Festus, The Love of My Life

Festus came into Helping Hands Humane Society on a hot July day in 2001 and boy was he a feisty little thing!

He came into us a bag of bones, and had obviously not been well taken care of. He had hardly any hair on his back or paws and what little hair he did have anywhere else was filthy and matted.

Typical to Chihuahuas when you put them in a strange environment with people they do not know, they automatically think they have to show you how tough they are. He lay in his cage shaking and each time we tried to get in with him to calm him he would charge the gate and go right for your feet! A staff member finally got brave to get a hold of him then placed him in one of the front offices where it was quiet in hopes this would help bring him around.

I will never forget the first time I saw him there in that office. He was so pitiful looking, curled up in his little bed sleeping, just skin covering his bony body. He heard me kneel down beside him and up he came, flying at me all the while trying to let me know that he was the boss and that I had better back off! I did indeed. I poked my head in several times that day to check on him and finally decided that I would risk taking the bite. I was bound and determined to hold this guy and show him the love he so deserved. Show him that I was not there to hurt him, but to love him. That was the move that would forever change my life and my heart.

I reached down to pick him up, bracing myself for a bite that was sure to come and he showed me he had every intention of doing damage! Imagine my surprised when I finally had my hands on him and could still count all ten of my fingers and had no blood or wounds on my hands or arms. They were however covered in saliva. You see, this little guy had no teeth to defend himself with. As a matter of fact, he had no bottom jaw. Only the flap of skin that once covered his jaw.

He and I became fast friends and as soon as he came off his stray time I took him home to foster him. He weighed in at just under 2 pounds, had cataracts and the vet thought he was probably about 12 or 13 years old, though it was hard to tell without teeth to check. I was bound and determined to get this guy as healthy as possible and do what I could to find him a home so he could have a second chance. Little did I know at the time, that home would be mine.

Imagine my horror when I asked the vet what he thought happened to his jaw. He gave me one of two scenarios, neither one was pleasant. He could have been a dog from a puppy mill, one that they had tried to debark by shoving a metal rod down his throat, breaking his jaw in the process and it eventually rotted away. Or, he had such poor vet care that his teeth became rotten and fell out and the infection set in his jaw also rotting it away. What ever the case was I made up my mind then and there that he would never leave my home or my heart.

We managed to get a bit of weight on him and wow did his personality change! He was so spry for his age! He loved to play and go for rides with me, but his favorite thing to do was cuddle on my lap. He love to lay in the sun, so much so that I put a doll couch in front of our sliding glass doors so he could lay in the sun during the day. I would come home at lunch to let him outside to potty and he would be on that couch snoring, with his tongue hanging out of his mouth sound asleep!

Over the months Festus won the hearts of everyone who met him. No one could believe he was real, they all thought he looked like a toy. I became closer to this dog than any other in my life, with a bond so strong I never even thought about it ending.

Then came the day when he started to not eat well. He dropped a bit of weight and off to the vet we went. My vet ran several tests and found no reason for his symptoms. I got down on the floor and hand fed him each day willing him to eat. My veterinarian suggested an x-ray so I took him in once again. He was so good about it all. Once the x-ray was read, my veterinarian suggested we have a doc come down from KC and do an ultrasound. He saw something on the x-ray, but was unsure of what it was. Naturally I said yes and a couple of days later we were back at the vet for the ultrasound.

I will never forget the weakness in my knees or the lump in my throat when I heard her say that awful word. Cancer. My baby had cancer. “How long,” I asked. “One week, two at the most,” was the reply.

I left there with Festus in my arms and a heavy weight in my heart. He had cancer of the esophagus, with tumors on both sides. It would only be a matter of days before he could not keep food down. I made up my mind that he would never suffer again as he had before he came into my life.

Two days later on January 11, 2003 my vet came to my home to euthanize him in the comfort of my arms and what I am sure was the only real home he ever had.

I miss my little man and think of him every day. I want everyone to know that this dog had more personality than most humans. He had expressions like no other. He had the sweetest smell and the ability to know what days I needed some extra TLC. It proved to me that senior animals make wonderful pets and best friends.

Even though I have been blessed with three other very special dogs since Festus went to the Rainbow Bridge, I will always consider him my first “Love of My Life.”

Jackie von Soosten

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