The tears before the tears might be the hardest ones. A reminder of what’s to come. The hurt that is right there, right now. But not all of it yet. And when those tears before the tears are gone, the next ones will arrive. Maybe not right away. But they will. That’s the hard part. As Yogi Berra said, it’s déjà vu, all over again.

She said her home had burned down just a few days ago. The shock of it all was pretty much all that was left. And two dogs.

And one of them, that was the reason for the call.

Thankfully both survived. But the sadness so strong. Because one of those dogs who had just lost his home and was now staying temporarily in a motel, he was dying of cancer.

Cancer they can’t fix. That means this giant of a dog, truly a giant, a Cane Corso Mastiff, is enjoying his last winter.

But the fire and the cancer, that’s not even why she called.

She called because she remembered The Pongo Fund from a few months back when their struggles were extra hard. They were turning the corner then, but their dogs needed food. We helped. But that was then and this is now.

And this time the call was not about food.

Of all the things lost in that fire, some could be replaced and some could not. Urns and ashes from previous four-legged friends that had crossed the Rainbow Bridge years ago. They could not be replaced.

A jar filled with money. Not much money, but some. That was gone too. But it’s what that jar meant that brought the tears before the tears. And that’s what hit me so hard.

That jar had a sign on the front. It read “Cremation Fund.”

And there she was on the phone with The Pongo Fund, saying she didn’t know what to do. Because she desperately wanted her dog that would soon be leaving them to get the same loving sendoff that her others had received before.

And she cried because she had no way to make that happen. The cost for the euthanasia they could already not afford would be placed on a credit card they could not afford to pay. But after that there would be no room left on the card for the cremation.

Thus the “Cremation Fund” jar. Just a little bit at a time, she said. Always with the hope they would have enough before it was time. But now it was gone too.

She knew Pongo had helped once. Maybe we could help again? That was her hope.

Needing to call on strangers to help cremate her dog that only had a short time left. How hard that must have been. A dog still fighting the fight he would not win.

Damn that cancer! It gets way too many, two-legged and four.

So here we were, being asked to do something that goes beyond our stated mission. But nonetheless, it hits smack on the head of everyone’s most important mission, be it stated or otherwise.

That is, to do the right thing.

We told her we would help. We would find a way, it was simple as that. But it’s what she said next. That’s when the goosebumps crawled up my own spine.

“I know this is probably too much to ask, but it would be so great if you could find a way to have the cremation done at the same place that had cared for my other two dogs.”

She said that place had made her feel so good during the times that hurt so bad. Even though it had been many years earlier, she still remembered them and she told me their name. She knew it was a longshot, but she wanted to ask anyway.

Little did she know.

Because the very place that she held so dearly in her heart was already going to be my next call.

When Michael Remsing of Dignified Pet Services answered his cell phone, I knew that we were going to be ok. Because when you’ve got Michael on your side, you’ve got it all. And when my story finished, we both went silent for a moment.

He said the only thing his heart would let him say. “Please call her back and tell her that Dignified Pet Services will be honored to be there for her and her dog whenever it’s time.”

The private cremation. The special urn. The ceramic pawprints. The works. All of it lovingly gifted by Dignified Pet Services.

But that wasn’t all.

Because Michael asked me to tell her that Dignified Pet Services would also send one of their veterinarian friends to help her friend cross The Rainbow Bridge.

And there would be no cost for that either.

And then, as if that were not already enough, Michael said, “let me know what else we can do.”

I called her back. I told her what had happened. She began to cry. But I had not yet had a chance to tell her that it was Dignified Pet Services I had spoken with. When I did, a river of tears followed.

And when I told her they were also going to be there to cover the cost of the euthanasia, she pretty much lost it.

All she kept saying was Angels. Angels. Angels.

Her dog friend is still here and we hope he will continue to be here in the best health possible for as long as possible. Although sadly, she assured me it will likely be much sooner than later.

I thanked her for calling. The call ended. My tears came next.

Calling to say she needed our help, to help her friend die. We said yes.

And this is why we Pongo.

If you’d like to help too, please click here:https://www.thepongofund.org/contact/donation-page/

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