The Show: Sad Pibbles and Happy Tails

[Guest dutronc]

I was also surprised by the engagement, although I should have realized something was coming. Lizzie's job title in her talking head was "Moe's Girlfriend." I don't know how old she is, but aren't the twins 24/25ish? I think it's on the younger end of average, but nothing I'd be really weirded out by.

[jnymph]

Just re-watched an old episode.  Earl's first rescue was to free "Mr.Wilson" who was attached to a 50 lb chain.   The owner had went to prison;  a Good Samaritian was feeding and watering poor ol Mr Wilson and had called Tia to please help this poor dog.   The chain was so heavy it had left big marks on the dogs neck.  He was in rough shape & it was so sad. He looked so depressed.  :( .   I cheered when Earl got the bolt cutters and snapped the chain off.    To make a long story short, he cleaned up nicely and was in decent health and put up for adoption.

 

THESE PEOPLE - TIA, THE KIDS, EARL, ETC ARE MY HERO'S!!!   I'm completely infatuated with them. 

[jnymph]

Season 7 premiere date of Sept 19th announced !  

 

I am so excited !

 

http://when-will.net/tv-series/980-will-there-be-pit-bulls-and-parolees-season-7-release-date.html

[Bastet]

This article contains the trailer for the upcoming season.

 

I wonder if they're going to address the rape allegation against Toney, or keep it off the air while the suit is pending.

Edited August 24, 2015 by Bastet

[jnymph]

My hero's are back on my TV tomorrow night !!!  Can't wait !!

[Bastet]

From the promos, it looks like immediately prior to the new episode will be some sort of recap/catch-up special.

 

I read on a pet forum this summer that one of the VRC employees had posted on his Facebook page that "Brandi with an i" finally got a home.  I hope that's true, and I'm assuming they'll include that in an episode if it is.  I will cry happy tears through that one!

[Bronzedog]

Aww, Tania and Perry adopted the big guy! That's so great!

[Calamity Jane]

Aww, Tania and Perry adopted the big guy! That's so great!

When they showed them taking care of him, I thought that might be how it went.  So happy for Baldur, what a sweetie.

[Bastet]

Aww, Tania and Perry adopted the big guy! That's so great!

 

I had to record it, and didn't have quite as much space left on the disc as I thought, so I missed the updates at the end.  I figured he was going to be a foster fail.  Yay!

 

I'm so glad this show is back.

[walnutqueen]

This show never fails to break my heart in one way, only to uplift it in another.  So glad it's back, and glad Tia has been able to expand her rescue.

[jnymph]

Baldur! Mittens! Muckalee!

I'm sobbing - can't post coherent thoughts.

No other show wreaks havoc on my emotions like this

[nitrofishblue]

What a great job this group does. Not only does it help the dogs but it helps the humans. Seeing the update on Jake was wonderful. I follow his group on FaceBook. He has taken what Tia has taught him and flown with it!!!! How many parolees has she helped get the right foot forward? She does it all with faith and humilty. She is not attention hog. So many people put her and her family down because of their life style. Why cares. They do more to help than many fancy smancy folks that I know,

[gesundheit]

My DVR cut off the updates at the end. Anyone want to show me some mercy and tell me what they were if you remember??

[jnymph]

My DVR cut off the updates at the end. Anyone want to show me some mercy and tell me what they were if you remember??

Mittens was adopted by the nice young lady who ADORED him.  (and he adored her too. )

Muckalee is doing well and is up for adoption.

Baldur was adopted by Tania and Perry !  :) Yay!  God I loved that dog. He was so sweet. 

 

I remember when Tia got Mittens out of that horrid drug ring/dog fighting situation.   I thought he was so cute the way he was just waddling away from there.  

 

Tia:  " I won't give up."   <- I die. I love her so much.

[gesundheit]

Thank you, jnymph!

