On July 12th, I received an email from our friend
and Nicky's devoted perma-foster mom, Catherine. She wrote to say that Nicky is with the angels now. Do you know that one
dog in your life you'll always cherish most of all? That was Nicky to Catherine. Both our hearts are raw with sadness right
now, but I've asked her if she'd like to write a little something in his honour for our site when she's ready. In the
meantime, I just want to express how much Catherine means to me and to all the dogs she holds so dear to her heart. She
is a special and unique individual, running her own palliative care rescue for terminally ill dogs at her beautiful country
home. Somehow, she always finds space to include one of our beagles in need of such specialized care. Nicky was one of those
beagles yet Nicky soon became one in a million. There will never be another Nick. And there will never be another
Catherine. You are so special. All I can say is thank you again and again for giving Nick and all the others a little heaven
right here on earth.
Long Overdue Pupdate
as of March 9, 2011:
It's been far too long since we let you know how perma-foster beagle Nicky is doing! First and foremost, we're delighted
to tell you that Nicky was crowned Baddest Beagle in the Universe at last year's BEAGLE BASH FOR CASH! He so deserved the
crown and for many reasons but the best one as far as I'm concerned is the time he hid a raw chicken leg under the cushions
of his foster parents' couch! Can your beagle top that? It's a classic!
I, of course, should get Baddest Updater in the Universe!
Below is a lovely pupdate that Nicky's foster mom sent us almost a year ago that I'm just sharing with you now! She talks
about Nicky's special work as a therapy dog. Since this pupdate, Nicky has retired as he's experiencing some cognitive issues
which makes it difficult for him to visit his many admirers. But rest assured he is well loved in his forever foster home
where he will happily remain for the rest of his days.
Here's what Foster Mom had to say about Nicky last May:
Nick has been with us since 20 December 2007, when he
'combat crawled' into our hearts. Nick is a constant handful and keeps us on our toes with his antics. We decided he needed
to keep busy, so we introduced him to Pet Therapy at our local senior residence. He looks forward to these outings and sits
patiently (which he normally has difficulty doing) while I put on his harness and scarf. Nick is absolutely adored by the
residents and he just laps it up. He will be toddling down the hall and you can see the smiles on the faces of the residents
and the staff. But they are not the only ones smiling! Nick is smiling even bigger because he knows that they will be
offering him treats which could consist of part of their delicious people breakfast or they'll be doling out tasty doggy
biscuits. Nick's happy either way. That's our Nick. The guy with the ever-expanding family!
About
St. Nicholas...
January 5, 2009 - We haven't pupdated you on Nicky for a while! He's doing wonderfully!
His eyes are looking so much better and he's loving and living life to the fullest! Nick's foster mom thinks he really is
ready to find his forever home. The truth is, Nick has been cared for by a very extraordinary woman and her husband. In addition
to helping us with the odd beagle, Catherine runs Sheba's Haven which is essentially a rescue haven for dogs with terminal
illness or severe chronic health problems. When Nick first arrived, we all felt he fell under that category. It's taken a
long while to sort out his issues and we've now come to the conclusion that he will always have this auto-immune issue but,
thankfully, it is not life-threatening and he can lead a normal happy life regardless. He'll need to stay on certain medications
to keep it in check, mind you, but it sure doesn't stop him from being your typical beagle! Nicholas is HUGE on personality
and absolutely insists on living with a CUDDLER! Are you big on cuddles AND beagles?!!! Send us your adoption application
TODAY!
PUPDATE as of April 15, 2008:
Sorry for the delay on pupdates, everyone!
We've been busier than a beagle at a cookie convention!
Poor Nicky has had his share of ups and downs, I'm afraid.
Although we've pinpointed his health problem to be an auto-immune disease, we've not been able to find a solution for him.
Nick has been on a number of different treatments and nothing is working. He also went to see a specialist at the beginning
of this month who prescribed something new but still no light at the end of the tunnel yet. But be assured he's not in any
pain. The problem lies with his runny, red eyes and dry, cracked little beagle nose. A mere nuisance to him, but of course
we want him all better before we consider finding him a permanent home. So please pray for our St. Nicholas as we try different
potions to make him all shiny and new again!
A Happy New Year for Nicholas! The article below will appear in the
Jan. 15, 2008 issue of BEACH METRO NEWS for my column, "PET OF THE MONTH". When it comes to New Year’s
Resolutions, I like to keep it simple. Every year, I resolve to Never Grow Up!
