Dr. Forslund,
I want to thank you again from the bottom of my heart for the service that you offer and for coming quite a distance at short notice to allow me to give my BJ the gift of dignity and peace. BJ was a shining example of the power of love. We rescued him from a horrible situation when he was 3 ½ years old. He had been kept in a backyard since he was five weeks old with no shelter other than a stack of logs that he hid behind; he had a bowl of food thrown at him each day but was given almost no human contact and no socialization whatsoever. The day we got him, he was literally afraid of his own shadow, had never been in a house before, didn’t know what stairs were, didn’t know how to walk on a leash. He hid in my closet for the first 6 months we had him and he never barked once. We thought maybe he didn’t even know how to bark! The day he barked for the first time, we celebrated, because it meant that he was now comfortable enough to have a voice.
It took a couple years of intense work, and a lot of patience and love, but he finally grew some confidence and relaxed to the point that his intelligence and gentleness were able to shine through. He became the “protector” of my family: of me, my young son and our two other dogs. When anyone sneezed, BJ came running to see that they were ok. He never once showed any instance of aggression. He was 80 pounds of pure love. Considering what he had come from, it could easily have gone a different way. A very insightful veterinarian told me early on that BJ would become my greatest teacher. I was frustrated and impatient with BJ at the time and I didn’t see how that could ever be, but that vet was right. BJ taught me that patience and persistence does pay off, and that love does indeed conquer all.
BJ began having seizures just a few weeks ago. Drug therapy didn’t work for long. The consensus among the vets I consulted with was that it was most likely a brain tumor that was progressing rapidly. It all happened so quickly, my head is still reeling and I have not come to terms with the fact that my boy who was supposed to be with me for another 5 or 6 years is gone, six weeks before his 9th birthday. I just knew that, for all he had given me, the very least I could do for him now was to let him go in peace, in his home, relaxed and surrounded by those who love him. I didn’t want his last experience to be one of fear and stress in an office that he hated visiting. He had had enough fear and stress in his life. I found Dr. Forslund on the same morning that we knew we had to do something quickly, and she was at our house that afternoon. We should all be able to die like BJ did, peacefully at home in the arms of someone who loves us.
It has been an incredibly emotional week since BJ left; I am heartbroken and I know it will take me a long time to adjust to his not being here. But I am eternally grateful to you, Dr. Forslund, for allowing me to let him go in this way. The level of compassion and patience that you demonstrated was incredible, and you allowed me to feel safe and not judged for being weak and emotional at such a difficult time. I can’t thank you enough for that. I will spread the word wherever and whenever I have the opportunity, that for people who truly love their pets and consider them family members, this is the only way to go when the time comes.
Thank you again for everything.
Lori Bleich
Claremont, CA