[zxy556575]

Watching people chase after dogs is my least favorite part of the show, so having a good portion of this episode devoted to searching and chasing and fencing and  making interminable kissy noises was disappointing. It's not like the outcome was ever in doubt.

 

Nice to see Lopez settle in -- I also hope he settles down.

[Megan]

The issue with Lopez not being too interested in Tamysen,  and this has happened a few times with dogs, is weird to me because he's out of his run so of course he wants to explore and isn't all that into some random person. I always thinks it's odd that they're all oh no! the dog isn't connecting with such and such adopter.

 

I have two shelter pit bulls and neither at the meet and greet were all that interested in me. My girl said "hi human" and then was happy to be out in the play area where there were 800 million smells to explore. She has the exact personality I expected and the second is a much bigger baby snuggle face than I expected. He and I didn't interact too much because I was mostly concerned with how he was with my girl.

 

I don't know why it's such a a concern other than it's TV, that they expect this connection to happen. 

 

Now I wish they were much less concerned with what I am doing and I could go to the bathroom by myself.

Edited September 27, 2015 by Megan

[Bastet]

I loved in the van coming back from the house where Lopez was found, when Lopez had his front legs draped over his owner-to-be.

 

But the trip back to the house itself I could have done without.  For the first time with this show, it just felt entirely too "we're doing this solely for the cameras."  Same with putting Country Matt in prison garb.

 

I watched the natural disasters clip show, as I will never tire of Tia running away from the bees.  I feel you, sister.  And I loved the bonus footage of Tania being the one to grab the (non-venomous) snake the guys kept dropping because of their skittishness.  But I feel no sisterhood bond there -- I'm even more afraid of snakes than I am of bees.  (Throw in intravenous needles and being more than four rungs up on an extension ladder [step ladders of any height are fine] and we'll have covered all my phobias.)

 

Lopez' non-reaction to Tamy was kind of funny to me, because we usually see it on the show with puppies, while most of the older dogs do come running up to someone (whether it be one of the prospective adopters or someone from VRC) for cuddles rather than exploring.  Like the younger ones are still naturally inclined towards the new smells while the older ones understand what's at stake.  Lopez had been turned down several times for not "selling himself," so I like that she wasn't any less smitten with him because it took him a while to wander over to her. 

 

I watched an old one where a volunteer fell in love with a timid dog that had been there nine years, and Tia was rather emotional because she thought that dog would never find a home.  The adopter was young, living with her parents and studying to be a vet tech, and at the home visit we learned she'd spent most of her savings to fence in a big section of the family's yard to create outdoor space for the dog (they already had cats - all Bengals).  I noticed in the update photos there were no pictures of the dog with the cats, when they usually love to show (and I love to see) inter-species bonding, so I wonder how that's going.  Probably a "we'll let you live here, but that's as good as it gets" relationship.

[zxy556575]

I really enjoy the adoption segments, particularly when they bring out a number of dogs to meet potential owners. It's interesting how different the interactions can be, and how specific dogs mesh (or now) with specific humans.

[jnymph]

Oh Mr. Lopez I am so happy for you! *sniff*

I was very happy the adopter lady was not deterred by his initial non reaction. He's had a tough go of if - how can you blame him for being cautious ?

My dog had a similar reaction to mr jnymph & I when we adopted her. Actually it took a few days before she even wanted affection from us. We didn't take it personal as she had been abandoned by her previous owners & we knew we had to earn her trust. Now she's an absolute love bug. Sometimes dogs need some time.

I hope Kizzy is adjusting.

The hound pups were so cute. At least that owner didn't dump them & contacted Tia for some help.

Edited September 27, 2015 by jnymph

[Bastet]

This show has become some sort of security blanket for me during what is a really difficult time, so I'm already up to season three in my marathon comfort watching.  I am cracking up at Tia helping that rescuer in Jackson, MS -- the woman has warned Tia what a rough neighborhood it is, with lots of drugs and guns, and Tia is looking around thinking, "Um, this is not what rough neighborhoods look like at home."

