Bonnie Brae

Bonnie came to our family from our local animal shelter. She was the victim of a nasty divorce, and neither partner wanted this golden-chow mix. Those big brown eyes melted my heart the moment I saw her. She had been so matted that the shelter had to shave her down - she looked like a shorn sheep but it didn't take long for her fur to grow back, thick and beautiful. Bonnie suffered from extreme food and environmental allergies but she never complained. She loved her home-prepared allergy diet, didn't mind her every-other-day baths. She loved to go for walks and rides in the car. Such a happy girl. I was so devastated to learn that she had also been abused in her prior dysfunctional household. Routine x-rays revealed that she had several untreated fractured ribs, most probably from being kicked. How someone could hurt such a gentle dog mystifies me to this day. when she was 12, Bonnie went into acute renal failure; we pulled her through the crisis, adjusted our routine, and shared another wonderful 14 months together. We learn so much from all of these wonderful dogs. Compassion was the lesson Bonnie taught to me.