On May 28, we lost our precious girl, Osita. As many know, she had health problems when we first adopted her that sadly led to kidney failure. It was a decision no one wants to ever be faced with, and yet, it was one we were forced to make. And though she had been ill, nothing could truly prepare us for this loss.
Since the moment we met Osita, she brought us enormous joy; endless smiles and laughter. She truly filled our hearts with love.
Osita found us on a beach in Mendocino on a beautiful sunny day in October 2010. One moment Dirk and I were relaxing on a blanket, enjoying an adventurous day that brought us unexpectedly to Russian Gulch State Park. The next moment this little ball of fluff comes frolicking up to us wearing an “Adopt Me” vest, and well, the rest was history.
It turned out she had been rescued from a high-kill shelter in LA. No one knows how she got there or what her life had been before that, but by the grace of God Muttville Senior Dog Rescue saved this matted and mangled little honey from the grips of death and brought her to San Francisco. She was being fostered by a couple who had taken her on a weekend trip to Mendocino. And that is how we came together.
People were always amazed that this little dog who had been left for dead was so kind, so trusting. Scoop her up and she would just melt in to your arms. And that’s where she spent a good deal of time. One of Osita’s many quirks that we joked made her more cat-like or baby-like then a “real” dog was how she was content being held in your arms for hours.
She wasn’t one for long-walks or leash-walks at all for that matter. Instead, she would just follow behind you at her cat-like pace. This dog was m-e-l-l-o-w. We had no idea she could even bark until the first time I was in the kitchen chopping food and I heard this scratchy cough coming from below. To my amusement, that was Osita barking. And that is the only time she would bark. This mellow dog that never made a peep had a whole other animated personality once there was food on the scene. She would come running at the smell of coffee brewing. And that’s when we first saw her adorable 2-legged dance. Up on 2 legs, she would start flapping her paws and jumping up and down like there was no tomorrow. So she COULD move afterall.
Our long-running storyline for Osita’s past life was that she had a prosperous film career in LA. In fact, we were pretty sure she was the estranged wife of Mr. Winkle (Google him) who had abandoned her once her health started to decline. We wanted to pursue alimony on her behalf but thought it better to leave the past in the past. Osita loved to be groomed and would sit perfectly still through bath time, blowouts and fur trims—just like any good starlet would do. There was no doubt in my mind she was used to extensive grooming from her days on the silver screen. And so it was no big surprise that on a return trip to LA last Fall a photographer snatched her up for a film shoot which even landed her on the cover of the artist’s website. Everyone who met Osita fell in love.
I remember my father asked me when we first talked about adopting her if I was prepared to go through with losing another dog, as I had done with my beloved Qi of 14+ years. I remember my response like it was yesterday. “Oh yeah, we’re just helping her out, for as long as that might be. We know she’s older so we’re just going to help take care of her for as long as she’s got.” I could never have imagined how much she would end up giving to us instead. I feel so blessed to have had her loving, sweet, gentle presence in my life. She touched my heart.
To know Osita was to love Osita. I miss her terribly and know my heart will always ache for her. It’s super sad to me that baby will never meet his furry big (lil) sister but with all the time she spent snuggled on my chest and lying on my tummy, I know they are intricately connected. She was, afterall, my practice baby.
RIP Osita J Pomeranian,
our Pom Pom
Thank you for the wonderful work you do and all the many lives you touch at Muttville.
Danya & Dirk
If you adopted a Muttville dog, we would love to feature you in an upcoming ‘Success Story’. Please contact success_stories@muttville.org with the Subject line ‘Success Story’
8/22/12
Are you the proud parent of a Muttville dog? Send us your story! Include three of your favorite photos and send it to success_stories@muttville.org with the subject line 'Success Story'.
