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WATCHING OVER
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Cheryl Klein is the owner of The Daily Skoop, a local canine concierge service offering dog walking, pet sitting, transportation, and many other services. She lives in Glen Rock with husband, Larry. They have two grown sons.
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They had two aging rescue dogs, Kosmo and Griffin, and lived over on Ashton Place. Jake, the owner, had to travel outside the country, so he reached out and asked me to pet-sit while he was out of town. His wife Karen was still working in NYC and they also had two small children. Needless to say they had their hands full.
Kosmo, a shitzu mix, needed help with medication, doggie diapers and even standing up. Griffin, the other shitzu, had hearing loss in one ear, but that didn’t stop him from watching over Kosmo; a role he had taken on as they got older. I agreed to take both dogs. It was a tough week for Kosmo, who ate very little and continued to struggle with his health. One of the things I noticed that week was how Griffin would bark when he thought Kosmo needed attention and always stuck close by. I continued to keep Jake and Karen informed about Kosmo’s declining health and we all knew their next step would be a conversation with their veterinarian. Both dogs arrived back home. The next day, Kosmo had to be put down. After I received Karen's text, I just sat there, the tears flowing. I knew Kosmo’s family loved him and only wanted the best for him. He’d had a good life.
Several months later, Griffin started to decline, and Jake and Karen decided to rescue a senior dog. Well, I thought, the last thing they needed in their busy lives was to add another dog to the mix, and a senior one at that. Most people look for younger dogs so that they will have them longer. When I received a call from a rescue organization asking for a reference, Jake and Karen’s purpose became clear. Turns out that their purpose was to rescue a senior dog to give Griffin back his purpose, as watch-over dog. Were they approved? Of course, and they were right. When Milo joined the family, Griffin’s raison d'etre returned. After Griffin passed, Jake then rescued another dog, Daisy, as companion for Milo. Their proactive compassion has stayed with me, years later. Whenever I see a client struggling with the decline of an elderly pet, I think of the generous spirit of love and thoughtfulness demonstrated by Griffin's family, who certainly paid it forward in their love for the pack! 🐾 |
Our next story premieres on February 21.