People who don't know my name sometimes know my "pen name" of Junosmom. Juno was our beloved Great Dane, a fawn beauty that we miss to this day. I loved her so much, and not wanting to give out info on my human children, I incorporated her name into my screen name.
Given Juno's great size, dog training sessions were in order, and there I met PITAwoman and Smokey, many moons ago. Juno and Smokey hit it off wonderfully, likely thinking "finally, someone my size that can really play". Though Juno and Smokey are now wrestling and playing in heaven, PITAwoman and I have kept in contact through email and blogs, and I get my Great Dane fix by following the lives of her three dogs.
When Olivia was born, it became apparent that she was deaf and partially blind. She would likely have been euthanized, as breeders cannot place such a puppy. With a soft heart, PITA researched special needs puppies. But this was such a LARGE special needs dog. Could she do it? How would she train her?
Fast forward to today, Olivia is a certified pet therapy dog. She regularly accompanies PITA at walks, including charity fundraisers. She is a beautiful ambassador for those that succeed despite life's challenges. She occasionally suffers from seizures and must wear goggles to protect her sensitive eyes in bright sunlight, but she loves her human and has a great quality of life.
Olivia has been entered in a contest that would raise money for a charity. Help her continue her fundraising efforts by voting for her on A Dog's Purpose.
Notes:
I will have to change my pen name now that the movie, Juno, has come out. One acquaintance mentioned that her family had a discussion about which of my two daughters might be "Juno". Uh, no. It was a dog.
When Juno died, it was a very sad day for us. She was so very big, we had her euthanized at home. I covered her with a blanket, and later that night, Dh fired up the tractor and we loaded her onto the bucket and carried her to the back tree line where dh had prepared a grave. He gently placed her there and began using the tractor to cover her as we both wiped tears away. I stood holding 18 month old William. Dh ran the tractor over the grave several times, patting it down. William, for many years after, would recall the time that "Daddy ran over Juno".
2 comments:
I read your blog all the time, but think I've only commented once or twice before, but this is such a great story I wanted you to know I voted and put the info on twitter.
I was tearing up reading that. Ah the memories of our two obedience-school-sweethearts (class clowns to be more precise)!
We always loved having Juno visit when you traveled, and to this day, I still keep a picture of the two of them curled up on the sofa together, here on my desk.
Thanks for posting Olivia's story!!
And thanks Kristen for voting and posting on Twitter.
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