 

I like that Tia called herself out on pre-judging and stereotyping, when she hates when people do that to her kids, parolees, dogs, etc.  The other woman made the same admission about the assumptions she had made.  Nice to see.

 

My favorite is Tia justifying the group of guys being put off by them heading up onto the guys' porch after the injured dog:  "Louise and I jump out of the van like Cagney and Lacey, of course they're going to wonder what's going on."

Edited October 3, 2015 by Bastet

[walnutqueen]

Bastet, whatever difficulties you are going through (and my bad imagination runs wild), please know I empathize with your pain and find the same comfort, joy and humorous pathos in this show.  No matter how painful it is to watch, there are great moments of joy and justification.

 

Loving animals is a bittersweet journey ... Tia et al remind us all it is a path well worth walking.

[Bastet]

Answering in the Small Talk thread.

[Bastet]

I finished season three, and no wonder they got the hell out of Dodge!  I knew the basics about why Tia pulled up stakes, but seeing it play out on the show was really something.  She got walloped by a whole lot of crap in just a couple of years' time.  I can understand why the new county regulations were the last straw; when you're standing there being told your dogs' kennels are too large, it must be surreal. 

 

I bawled my way through Mariah losing Sloth, which I had seen before, and then did it again when Tia and Tania went to help that woman in Tuscaloosa whose rescue center/training & boarding facility had been destroyed by a tornado -- listening to her talk about her own dog that died in her arms, and then the memorial service for all 21 dogs lost (of the 50 that were there).  With both Sloth and Mayhem, Tania was so upset because it made her picture losing Bluie and she just couldn't imagine living without him.  So sad to watch knowing it would happen in a few short years.

 

On a much happier note, watching Otis - the dog on "parole" - learn how to be a Frisbee dog, and get a new home, was delightful. 

 

And I'll never, ever fail to laugh watching Tia run away saying, "Bees, bees" or watching a group of parolees run, scream and jump to get away from a mouse. 

 

Heads up: There's another clip show episode tonight immediately prior to the new episode.

Edited October 3, 2015 by Bastet

[walnutqueen]

I love those clip show episodes!

 

The one that always gets to me is Roxy Mama being reunited with her owner, and Tia breaking down in tears at the sight.  It just shows that so many of these shelter dogs may be missing the one true love of their life, and need to be given all the patience, understanding, tolerance and time necessary to heal their hearts.

[Bronzedog]

Are there always this many ads? Seems like there's been less than 10 minutes of show in the last half an hour.

That cocker spaniel's face looks exactly like my cocker spaniel. If my dog wasn't here snoring like a chain saw, I would have sworn it was him.

Edited October 4, 2015 by Bronzedog

[Bastet]

I just watched the clip/update show, and no matter how many times they show me Cheech and Chong's story, I will cry each and every time.  That footage of them hugging each other in the shelter, Cheech hovering over Chong when Chong first got sick, Cheech needing to be distracted so anyone could get into their kennel and take just Chong to head for the vet and then getting upset as he realized Chong was being taken off without him, Tia not being able to get the words "Chong has cancer" out without crying and practically wailing as she wondered how Cheech would survive without him, everyone hauling ass to get the river house done in time for Cheech and Chong to retire there so Chong didn't have to die in a kennel, Tia dropping to the ground crying when she finds out Chong died, Cheech whining as they released Chong's ashes, Cheech putting his paw up on Tia's arm as she leaves him with his new family ... ugh, my heart.

 

It was funny to hear Tia talk about how the show capturing their lives for all these years really drives home how much her kids have grown up since season one, as I was just musing on that very thing recently having watched the early seasons for the first time.

