Story supporting humane society

To the editor: All too often the animals at the Jay County Humane Society animal shelter are the abused, mistreated and abandoned. I'd like to tell you about one that will always have a special place in my heart.

Lilly was found alongside a road, curled up into a ball. She was brought into the shelter and her age was estimated at about 7 months. Her weight was less than 19 pounds and her backbone and ribs were clearly visible through her fur.

Being malnourished wasn't the only thing Lilly had going against her. She was almost totally blind, deaf and suffered from neurological damage. Standing was a struggle and falling down happened all too often. After examining her, Dr. Bader advised if she showed no improvement in a week, the best thing for her was euthanasia.

I asked to bring Lilly home with me to work with her and was granted that permission. While here she made progress. She gained muscle strength and was able to stand and leave her cage on her own. She loved being on a long lead in the back yard where she could walk, run and jump. She gained six pounds and was learning to go up and down steps.

But the one thing that couldn't be overcome was the neurological damage. She continued to fall and when she bumped into anything, her reaction was to attack anyone or anything close by. She also had trouble finding treats by their smell and never seemed to learn the scent of those who cared for her.

I wanted so much for her to defy the odds. I contacted rescue groups in hopes finding someone who was familiar with training dogs with multiple disabilities and had the room to take her, but failed. The staff at the humane society searched for a way to help her.

When all the possibilities were exhausted, and her condition was reassessed, it was determined that although she had made progress physically, the neurological damage was too great.

The best thing was to follow Dr. Bader's advice.

If it had been possible to keep her I would have, but with three young grandchildren who visit, the possibility of Lilly biting one of them was too great. My last memory of her was of her running and jumping in the backyard of the shelter. In her last days, she had more love and care than she ever had in her short life.

As I continue to volunteer at the humane society, I'm learning the hard truth that you can't save every animal.

The staff knows this - a hard lesson learned as they try to make a difference of abused, abandoned and mistreated animals.

Please support the Jay County Humane Society.

Sincerely,

Sharon Van Steenis

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