March 11, 2018 Pup of the Week: A Brazillian dog, Helena and the Price of Loyalty

We dogs prefer to be referred to as loyal.  While there are many adjectives that define us that term illustrates our purpose on Earth.  But is there such a thing as being too loyal? Our two Pups of the Week and a third who isn't helping us seek an answer.

The first pup has no name.  He belonged to a homeless man in Sao Paulo Brazil.  The man got into a violent fight and was stabbed. While the worried dog stood over his dad, emergency technicians put the man on a stretcher and transported him to the hospital.  The worried dog ran after his dad.

The dad was brought into the hospital.  The dog stopped at the emergency entrance and laid down.  He was a good dog and knew he should not go inside. So he waited.  He has been there for four months. The homeless man died but the dog, like all loyal pups, is waiting for his dad to be done with his long appointment so they can be on their way.

Hospital workers are taking care of him.  He has food, water, and a blanket to lie on.  The local shelter did pick him up and had planned to put him up for adoption, but the dog climbed a fence, escaped and ran back to the hospital.  Now, except for an occasional stroll down the street, the dog is happy to wait for either for his dad to appear or to wait until they are reunited at the Bridge
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Our second pup is Helena.  She was at a shelter run by the Lifeline Animal Project in Macon County Georgia.  She was found on the street, a malnourished stray. The workers at the shelter labeled her a velcro dog and when she was adopted her new owner was told this dog would give him plenty of attention.

They were right.  Helena hung on her new owner wherever he went.  She snuggled, she kissed, she walked with him, she did everything he did like the most loyal dog in the world.  Unfortunately, she was adopted by the biggest jerk in Georgie. He returned her to the shelter because she was too friendly.  The human wanted a less clingy more protective dog, unable to understand that there is no more protective dog than a loyal one.

The people at the Lifeline Animal Project were savvy.  They knew if they put Helena’s story online, labeling her the dog that too nice to adopt, kind-hearted people would be willing to open their doors for this baby.  They were right. Within days a family who appreciates a loving, loyal dog provided Helena with the forever home she deserved.

Like the unnamed dog, parents can be so loyal it becomes a detriment.  When a human loves a dog with their whole heart, they don’t want to be with another pup.  Since we cannot live forever, humans seek another way to stay with us, namely cloning. But that dog, even if it has our cells, is not the dog they lost.  And the number of other pups who have to suffer, from those who give eggs, to those who give birth, is too high a price to pay. If you want to honor us after we go to the Bridge provide a new dog the same loving home you gave us.  That would make us proud.

The loyalty the dog in Sao Paulo gave to his deceased dad is beautiful and selfless, as is the loyalty Helena gave to the man who did not return it.  But the loyalty of a human to a dog who decides to clone them is selfish. We only have one life to live, don’t steal our cells to try to force a part of us to live longer.




Loyalty is beautiful but learns from the dogs.  Selfless loyalty is the only kind that counts.