 

I loved seeing again that rescue that Tania had to lead with ten dogs (including Renegade) tied up in a yard.  That was the one when Earl said the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and I think it's a great case study of Tania.  She, like always, is worried about pleasing her mom, and she's mad at herself for getting upset instead of just getting in there and getting the job done.  But then, she gathers herself, and is perfect.  Take the dogs in the front out first so we're never walking a dog past chained dogs.  You do this, you get this one.  She takes photos to document the scene, and just all around does everything Tia would do.  Thus Earl's comment. 

 

Okay, I have just enough time to watch my recording of the new episode ...

Edited October 6, 2015 by Bastet

[walnutqueen]

The Cheech & Chong story always reduces me to tears, but they turned to tears of joy when I saw Cheech's latest happy update.  Al dogs deserve such a good life.

[Bastet]

Ugh, apparently I'm going to have to set my VCR for five extra minutes so I don't keep missing the end -- I did either one or two extra minutes this time, and it still cut off right when Mariah pulled up to the house in Salt Lake City.

 

So, I'm sure that worked out, but can someone please fill me in on what the little update screens showed for the spaniel Sui and Matt rescued and that adorable girl with the tennis ball obsession that Tia picked up from the good Samaritan?

[walnutqueen]

Bastet - the Salt Lake City handoff was awesome.  There was a huge fenced back yard, the chicken run had boards all around the perimeter so the dog wouldn't be tempted to scare the chickens, and every single relative imaginable came out of the woodwork to meet and greet the newest member of their extended family.

 

The spaniel Sui & Matt rescued is doing well and ready for adoption.  The sweet little lady Tia rescued is recovering nicely and will be ready for adoption after finishing her heartworm treatment.

 

(Hope I got that right - sometimes the stories get all mixed together in my mind).  :-)

[Bronzedog]

I think they also said the little dog with the heart worms had gained 10 pounds.

[walnutqueen]

So, I had to FF through all of the Snickers saga.  I just could not deal. 

 

Watching Oatmeal walk in her new rock climbing shoes was a delightful distraction from my darker thoughts.

[Bronzedog]

Even though it's been 5 years for me, the Snickers scene took me right back to one of the worst days of my life. It was tough , but, think of the amt. of times rescuers go thru that. Shutter! Oatmeal was a perfect match for her adopter. And, a beautiful dog! Bet she never wears the shoes!

[nitrofishblue]

What an episode. It hit me in the heart. Saturday was the one year date of when I had to say good-bye to my rescue dog Rossco. I adopted him in 2002 as a companion for my other baby Nitro Fish. They had 13 wonderful years as a team. I started volunteering at the local SPCA. During this time I implemented a photo team that over the past few years has grown to become two teams. Our work has helped get many dogs adopted. All of that great work was the result of me adopting a dog that had spent eight months of his life in a kennel. On October 10, 2014 I had to help him cross the bridge because of cancer at the age of 15. I shed tears for him and Snickers. The one thing that helps me is that I know both dogs were loved. Snickers may not have been in a "home" but he had the best family a dog would ever want.

[jnymph]

I shed lots of tears over the Snickers passing away scene however....

Great job as usual by my Villalobos heros for loving & caring for him . in this particular instance Lizzie. What a great team her & Tania were up all night with him. Such brave admirable young women. Snickers passed knowing love!!!

Standing ovation !!!!

Eta; "Uncle" Jethro rocks.

Edited October 11, 2015 by jnymph

[walnutqueen]

I shed lots of tears over the Snickers passing away scene however....

Great job as usual by my Villalobos heros for loving & caring for him . in this particular instance Lizzie. What a great team her & Tania were up all night with him. Such brave admirable young women. Snickers passed knowing love!!!

Standing ovation !!!!

Eta; "Uncle" Jethro rocks.

 

I started sobbing as soon as Snickers' story came on, and despite my best efforts to ff through it all, I did catch a few moments here and there - it broke my heart to see how hard everyone was taking it, and how they tried to make it somehow better for him.

 

"Uncle" Jethro is just about the most perfect name for that particular dog, isn't it?

