Celebrating this wonderous season, that springtime bestows upon us. New beginnings of rebirth and renewal to revitalizes within us new hope and belief through the grandeur of nature’s reawaking to bloom yet again and the opportunity to reawaken within us to all of the possibilities for our dreams to be realized, too.
I would like to share Princess’s story of her new beginning. Last winter Princess was rescued from a terrible neglectful situation, she was heavily pregnant, filthy dirty and full of fleas.
I will never forget the call I received that day from my dear friend, who has always gone above and beyond in rescuing those that are the most in need and Princess needed immediate help.
The start of 2022 was an overwhelming situation with the large number of dogs, more than usual, that my friend took into rescue and there was nowhere for Princess to go.
It was nearing the end of January and even here in the south, it was cold, and I was waiting outside for Princess to arrive. My friend pulled up and this beautiful big dog came walking towards me. My heart broke for her, to see this beautiful soul and all she had been through—being terribly let down by people.
I had a spare bedroom set up for her. The bed was taken apart and the mattress placed on the floor so she could easily get on and off the bed, even walking was difficult in her condition.
I wanted her to know first, how much I loved her, and that she was safe with a warm soft comfy bed to rest and sleep upon. I promised her that her babies would be safe too and I would love them as much as I love her. Princess’s bedroom was set up for the nursery and we were ready for when they puppies would arrive. Which was two weeks later and the vet’s prediction that she would have the puppies within ten days was very good.
During the time before the big arrival of the babies, Princess bonded with me every day.
Princess within the first few days of arriving.
It took the first week for her to trust me enough to bath her. At first, she would just let me wash her face and neck with a warm facecloth, that needed to be rinsed many times as it would be filthy with dirt and dried blood from the fleas. Everyday she would let me wash a little bit more of her and eventually she allowed me to wash her whole body. I would pick off the adult fleas and give her an organic apple cider vinegar and water rinse to get rid of the fleas and eggs. Singing to her as I bathed her and overtime, she really began to enjoy it— even with my terrible singing voice. I’m sure she felt so much better. Eventually she was all clean, free of fleas, well-fed and would sleep soundly on top of the blankets. It took eight months before she let me cover her with a blanket. Being covered with a blanket made her nervous and it made me wonder what she had experienced in the past. She now loves her blanky and has become a notorious bed hog!
Waiting for the babies big debut.
The big day arrived; it was difficult seeing her in labour. This was a first for me and a once in a lifetime experience having an expectant dog and being her doula. I was grateful that she trusted me enough to be there for her and the babies. I didn’t think I would the only person in the room with her during this time, but Princess did not want anyone else with her. So, over the next 14 hours of labour and delivery it was just us. I will forever treasure this experience. That is a story in itself—- along with the responsibility that our dog rescue would ultimately provide in matching the right forever people for the puppies when they would be old enough.
Princess was exhausted and finally she could get some rest, for a little while at least, with her eight beautiful and healthy teeny tiny babies snuggled up next to her. I sat there taking in this glorious moment. Watching Princess with her babies, so very thankful they were all safe and healthy and we could relax and celebrate the miracle of life! Looking at this brave and extremely strong soul, all the misery she had endured before she came to me and yet she kept her heart open to love, the love from me and the enormous love she has for her babies. She is the very best mom! And through it all, she trusted-that still makes me cry, that she was willing to still trust. But that is the extraordinary ability of animals that we can learn from, their ability to love unconditionally- and they deserve the same from us!
Proud mommy with her day-old babies.
Baby Lovey and Mommy.
It has been a joy to watch her flourish over the last year into a confident, happy, fun and silly girl. Those of you that love the breed know what I’m talking about—the pit bull wiggle—that exudes happiness, and you can’t help but laugh. Her ability to make me smile, even when she is just about squashing me under her weight, as she snuggles up on my lap. I swear she has no concept of her size. My big, wonderful lap dog! Some of my most cherished moments with her, is when we would steal away from the sleeping babies and enjoy our time together in the backyard. They say it is darkest before the dawn and that was certainly true for Princess. Now she is living a great life; she is well loved; all of her needs are taken care of and the most important of all she was able to be an exceptional mom to her beautiful babies. She nursed her babies for a very long time, when most dogs would have had enough, she continued even when they were eating solid food. Best mom ever!
Springtime has always been my favorite time of year. We just have to look to nature and her seasons, and the guidance that each season brings to us. After winters resting and restorative energies, spring is the ideal time to embark anew way of being. In sharing Princess’s story with you, my wish is that you will be able to take away a message of keeping your heart open, even in the darkest of times and restoring hope of better things to come.
“And if you cannot find your way out of the darkness, I will sit there with you and show you the stars.”
~N.R.Hart
All Rights Reserved. Copyright© 2023 Kimberley Stroncek.
