“Saving Suki” has a nice alliteration to it, which is great news because the plan is to write and illustrate a children’s book about how cool it is to save a rescue—to give an animal a second chance when the only other option they may have is a date with a needle.
My rescue is Suki. Found running loose in Manhattan, kicking over garbage cans for food and drinking rain water, Suki was picked up and brought to a shelter where she was pushed into a crate at the back of the facility. She was just an hour from being euthanized when I got an email from a friend asking for someone to please save Suki and foster her until they could find her a forever home. The description in the email didn’t paint a bright picture about our chances of managing the dog: “Hyper, aggressive, not for people without patience.” And it went on and on. So, even with all the chips stacked against her, I agreed to foster Suki. Little did I know what I was in for!
Suki is part Pit Bull and part Bull Terrier—55 pounds of pure muscle. She gives true meaning to “solid as a rock.” (By the way, did I mention Suki likes to eat rocks?) I brought her home, and in the first week, she chased the mailman from his truck and jumped into the driver’s seat, ran through not one but two screen doors, went on a jog with a city judge (no, he didn’t invite her, and no, he was not amused), broke a beautiful (read: expensive) vase, ate my daughter’s Louis Vuitton bag and chewed through two seat belts in the car. All in all, not a bad first week. And with all of that, I fell completely in love with Suki and her antics, so we made it official—“fostering” transitioned to “adoption.” What was I thinking?
A year later, things have gotten better (slightly), and Suki is an integral part of my family—and our office! We’re serious about publishing a book about her story and donating the proceeds to animal rescue. Each chapter in the book will revolve around one of Suki’s “episodes”… The good news is we’re up to chapter 28… The bad news is, we’re up to chapter 28!
Is there a “Suki” in your life?
We’d love to hear about how an adopted pet has changed your life and how you’ve changed the life of your pet in the comments section below. Even more, we’d really like to see you at Unleashed, the annual fundraiser for Pet Peeves, a not-for-profit organization that benefits animal shelters on Long Island. The event is the perfect opportunity to mingle and network with other people that love pets and support Long Island’s animal shelters and rescue groups. You can also donate to Pet Peeves on their website.
