Dear Editor,
I would like to share with your readers two experiences of an amazing woman. As you might guess, they relate to the rescue of two dogs.
Noreen Gaskin’s home backs onto the Railway Embankment. One morning while looking across the road she saw a dog curled up in some sand on a bridge. It had rained all night and Noreen was feeling sad for the poor animal. She called and asked for my help with its rescue. I tried to catch the beautiful mix-breed but he ran away in fear.
Night after night the dog returned to the same position on the bridge. Noreen asked her staff to leave food and water for him; the dog would eat and drink but let no one get close. The dog would take walks around Subryanville, Bel Air Gardens and the Railway Embankment area but always return to the same bridge. All efforts at entrapment failed. Six weeks ago one of Noreen’s staff was feeding the dog when a man from the area approached him and told him how the dog became homeless. From the time the dog was a puppy he lived in a loving home just a few buildings from the bridge. His family fed and cared for him and took him for walks around the neigbourhood. One day his family got their permanent papers for the USA and left Guyana.
The dog was put out of the yard and left to fend for himself. He ate what he could find but never stopped going on those family walks – by himself. He always came back to his favourite spot on the bridge, waiting for his family to return. The good news is that after two months the dog was finally caught by one of Noreen’s staff and he is now safe and happy with his new loving family at Noreen’s home.
On another occasion, Noreen was walking on the seawall when she saw a female skeleton of a dog; she said it looked twisted with one crooked leg that may have been broken. It was 6 am, and Noreen thought of calling me for help (which she didn’t need to do), because when she called the dog its twisted body suddenly jogged over happily in her direction. Forever loyal (even though she looked abused) the dog followed Noreen to her car.
Noreen got out a chain and put it around the dog’s neck and lifted her tiny shivering body into her vehicle. When she got home, the dog (covered in fleas) was given food and a bath and she made an appointment with her vet, Dr Surjubally.
Two months later the dog is improving; full of life and love for her new owner and home. She will be spayed by Dr Surjubally next week.
Editor, I always wonder why so called ‘animal lovers’ abandon their pets when they migrate. Dogs that once had good homes are easy to spot.
They deteriorate fast and seem to suffer more stress than the dogs born on the street.
Every time I see them I ask myself: what sad story do they have to tell?
We must thank all the good people, like Noreen Gaskin who take dogs from sad environments and give them safe, happy, secure and permanent homes for the rest of their lives.
Yours faithfully,
Syeada Manbodh
