Foley Writes About Rene, Andres and When Prayers Don't Work

Sometimes, even an angel doesn't have the answers.  This week I encountered a problem I could not solve.  A young boy named Andres from Mexico said a prayer that was referred to me because I am a master dream angel who always finds a way to bring forth a good ending for all parties.  But, this time, I failed.

Andres had a dog named Rene that he loved with all his heart.  Andres lived with his caring mom and dad, who had no love in his soul, only anger, and that made him lash out at his wife, his son, and Rene. 

The family did not have much money, and they could not escape the father.  Andres wasn't afraid for himself, but he hated when his dad turned his anger towards Rene.  The poor dog would get kicked often. One assault was so vicious it hurt Rene's tail. Andres' father continually threatened to sell the pitbull puppy.  Andres was afraid Rene would either be killed by his father or sold into a pitbull fight ring.
  
Andres loved Rene like only a lonely, hurt, scared boy can love a dog.  Rene may not have had any training, but he was truly a comfort dog who made life bearable for Andres.  Renee was more worried about Rene than himself. He asked me what he should do. 

I immediately flew over to the human side of the Bridge.  Their prayer center is a hundred times bigger than ours and a thousand times busier.  Prayers were being passed from angel to angel. Some were dropped on the floor to join hundreds of others that would not be answered.  I could not let that happen to Andres. I met with human angels, and they told me they were aware of the problem and were working to solve it, but the humans there trying to motivate so they would intervene were moving slowly.  They didn't know if Rene could be saved before Andres, or if the boy and his mom would be rescued. 

The next night I visited Andres' dreams.  I knew how I was going to answer but was afraid to say it.  Andres had reached the same conclusion on his own. Rene would be turned over to the shelter to get away from Andres' dad and have the chance at a life that Andres will never have. 

Andres' mom agreed with him.  While Andres' father was at work, the boy and his mom brought Rene to the shelter.  They said goodbye to the best thing in their lives and returned home to face their hellish existence on their own. Before he left, Andres left his stuffed animal with Rene and a note that read: "My name is Andrés, and I am 12 years old. My mom and I decided to leave my dog in your hands, hiding it from my dad because he is thinking about selling him. But the dad mistreats and kicks him. One day he kicked him so hard that he hurt his tail. I hope you can help and take care of him," he wrote in the letter.

"I left him a stuffed animal so he won't forget me." 

The note left the people at the shelter shattered.  They knew the only way to honor Andres' sacrifice was to work hard to find Rene a new home. They put his story on Facebook, and there were 300 adoption requests for Rene.   He has been dewormed, and his injuries are healing. He will soon go to his forever home. But a part of his heart was left behind with a boy and his mom.

Once Rene had settled, Andres' prayers to me subsided.  The human angels are still handling his requests. I hope they give him a good life.   He is a wonderful, dog-loving boy who deserves nothing but happiness. Sadly, like so many dogs, people don't always get the beautiful reward they deserve.


So tonight, don't pray for Rene, he has been saved, pray for Andres and his mom, and hope that they are treated with the compassion and kindness they showed their dog