On October 4, 2017, a simple post on the Southside SPCA’s Facebook Friend’s Page about the passing of a dog named Joleen met with an outpouring of response and emotion. For Joleen was one of those dogs you couldn’t help falling for…and her incredible story was, sadly, so very true and so very heartbreaking.
This is Joleen’s story, as told by her rescuer, Southside’s Francee Schuma.
“It was a cold and rainy day in January 2016 when I met Joleen.
I had accompanied an animal control officer on a neglect call and was shocked at what I saw. Dogs of various sizes chained to dilapidated dog houses, rickety sheds, and even broken down trucks. The chains so heavy that their necks slung low to the ground. They were all shivering from the harsh conditions, and they had no way of escaping this hell.
Though they had endured such cruelty, they were all so loving and seemed to know we were there to save them.
As the months passed and the other dogs were adopted, Joleen continued to struggle to recover. Extensive testing and x-rays determined she had a degenerative joint disease as well as advanced tick disease, but we were able to get her stable and comfortable to where she could begin to enjoy life. And, due to her bleak prognosis, we decided she would reside at our Field of Dreams facility and enjoy the quiet pastures and individual attention that this facility was designed for. She deserved to be spoiled and pampered there. And she was!”
Although the vets had warned us that her time was limited, we vowed to continue to fight as long as she was comfortable and willing to fight with us. Unfortunately the disease finally took over, and on a beautiful fall day in early October, and in the arms of her loving caregivers, Joleen flew away to run free in those endless green fields of which we can yet only dream.
While our ultimate goal is for every dog and cat to be adopted to a loving home, sometimes it doesn’t work out that way…and sometimes that loving “forever home” just happens to be with us.
Like other special dogs who lived out their lives at our Field of Dreams shelter, sweet Joleen will be remembered in the site’s memorial garden. Dedicated in 2015, the Field of Dreams Memorial Garden offers a special space of remembrance and reflection where visitors can pause to consider these wonderful animals and the amazing work done daily by those who care. Please consider giving a gift in memory of Joleen and in honor of those who helped to make Joleen’s story a happy one!
