By Gudrun Olaya | Project Leader
Dear donor and friend, every shelter dog has their own tragedy, a sad history to tell. Our actual hero is Thorin Oakenshield, admired for his kindness, resilience and braveness. He was not just another abandoned dog, living in the mountain by his own. He was a peaceful warrior, burdened with a huge tumor in his crotch, trying to survive without doing any harm.
When we received him at the shelter, everyone was shocked, the volunteers, even the vet. None of us had ever seen such an enormous tumor before. He was starving, his physical condition was pretty bad and it was obvious, that he was in a terminal state of his life. We promised him to turn his last days, weeks or months into the best experience of his life, no matter the costs, no matter the efforts, no matter, if “it’s worth it”. Every decision we made, arose through love and empathy, led by the guidance of Thorin himself.The community supported us with an unexpected wave of financial aid for his surgery, which we organized to remove the tumor, knowing it was risky, but we wanted him to have a new body feeling, a lightness he has never felt before in years. During nearly four hours, two surgeons and an anesthesiologist took care of him, but they had to close, when he went into cardiac arrest. Our hero survived, though, the tumor weighed 4250 grams, and Thorin now was ready to start a new life and enjoy it. Recovery was not easy, but brave Thorin Oakenshield in his calm and balanced way, accepted the challenge and made the best of his last month on earth. He was friendly to everyone, humans and other dogs. He was always hungry and his amazing caretakers only served him gourmet dishes. He enjoyed being the privileged one, his private space in the office of the vets, the freedom to go out whenever he wanted, to feel the grass under his feet, the sun caressing his emaciated body. And though he was not really a fan of being groomed, he understood, that it was our way to show him our love and respect, and so he endured the procedure with dignity and stoicism. Then, the dreaded day arrived. Thorin Oakenshield lay down on the grass to sunbathe and have a nap, and never came back. But our hearts are connected forever.
“He lived happily, even after the end of his days” (Bilbo, Lord of the Rings)
By Gudrun Olaya | Project Leader
By Gudrun Olaya | Project Leader
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