 

One of my ferals is the Uncle to a bunch of the others, and he is a very big and beautiful boy who is loved and adored by ALL the cats.  He can barely make it to the food bowl because all his nephews are snaking in front of him to rub their heads against him - he walks in a zig-zag pattern practically everywhere as a result!  :-)

[Megan]

Snickers made me cry hard. The fact that he never got a home. 

 

Then I also put my Debbie Downer hat on and was thinking,  did staying up all night in an unknown place, with random people, eating a bunch of weird food make him feel stressed and more sick? Like, did he die with a terrible tummy ache? I get the inclination to take him places and give him treats. This is me being too negative. He hopefully had a nice day. 

 

With Cora, I haven't owned any other breed so I don't know if it's common in other dogs but these guys get hit hard with fast moving terrible cancers. I've lost two that way, one at 6 who went down hard and fast and one at 14 who had hemangiosarcoma and the day we euthanized her was one of her good days, like with Cora, it made it worse (and then my Dad also died that day of cancer too. It happened 4 years ago last Sunday so I am extra sad and thinking about it right now. )

[walnutqueen]

I am so sorry for your losses, Megan.  What a terrible anniversary to have to remember.  :-(

[jnymph]

Snickers made me cry hard. The fact that he never got a home. 

 

Then I also put my Debbie Downer hat on and was thinking,  did staying up all night in an unknown place, with random people, eating a bunch of weird food make him feel stressed and more sick? Like, did he die with a terrible tummy ache? I get the inclination to take him places and give him treats. This is me being too negative. He hopefully had a nice day. 

 

With Cora, I haven't owned any other breed so I don't know if it's common in other dogs but these guys get hit hard with fast moving terrible cancers. I've lost two that way, one at 6 who went down hard and fast and one at 14 who had hemangiosarcoma and the day we euthanized her was one of her good days, like with Cora, it made it worse (and then my Dad also died that day of cancer too. It happened 4 years ago last Sunday so I am extra sad and thinking about it right now. )

I am so sorry Megan.  My heart breaks for you. : (

 

If it makes you feel any better; Snickers may not have gotten his forever home, but he got love, support and caring from the Villalobos staff.  For all intents and purposes, it was his home.   He got a lot more than what many deserving dogs don't get at all.   Did they hasten his death with food and he got a belly ache? Maybe. But I firmly believe it was worth it !   He seemed to enjoy the food and the attention given to him. Remember ... at 3am he told them when he was in pain and he was ready to go.   And the hero's leapt into action.  

 

I LOVED HIS PUPPYISH ROMP on the beach.   So sweet.     

 

***Hugs***** to Megan.

[zxy556575]

Snickers made me wonder how many dogs get adopted annually. You guys probably watched DogTown* when it aired, about the Best Friends no-kill shelter in Utah, and they seemed to place a lot more animals. Snickers was a cute (which seems to be a thing now), healthy, friendly, even-tempered dog. Why was nobody drawn to him all those years?

 

 

 

* And I just now see that it was revived on the CW this year. I'll have to catch up!

[walnutqueen]

Snickers made me wonder how many dogs get adopted annually. You guys probably watched DogTown* when it aired, about the Best Friends no-kill shelter in Utah, and they seemed to place a lot more animals. Snickers was a cute (which seems to be a thing now), healthy, friendly, even-tempered dog. Why was nobody drawn to him all those years?

 

 

 

* And I just now see that it was revived on the CW this year. I'll have to catch up!

 

DogTown was one of my favorite shows!  I'm searching for it right now so I can add the reruns to my DVR schedule!

 

The most heartbreaking part of this show is realizing how many long term and "lifer" dogs they have in their care.  Of course, the dogs are loved and cared for, but I've always wondered exactly how many dogs are placed in permanent homes every year.  We see so many instances of 2 or more employees driving across country to place ONE dog.  I realize this is the best way to ensure a proper home, but  wish there were a more efficient way to get dogs into a loving environment ... not that I have a ready alternative.