Growing up can lead to believing
that some things aren’t possible. So, I keep in touch with my inner kid AND my trusted role models – Peter Pan,
Jimminy Cricket, the ants that move rubber tree plants, and of course, Santa Claus. But, this past Christmas, Santa looked
a little different…
It all started on December 12th when I received a sad message. A beagle had followed
a path in the snow to a rural animal shelter. With no collar, there was no way of knowing his name much less anything else
about him. Mr. No Name wasn’t in good shape either. His nose was so cracked and raw that he snorted with every breath
he took and his eyes were suffering from severe infection. It was hard to guess his age but the staff could tell he wasn’t
a puppy anymore, even though he had this adorable puppy-like way of crawling into your lap and gazing longingly into your
eyes.
When no one came to claim him, his caregivers were heartbroken. They knew nobody would want to adopt such
a sad-looking sack. Still, there was something very jolly about Mr. No Name. Despite his troubles, he sparkled! Here’s
where it helps to be young at heart…Believe it or not, but I’m convinced it was magical fairy dust that made
him glow like Tinkerbell - from his sore little nose to his optimistic tail!
Whether it was fairy dust, Puppy Love
Potion Number 9 or just plain old beautiful beagledom, it’s what prompted his caregivers to send an urgent email to
yours truly at BIG ON BEAGLES (“BOB”) Rescue, crossing their paws for a miracle! They made sure to attach a picture
of Mr. No Name and, of course, the spell was cast!
It didn’t matter that our foster homes were filled to
the roof with woof, or that Christmas was only a tailwag away. When you’re young at heart, nothing is impossible! Especially
when you’re not the only one refusing to grow up! Catherine, one of our foster moms, somehow found room to hang one
more stocking on her mantle. Mr. No Name would have a home in time for Christmas!
But that wasn’t the end
of our worries. The condition of our mystery beagle’s eyes and nose was cause for serious concern. So our first stop
after sweeping him off his paws at the shelter was the Beaches Animal Hospital.
Every patient needs a name and
that name popped in my head faster than you can say “Merry Christmas”! At that moment, our fairy dust beagle became
known as St. Nicholas!
We all wished upon a star that day for a dream to come true for Nicholas. And wouldn’t
you know…it did! After a few days of charming all the girls at the hospital, jolly St. Nick received the results from
a multitude of tests. The news was better than anyone could have imagined! Nicholas has an auto-immune disorder that, although
neglected until now, is treatable with a daily dose of dogfood-covered pills! No matter how old I get, I’m never going
to stop believing in Santa Claus...How about you?
St. Nicholas is a 6-8 year old, neutered beagle spreading the
Christmas spirit into the New Year at BIG ON BEAGLES (BOB) Rescue,
www.bigonbeagles.petfinder.com . Fairy tails can come true…won’t you let our fairy dust beagle make a believer out of you?
This
article is dedicated to Brandy ~ a beagle just as magical who will stay forever young in our hearts.
December 20, 2007: A Christmas Wish Made True for Nicholas!
This is Nicholas - well, we named him Nicholas
in the last 24 hours.
An urgent message arrived for us yesterday. About a beagle, of course. About this beagle
- now Nicholas - in the care of a rural pound outside of Toronto. Found as a stray. Another beagle without a past. Another
mystery we'll never solve. No matter. What really matters is his future. He almost didn't have one - if it wasn't for the
caring staff at this shelter who decided to call us before giving up entirely. We're really glad they did.
We didn't
have a foster home available but when you're surrounded by angels, miracles tend to happen. The angels I'm referring to are
those wonderful people who open their homes and hearts to our homeless howlers. Our foster parents. Brandy's foster mom in
particular. Even with a full house and so close to Christmas, she didn't hesitate to say "YES" to Nicholas.
And
so, a very special Christmas Wish has come true!
We just wanted to share this little miracle with all of you. We
also ask that you keep Nicholas in your prayers. As of yet, we don't know how extensive his health problems may be. Clearly,
his eyes are severely infected. His teeth are also in bad shape. But he's such a good little patient - crawling into his caregiver's
lap when it's time for his eye drops.
The shelter staff think he's senior but he may just look older than he actually
is, because of his poor health. One never knows with these sad little mystery beagles.
But we do know one thing.
We know there's hope for him now. Thanks to the angels among us.
From all of us to all of you, we wish you the
very best for the season - filled with love and wonderful little miracles like this!
