Orion

When we first moved to Texas, we were told of a massive dog living as a stray in our new hometown. After nearly a year and a half, we had yet to see him, but we were getting constant requests to take the dog in.  He coming out more often and becoming more noticed, and soon he would be declared a menace to the public by the city. 

Dogs deemed a menace that cannot be easily caught end up dead in Texas. It wasn't going to be the first account of a stray dog shot because he couldn't be caught. 

We partnered up with Hope's Rescue and Recovery Angels to trap this dog we had barely seen, and now we were seeing everywhere. At one point I nearly hit him with my car at 5:30am leaving for work when he ran out in front of me. 

It took months of work and effort, but one night at midnight my phone rang and it was my friend saying "I got him. He's huge! Can you come help." I didn't even hesitate, I pulled on jeans and ran out the door. After months and months of missed attempts, he was finally safe! 

He was in terrible condition. His coat was matted with his undercoat that hadn't been brushed for nearly 7 years. He had ticks and fleas. His face bore the scars of a story we would never have the chance to learn. Most of all, he was completely terrified. 

It took months of hard work to get Orion to even be comfortable eating knowing we were in the house, he would usually wait until after we had all gone to bed. Street dogs struggle when they are reintroduced to a home, but his struggle was the hardest we have encountered yet, and likely will be the hardest we will ever take on. 

Loading in the car for medical care was enough to cause him to cower, and his whole 96lb frame would have to be carried. His initial veterinary visit was the hardest and most nerve-wracking one. I remember clutching the two leashes we had on him with a grip so tight my knuckles were white. He was diagnosed wish several parasites, a tick borne disease, heartworm disease.... So many things he never should have been forced to endure in the first place. 

Orion's original owner had lost him once, gotten people to help them get him back, and lost him a second time... all before he was even a year old. The second time, they didn't even try to get him back.... and then they moved out of state and left him to fend for himself or to die in a ditch. They didn't care. 

I cared. I cared more than anyone will ever truly know. 

Sadly, Orion's life tragically ended very suddenly due to a freak accident in September 2022. I had signed his adoption paperwork in July of that year. I feel the pain of the loss of his life every single day, and I am still mourning him. He deserved so much more than his previous owners gave him. He deserved to be well cared for and not left behind to die like he didn't matter. He deserved to never be put though so much suffering. 

Orion was a truly incredible dog, and my pack seems so much smaller without him in it, and my heart is still so broken I can't even explain the feeling. We made up for so much lost time he didn't get in his life. The years he spent struggling to survive, dodging cars and living under houses.... we made up for it all with soft beds, canned food, good medical care, and a home filled with love. 

My hope is that every dog abandoned to die on the street can know the amount of love Orion had with us, a love that extends far beyond his departure across the Rainbow Bridge. 

As I say to him often with tears in my eyes, "I'll see you in the stars, my sweet Orion."