Daily thoughts - Another sad story hoping for a happy ending

A friend adopted a stray dog whom she and her son has learned to love. The dog followed her son home one day and was so amiable and super friendly that my friend decided to take him in. She named him Pluto. It could have been a wonderful forever home kind of story for this apparently sweet dog. Everything would have been great if only the older dog accepted Pluto. After almost 4 weeks, my friend concluded that its not going to happen. The two dogs getting along seem like a remote possibility.  The older dog just wont accept Pluto.

Another major issue to consider is that the older dog is 5lbs and Pluto is 20lbs. At one point even the kindest animal will retaliate and get physical if subject to this constant hostility and eventually this will be a real problem. Sadly, my friend knew how this was going to end. One has to go. It was not an easy decision for her and she has begged family members to give the dog another chance but she had to understand, one day Pluto will get tired of being pushed around and it might end ugly.

Reluctantly and with a broken heart she drove Pluto to the closest shelter, prayed and hoped for the best, a miracle even. She checks on him everyday to see if there are any updates but so far no one has stepped in to claim or adopt Pluto. She also has tried to coax her husband to hopefully change his mind and he said no.

Truthfully, I dont blame my friend's husband. If my husband would have had his way, the new cat we adopted last february wont be here anymore with us either.

Just to share, a  few months ago, our new cat, Cheesecake, attacked our older cat Thumper. The squabble got ugly or rather bloody when my husband intervened and Cheesecake attacked him instead. My husband decided, the cat had to go. I cried but I knew he was right. So the next day instead of bringing the cat to the shelter, I just let him stroll out of the door. He actually ran quickly out of the apartment like he hated living with us. I was broken because I have grown to lovethe new cat but I knew we just couldnt have that kind of arrangement. We live in a shoebox apartment with 2 cats already and we cant deal with this kind of hostility or bloody drama on a daily basis.

I didnt want to surrender Cheesecake to the shelter because I knew if I did that, they will put him down if noone claimed him. NYC ACC has a reputation for being a high kill shelter and that is exactly why i adopted Cheesecake in the first place. I figured it is best to let him out to the surroundings where we got him  where he has survived for a number of years. I know it doesnt sound right but when we found him on that winter night, i have always wondered how he survived all those years out there by himself.

When I opened the door an hour later to leave for work, guess who decided to waltz back in. Cheesecake. And we let him back in alright, observed him for a couple of days and weird enough he acts nonchalant about it like nothing  happened. We havent had any incidents after that. We try as much as possible to prevent fighting between our 3 cats. Thank God also so far it has been a peaceful coexistence . But God forbid if it does happen again, we will also have to resort to the option of rehoming. I pray it doesnt come to that though.

I understand why it is a dilemma for my friend and her husband to reconsider adopting Pluto. Evidently also, the size of the animals in the picture is an issue. Cheesecake is 2-3lbs heavier and slightly bigger than my other cats. Pluto on the other hand is 20lbs and the older dog is 5lbs. they are just avoiding a catastrophe from happening. Sadly the reality is that you cannot just part with a pet you have had longer. It is just the way it is.

Right now we hope and pray Pluto finds a foster or rescue group while he is in the process of finding a more permanent home.

If there is a potential adopter that already has a dog, we do hope that other dog wouldn't mind having a new friend around.

For now we are crossing our fingers, praying that someone will give Pluto a chance.  Because just like the rest of us, he simply wants someone to love him, because he has a lot of that to give.

Please click this link if you or anyone you know is interested in giving this poor dog a chance. Enter the intake animal ID number A4746111 when looking through the view our animals tab.

Pluto is currently at the LA COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL SHELTER.  

On a side note, I want to share that I adopted 3 cats from Singapore. I have moved them from that country to the Philippines and now to the United States. It wasn't easy but love makes you do crazy and almost impossible things. People I knew dissuaded me, and thought i was insane saying how costly it is going to be. But I did it,  I moved 3 stray cats across the globe. Even with the limited resources I had then and even now, I have managed to give them (and continue to do so) a wonderful life and I don't regret a single day that I gave them the chance. I know what its like to be given a chance too. and i know that these pets are capable of giving unconditional love and are as vulnerable as we humans are.

Who knows one day you might say the same thing about Pluto.

Thank you for reading this post and I hope you share it too.