[Bastet]

Snickers was a cute (which seems to be a thing now), healthy, friendly, even-tempered dog. Why was nobody drawn to him all those years?

 

Because he was always one of at least 200 cute, healthy, friendly dogs VRC had available. 

 

There are 2-3 million dogs killed in shelters each year simply because there are that many more of them than there are homes for them.  VRC has operated in two cities teeming with pit bulls.  Their adoption rate has gone up since the show started, and then really went up with the move from Agua Dulce to New Orleans.  But they're still dealing with a saturation problem -- there are a shit ton more dogs being bred and dumped than there are people available to adopt those dogs.   

 

At least in Los Angeles, there were some public programs in place to educate owners about the need to spay/neuter and provide free or low-cost services to low-income residents.  The resources simply aren't there in New Orleans.  VRC's "Off the Chain" initiative is great, but they can only afford to do so many spay/neuters (and put up so many kennels).  We've seen them put on a mobile spay/neuter event at least once, but same thing.

 

(And it's easy for Best Friends - a sanctuary I also love and support - to have a higher adoption rate since they have all kinds of dogs; VRC is focused on a breed many dog owners won't consider or would but can't have because of their landlord, HOA, insurer, etc.)

Edited October 12, 2015 by Bastet

[Megan]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I am of course, still really sad, but I have two great pit bulls pups now who came from a shelter who are busy busy busy and funny.

 

 

Snickers made me wonder how many dogs get adopted annually

 

 

A few years ago the stats nationwide for pit bulls was 1 in 600 will get adopted.

 

Hopefully that has improved but I know at my local shelters in California are still over run with pit bulls (and chihuahuas) and they sit in the shelter. The few labs that pop up are adopted within days.

 

My boy, Murphy, came in the shelter as a brand new puppy and he was 1.5 years old when he came home with me. He's not a dog I would have initially picked. He was black, pretty average looking, kinda sad and it was was really really hard to find a male pit bull in my area.

 

He was lucky they kept him so long, they supposedly had room, but they used him like Tia uses Jethro.  He is the most amazing sweet dog. At the same time his long time at the shelter made the transition to a house dog tough. I also don't think he's so average looking anymore, he's adorable and handsome.

 

 I feel like pit bulls are really popular on instagram and cute buzzfeed articles but still not the dog a family is going to adopt in most cases. The comments on news stories, even positive news stories  are still really negative.

 

I am excited to see what happens next week with Earl. I don't think we've seen him at all yet.

Edited October 12, 2015 by Megan

[jnymph]

 We see so many instances of 2 or more employees driving across country to place ONE dog.  I realize this is the best way to ensure a proper home, but  wish there were a more efficient way to get dogs into a loving environment ... not that I have a ready alternative.

 

I was thinking about this too.   Seems there should be a way to set up a volunteer website to transport dogs; whereas if a volunteer could drive one leg of the journey, then at a next designated pick up spot,  they could hand off the dog to the volunteer willing to do the next leg of the journey, and so on.   I don't know.  I'm sure Tia would be leery of handing off her dogs to strange volunteers.  But maybe it's a chance she could take to get more dogs adopted long distances.  

 

Once the dog reaches it's destination perhaps Tia, Tania or Mariah could simply fly out to do the home check.  (although I don't think Tia flies if I recall correctly)

 

Just thinking out loud here. 

Edited October 12, 2015 by jnymph

[zxy556575]

I am excited to see what happens next week with Earl. I don't think we've seen him at all yet.

 

Me too, and I really hope it's good news for him. Seems like the show used to focus more on the parolees when it first started but we don't see their stories as much now. I'm fine with it being mostly about the animals but there does seem to have been a shift.

 

Thanks for the explanations about the lower adoption rates for pitbulls; makes sense.

