool lady with wicked smart wit and a boatload of friends who are missing her like crazy right now.
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