Daily thoughts - Saying goodbye to Mork, Peter Pan, Mrs Doubtfire or simply to one of the best, the talented Robin Williams

It is with sadness that the world had to accept the untimely demise of a real talented genius. The death part was already shocking, but finding out he took his own life was truly unbelievable. I have always loved Robin Williams. I watched him as a kid in our black and white television as Mork the lovable "alien". Growing up I went on to watch his many other successful movies. I think I have watched most of his films. I even bought the John Irving Novel the World according to Garp to supplement the movie with the same book title. I have always enjoyed watching him in funny movies and marveled at his versatility for also playing serious roles. Hook was one of my favorite movies where he played the hypothetical "what if he got old" Peter Pan. When I was in Medical School, I was inspired by the true to life adaptation of Patch Adams' story where again Robin Williams delivered a stellar performance. He is one of the best actors around and when he topbills a movie, most of the time, he gets a positive reception.

One of his movies that I couldn't forget was What dreams may come. I have always been mystified with suicide. Ive always wondered what goes on in a person's last few days or hours before he decides to take his life. Having experienced overwhelming sadness myself I have always contemplated on it. I have experienced being on the verge of ending it all but never mustering that courage to actually do it. Fortunately, I manage to snap out of it somehow and move on. In that movie, What dreams may come, the mother succumbed to suicide because she could no longer bear the pain of losing her two children. I was young when I saw that movie but the gist of it gripped me like I can totally relate. I know what it is like to love someone deeply. that that kind of loss is devastating. crazy as it may sound to some, I always mourn the death of my pets.  It takes months for me to get over it. Up to this day I remember all the names of my pets and sometimes i still  cry when i remember how happy they used to make me feel. Now, I cannot even fathom how it would be if i lost my children or even my three cats.  Moreso, I dont even want to imagine losing my soulmate, who is the love of my life.

When I lost my Dad 4 years ago, I was so sad I couldnt go out of the house for a month. The pain is not as bad anymore now, but sometimes I would still have these terrible depressing spells that would immobilize me and i just want to spend the whole day in bed, asleep. But I have never brought myself to commit suicide. I do not know what I am afraid of, or maybe someone out (or UP ) there was just giving me enough strength to go through the day. Or maybe im just really a coward to finish the job.

Robin Williams as we all seem to know him, may have had everything in the world. He had a beautiful family, fame, money, the privilege of being associated with the upper echelons of society. But he probably just had an unshakable kind of loneliness that cannot be treated by therapy or even the seeming insulation of all the good things life has to offer. not fame, wealth, even love. I will not judge him for what he has done. In fact i would rather hope that wherever he is , he has found comfort and peace. I also pray that other people in the same predicament he was in, would find the help they need, on time.

It is really sad to think that in a world full of so many people, one can still feel so alone. That even amidst the all the beauty, what stands out is the pain, the ugly chaotic world. The kind of hopelessness that can dissuade even the most seemingly blessed people.

I said my prayers last night and thanked the Lord for giving us a wonderful talented man like Robin Williams.

But before I retired for bed, I also had to thank the Lord that even in this cramped apartment I live in, with my 3 rowdy pets, an uncertain job and paycheck, I am, at the moment, at peace with myself. And in retrospect, I feel nothing but gratitude that in those very dark moments of my life, the Lord somehow has pulled me out of that desperation and reminded me there is still hope. Thankful that He has always provided me and my husband with everything we needed. He always kept us safe,well fed and sheltered.

The days wont be great all the time but at least today it is.

Again, Thank you Robin Williams for entertaining us all these years. For bringing out the laughs and tears. You will be sorely missed. Thank you most of all that despite this tragedy, you have also reminded us to appreciate what we have. That fame, wealth isn't all that. That even people who seem successful can feel pain and be unhappy. It is not right for us to assume that sadness is exclusive only for regular folks like us.

Thank you for being a part of our lives even for just this brief moment. I truly hope you are happy now wherever you are.

Daily thoughts - Positives amidst the negative things going on around the world..

Day 2 of 4: My 3 positives for 08/01/2014:

1. The fact that Im alive. waking up next to my soulmate and my 3 furry babies. 

2. Made it back to the apartment on time for Shabbat, the most important day of the week. A gift from God

3. Had an awesome meal at home, salmon, couscous and kale for dinner. food and shelter, something some people take for granted each day.I am always grateful for having a warm bed to sleep on, food in my fridge and a warm body to share the food and bed with=) God is good.