Tails from Rainbow Bridge: Local Heroes

My parents seldom meet famous people.  That is because they rarely leave the house and it is even rarer for famous people to pass through their living room.  But two weeks ago they met a famous couple in a local pet store.  They weren’t famous for acting, singing, or ball playing, but for rescuing.  They were the Burke family from East Bridgewater MA and they were buying food and other supplies for a dog they were rescuing.

The dog they were rescuing is named Moose.  He is a pit bull mix who had been in a shelter in the Virgin Islands for 1,628 days.  Dogs were surrendered to the shelter and found new homes but day after day Moose remained unrescued.  The workers in the shelter tried to keep him socialized by walking him and showing him love but he needed his own home.

They began a Facebook page for him (Help Moose Find a Family: 1,628 days in the shelter is too long)  and Moose went viral.  Soon the page had 1,800 likes.  People from across the nation followed his story.  There was hope when he went to a foster home but because of housing issues he could not stay there.  At that point the shelter teamed with Last Hope K9 Rescue in Boston to try and find him a home in the Boston area.  The Burke family of Bridgewater Ma had lost a 14 year old pitbull mix earlier in the year.   They had been following Moose’s story but weren’t sure they were ready for another dog.  But when they heard it was possible Moose would be coming to Boston they decided it was a sign from the Angels that Moose was the dog for them.

The Rescue quickly approved of the Burkes and then put Moose in training classes to help him lose those bad tendencies dog acquire in a shelter.  But another problem arose.  How to get Moose from the Virgin Islands to Massachusetts.  A dog Moose’s size would have to fly as checked luggage (the indignation!) and the trainers working with him felt all their work could be undone because of the stress of the plane ride.  Moose needed a private jet.  But who has a private jet?

The Riggi family of Albany New York that’s who.  They were on vacation on the Virgin Islands when they heard Moose needed a lift home.  They were very happy to accommodate him, and, as an added bonus, they paid for a limousine to take him from Albany to Massachusetts.  Now this is a story that make you believe in angels on Earth.  

Moose left the wonderful shelter where he had been so greatly cared for on Saturday.  He got to sit on the floor of the plane and he greatly enjoyed the entire ride.  When he landed he got in the limousine for his ride to Massachusetts.  Moose had a  stop to make before he moved into his new home.  All dogs new to the United States need to be quarantined for 48 hours.  The limo was driving Moose to the shelter where he would be quarantined when they got caught in the blizzard.  The limo got stuck in the snow but another good samaritan stopped and helped the limo get to the shelter where the Murray family awaited her him with hugs and kisses.  

On Tuesday Moose finally arrives in his new home where he fit right in.  He is the only dog, it has to be that way, and he is loving it.

We angels would like to thank all the human angels who cared for Moose, promoted him, helped him find a new home, transported him, fought through a blizzard to get him to his quarantine, cared for him there, and finally the Burkes who are getting a wonderful dog.  Us angels will be watching over him.

We so rarely get a happy ending this is one story we will never get tired of watching.