[walnutqueen]

I was thinking about this too.   Seems there should be a way to set up a volunteer website to transport dogs; whereas if a volunteer could drive one leg of the journey, then at a next designated pick up spot,  they could hand off the dog to the volunteer willing to do the next leg of the journey, and so on.   I don't know.  I'm sure Tia would be leery of handing off her dogs to strange volunteers.  But maybe it's a chance she could take to get more dogs adopted long distances.  

 

Once the dog reaches it's destination perhaps Tia, Tania or Mariah could simply fly out to do the home check.  (although I don't think Tia flies if I recall correctly)

 

Just thinking out loud here. 

 

Now that you mention it, I remember watching a show about a Southern real estate lady who rescued dogs and found screened adopters in the northern states.  She had a huge truck and driver volunteers who took "batches" of dogs up north to their new homes.  Anyone else remember this show & what it was called?

 

I'm just thinking of ways to make all those donated $s go a little further ..

Edited October 12, 2015 by walnutqueen

[Bronzedog]

My dog was delivered to me from Georgia. I live in Maryland. They have caravans that take dogs from Georgia to New Hampshire. The thing is, I agreed to adopt the dog without ever having met him. The first time I met him, he was already mine. Apparently people who live in the north east are the most likely to adopt, so, the rescue is very active in getting dogs out of the south.

[Rlb8031]

Now that you mention it, I remember watching a show about a Southern real estate lady who rescued dogs and found screened adopters in the northern states.  She had a huge truck and driver volunteers who took "batches" of dogs up north to their new homes.  Anyone else remember this show & what it was called?

 

I'm just thinking of ways to make all those donated $s go a little further 

I think the name of the show was Last Chance Highway (it also was an Animal Planet show). If it's the one I'm thinking about the woman used to rescue dogs and actually take them into her own home (or another local foster). She always has 9-10 dogs running around at her house and her husband was responsible for helping with the dogs. Others took care of the placements. When they had enough dogs they'd load up a huge truck and bring them north. I think she was in Tennessee or Mississippi.

Edited October 13, 2015 by Rlb8031

[walnutqueen]

I think the name of the show was Last Chance Highway (it also was an Animal Planet show). If it's the one I'm thinking about the woman used to rescue dogs and actually take them into her own home (or another local foster). She always has 9-10 dogs running around at her house and her husband was responsible for helping with the dogs. Others took care of the placements. When they had enough dogs they'd load up a huge truck and bring them north. I think she was in Tennessee or Mississippi.

 

YES!!!  That was the show.  I loved it, too.

[Bastet]

I finally got myself emotionally braced enough to watch this latest episode.

 

“I know he’s ready, but I’m not.  But I guess that’s how these things go.”

 

Oh, Lizzie.  You speak the truth.

Although it's a different situation since Snickers possibly got lost in the hurricane rather than being deliberately abandoned, seeing Tia, Tania and Lizzie there with Snickers at the end took me back to the episode where Louise found a 14-year-old mastiff at a Los Angeles shelter (probably because I was just telling someone about it this past weekend).  He literally had days left in him, and his owners had just dumped him.  Tia pulled him from the shelter, he got comfortable at Louise’s, Rita made him a great last meal, and then he was put to sleep on Louise’s living room floor surrounded by the three of them. 

 

These people who had only known him for a couple of days gave him the kind of death he deserved, and shed tears over him.  Compare that to his owners, who discarded him like trash and left him to die on the streets.  I like that Tia isn’t overly judgmental given all she sees, but that was one where she just flat-out said those owners should rot in hell, and I’m with her.

 

I’m glad that, unlike Snickers, Oatmeal did get the home she deserves.  Watching her walk with those shoes on was precious. 

 

And I love Uncle Jethro.  I hope he’s able to work his magic.

 

Whew.  This may have been the wrong night to watch; friends are taking me to a concert in a few hours to distract me from my own pet loss depression, and here I go and marinate in someone else's sadness!

 

My condolences to Megan and nitrofishblue, for whom this episode stirred up such emotional memories.