One of seven orphaned pups that were nursed and cared for by employees of Sklar Furnishings in Boca Raton.
Store owner Pat Howard takes a turn feeding one of the pups.
Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Arden Moore
Acts of kindness come in many forms. Some are planned. Others are spontaneous gestures. All Neema Jensen and her husband, Nick Woolridge, know is that they needed help — and quickly — and are grateful beyond words by the response.
Let’s back up to Sept. 9. Their sweet-tempered, blue-nosed pit bull named Asia gave birth to seven puppies inside their Delray Beach home. The delivery went smoothly, but Asia became very ill that night. They rushed her to the emergency veterinary clinic, where she was diagnosed with an infection. Three days later, Asia died, leaving Jensen and Woolridge suddenly in charge of feeding and nurturing seven 4-day-old puppies whose eyes had yet to open.
Sporting red, puffy eyes from grieving the loss of Asia and looking completely exhausted from bottle-feeding the puppies every three hours, the couple showed up at Sklar Furnishings in Boca Raton on the following Monday. Woolridge is an installer and runs the warehouse while Jensen works in the office at this furniture and interior design store.
This store has been owned and operated for the past 13 years by Pat Howard and her husband, Rick. They have always welcomed well-mannered leashed dogs into their 23,000-square-foot showroom. This avid pet-loving couple has recognized the importance of selecting furnishings for the entire family, including pets.
But on that Monday morning, Howard took one look at the visibly heartbroken couple and asked what was wrong.
Upon hearing the answer, Howard recalls: “I said, ‘Bring the puppies here. We will help you.’" He immediately left and brought back a basket full of adorable puppies. Our staff fed them every four hours for the next five weeks. It was wonderful to see each of these little puppies grow into healthy, happy puppies who enjoyed running around in the back in our warehouse.”
The entire 38-member staff happily pitched in to volunteer for puppy duty, including Erica Dewolf, the store’s receptionist.
“We all loved caring for these puppies,” says Dewolf. “When they arrived, they were so tiny and so adorable. Their eyes had not even opened yet. Which puppy did I like best? I can’t tell you because I loved them all.”
Whelping boxes were made from large empty furniture cardboard boxes and filled with comfortable bedding. Staffers not only donated their time, but some also donated puppy pee pads, puppy bottle formula and other accessories to offset the puppy care expenses for Jensen and Woolridge.
Wonder what it is like to step into an unexpected role of being a puppy’s surrogate “mom” or “dad”? You can catch a short video depicting some Sklar staffers bottle-feeding the sensational seven young pups in the warehouse by visiting: http://buff.ly/1OUTJNU.
Later this month, many of us will be enjoying a Thanksgiving feast and hopefully, many of us will take a moment to give thanks. When I heard about these warehouse pups, I knew I had to share this tale of thanksgiving with all of you.
Every day in so many ways, our dogs, cats and other companion animals show their gratitude to us. They depend on us to feed them, make them feel safe and engage them in purposeful play. But they give back to us with their loyalty, their unbridled joy and their goofiness that makes us genuinely laugh. Sometimes even out loud.
For Jensen and Woolridge, the past weeks have put the capital T in Thanksgiving. Thanks to their coworkers, their seven orphaned pups are in the process of being placed in loving homes.
“Thanks to everyone at Sklar, every one of our puppies survived after Asia died and every one of them is healthy,” says Jensen. “I thank everyone on the staff and owners, Pat and Rick, for giving us the opportunity to care for our puppies at Sklar Furnishings. It has been a true act of kindness that Nick and I appreciate very much.”
This Thanksgiving, I am giving thanks for my pair of senior dogs, Chipper and Cleo, and my young, adventurous orange tabby named Casey. Each day we get to spend together is a blessing. Chipper and Cleo still display puppy-like energy each time I invite them for a walk and Casey is always amazing me with his knack for learning dog-like tricks, like walking on a leash, sitting on cue and giving me a high paw.
Now, it’s your turn. Please share with our readers why you are grateful and thankful for that special pet in your life. Just email me at Arden@fourleggedlife.com.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Arden Moore, founder of www.FourLeggedLife.com, is an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor. Learn more by visiting www.fourleggedlife.com.
Comments