RIP 10/4/2012 - 1/3/2024
I was introduced to Ebarr when I adopted Athena in 2013. You have probably seen her on our brochures, website, and facebook page. As you probably know she is very well loved, and I just can't get enough of her. She is what brought me here to EBARR and started my career of rescuing animals.
Before I was a rescuer, I was just a dog mom to Apollo. Researching, I learned that pit bulls do best in pairs. I set out to find a female tan Pit Bull about 1.5 years old to be a companion to Apollo. Little did I know back then that there was probably ten thousand female 1.5 year old tan Pit Bulls in the Bay Area looking for homes and probably thousands more still suffering at the hands of their owners. I had no idea what rescuing was, and I certainly had no idea what was right in front of my face that I never saw. That would be the constant suffering of animals by human beings.
The connection between Apollo and then “Nana,” was instant. He picked her and she picked us. Apollo and I took her home and lived our life. I did notice that Ebarr needed help during the adoption process. They were definitely understaffed with competent people that actually wanted to get the job done instead of sitting around talking about somebody else doing the job. Being that i'm a natural born leader and I can't leave things alone, I started helping. I quickly became the vice president within just a few months. I fully took over the rescue in 2016 when the former president quit via text, leaving us with less than 20k in the bank when less than 4 months prior we had over 100k. Oh and did I mentioned we had 63 animals, none of which I brought in. Most were left by former irresponsible leadership individuals who were now walking away, without them.
Back to Athena, when I adopted Athena, she got a clean bill of health, and a free vet visit to update her shots. Within 4-5 weeks she was in critical condition due to something nobody could have foreseen especially the rescue. By this time I was probably vice president of the rescue, lol. Lucky for me, the day I adopted Athena I got pet insurance, because I just thought everybody did. She was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder.
I won't overwhelm you with all of her medical issues but I will tell you most of them have to do with very poor breeding when it comes to pit bulls. These dogs are seen as throwaway animals and backyard breeders just don't care. Anyone breeding pit bulls is a disgrace. I have recently learned that some of our local politicians as well as many veterinary staff breed Pit Bulls. Why?????? Do you not understand what's going on? Have you never walked through a shelter or read a post from a shelter begging people to come adopt their pit bulls?
Well..... that's another post for another day.
Athena made it through that hospital stay and was officially diagnosed with an Autoimmune disorder in 2013, followed by 2 TPLO'S, one on each knee in 2014 and 2015, and Irritable Bowel Disease in 2015, She ate a carpet due to her IBD in 2019, which prompted me to cha ge my job because I would never put anyone else's family ahead of my own again. Inflammatory Menagitus of the Brain in 2021, Her Gull Bladder out in 2023, And is now she is in the final stage of Liver Failure.
Today is my 51st birthday, And I'll tell you my 50th birthday sucked but not as bad as this one does. Athena only has a couple of days left. So why am I writing this post now? Because I don't think I'll be able to in a few days.
Why does Athena matter to the Ebarr community?
Well, Ebarr would have been extinct in 2016 if she had not come into my life. For those of you who don't know who I am, I am the president of Ebarr and have been since 2016. I am the only remaining leadership individual, who was there in 2016 when the former president walked out, and I am the one that led the small group left at Ebarr and attempted to pick up the pieces. Before that, I was the Vice President for over a year. I am not discounting anybody who has helped ebarr along the way, or the rest of the leadership team. That being said, I also know what I've done and what I've sacrificed to do what had to be done to save this rescue.
The rescue was saved because I adopted Athena from this rescue, and I was not going to allow it to be thrown away like trash because it got to hard. People say all the time you can't save them all, I know that....... But I also know that sometimes 1 dog sets off a spark to something bigger than anyone could have known. Athena was that spark.
Athena is the light of my life, she is the one that taught me about unconditional love. It has been a challenging road being her mom. She only listens when she wants, and she does what she wants.
She has been my biggest pain in the a$$, because she's always done life her way. This dog truly has had nine lives, I guess she didn't get the memo that she wasn't a cat. She was formerly diagnosed terminal the first time in april of 2020, And I was given 3-6 months for her to live. Here we are three and a half years later. All the while she kicked Inflammatory Menagitus of the Brain a$$, because she wasn't ready.
I knew when I met Athena, there was a different kind of connection for me and Apollo. I will never be able to explain it, BUT I have seen it so many times over my last ten years of rescuing. If you look at those eyes, you see it. No one looks at me like Athena does.
Later this week, We will walk into our rescue vet who has been there for over 12 years, And I will walk out alone holding her collar. Her body will be taken to be cremated and given back to me in a box.
Never underestimate the power of one dog.
So when someone says to you, "You can't save them all", We know............. But we also know what dogs have the capability of doing.
Thank you for reading, caring, and understanding that this rescue is a little bit broken right now and I am a lot broken right now.