Remembering Braveheart: 2013-2019

Last week I was scrolling through Facebook when Braveheart's page popped up on my feed. "This is a post I hoped I would never have to write."  My heart sank. A fear-adrenaline rush. I knew without reading any further what I was about to see.  Brave is gone.  All I could think was "No!"  Wednesday, January 23, 2019.

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In 2013, we all fell in love with a dog.  Some 24,000 of us, judging by Brave's Facebook page.  But this was never, ever "just a dog."  You all know Brave's story; he was discovered near death in a storage facility in the sweltering Louisiana summer heat in 2013. His abuser went to trial in 2015.  My blog post about the trial received more hits than anything I ever posted.  It was also one of the longest posts I ever ran and I typed it straight through as soon as I got home from the trial, after the verdict.

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By Monday Loraine reaches out to me: "Can you call me?"  Of course. "Bo wants you to write an obituary for Brave."  My heart sank. There was never any question that I would do it, but the thought of all the tears I would shed as I did was daunting.  "He's going to owe me. At least a six-pack." No problem."

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There are people I have known that I did not cry over as much as I have this dog.  #truth

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Heavenly Acres Pet Cemetery near Elm Grove is a really pretty spot situated on the two-lane blacktop among the hardwoods.  Jaci and Kenneth are doing God's work there and seem perfectly suited to it. They are gracious and kind people. Jaci looks you in the eye when she talks to you and puts you immediately at ease. In black pants and navy top today, long hair flowing down her back, she welcomed guests with a bright smile as soon as they arrived while Kenneth directed parking for the large crowd.  There is a semi-covered pavilion area with wicker seating and benches. Vines are trailing up the wooden posts and eventually will form a cover over the arbor type covering.

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A long table is covered with an orange cloth. Orange is the color animal lovers wear to protest cruelty to animals. During the trial lots of us wore orange because we weren't allowed to wear our Team Braveheart shirts.  On this table today there was a jar of dog treats, color photographs of Braveheart both alone and with his friends. A guest register. A program. A plexiglass stand with a carved rosewood box.  Braveheart.

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A guest is spreading orange roses on the table.  "Please take one when the service is over," she said.  "I wish I had bought more. This is all they had." Jaci helps arrange them.  They are lovely.

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Justin Thomas with Lumberjack Rescue is there with Clarence.  It might be hard to find a more sentimental dog lover than Justin. I think he's a hero; rescue is such demanding work and Justin has a big job in Springhill where abandoned animals seem to be so prevalent. Justin rails on his Facebook page about animal cruelty and wears his frustrations on his sleeve but this is why we love him. He says what we all feel and his heart is bigger than anyone I know.  Clarence is as happy a dog as you can imagine and he loves his human unconditionally.  That's obvious.

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More dogs. Two precious Boston Terriers.  Chihuahuas.  A Yorkie.  Braveheart had friends everywhere.

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I see Anita and have to go introduce myself.  I'm hoping she will start a Cat Daddy Bilbo Facebook page.  I'm a fan.  Bilbo is her precious rescue cat that has more than his fair share of personality.

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Everyone mingles before the service. Lots of old friend here.

Bo, Ronda, and Raine finally come through the gate about 1:10.  Raine is driving.  A parking spot had been reserved for them up front.  A swell of people move toward them and Bo and Ronda are wrapped in embraces as soon as they get out of the car.

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Ronda looks beautiful, as always. Serene.  You know she's hurting; it's in her eyes. Maybe it's her work experience that helps a bit, even though this one is oh so personal. She's in jeans and the orange Team Braveheart t-shirt, as so many of us are. Bo is as well. The grief shows on Bo. Straight up pain. Raw.

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Bo and Ronda sit next to Ronda's mother on a wicker loveseat while Raine takes a chair next to them. Jaci begins, "When Jean called me last week and told me she had a big one for me, I thought she meant a hundred pound dog. When she told me who it was I couldn't believe it." 

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John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy" plays.  People weep.

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"Out on the ocean sailing away
I can hardly wait
To see you come of age
But I guess we'll both just have to be patient
 'Cause it's a long way to go
A hard row to hoe
Yes, it's a long way to go
But in the meantime
Before you cross the street
Take my hand
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

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Guests were invited to speak and share memories. Justin, brave soul, went first. Voice trembling, he read his comments, a poem, and then closed with "Thank you Brave for what you taught us, and thank you Bo and Ronda for sharing him with us."  When he finished, both Bo and Ronda stood to embrace him.

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Raine spoke after Justin. I knew how hard she was struggling with her emotions and how hard she was trying to keep her voice steady. I was literally willing her to get through it. "If there is one thing I wish people would take away from here today it is that we should all be kinder. We should all stop the anger and bitterness. We should all just Be Brave," she said. No truer words.  This speech, too, was followed with a poignant embrace.

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Throughout the service, Bo clutched a chrome decorative object in his hand. I looked at it afterward; it spelled out BRAVE.

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Cynthia, thank goodness, broke through some of the sadness with a heartfelt message about the power of social media to do good, and how everyone rose up to fight for Brave. Her speech lifted Bo, ignited a spark in him, and when she finished he got up to speak. "I wasn't going to say anything," he said, "but you sparked something in me and I want to speak."  He had us all laughing before he was finished.  I'm not sure how he did that, but we laughed.

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It's such a cliche, but it started to rain, just a little. Like the sky was crying for Brave. Umbrellas came out, hoods came up, people moved around a little.  Then the sun came back; I just had to smile. I thought, perfect.  Just perfect.

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As the final song played, a tearjerker song that I can't remember the name of, Bo's head dropped, his whole body sagged, and Ronda's protective arm went around him. He stood up, walked to the table and picked up his dog.  He picked up that rosewood box with the brass plaque, "Brave," on it, clutched it to him, and his whole body curled around it as he sat back down.  The dam broke and my tears flowed.  It was the saddest thing I ever saw in my life.  Ever. 

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Balloon release. Biodegradable balloons. No strings. Three huge black bags filled with orange balloons. Some levity now. Some hugs and laughter as we all get a balloon.  One escapes early and drifts into the sky. I think that was was Brave's, going ahead of us.

Everyone holds their balloons aloft. Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger" blasts from the pavilion and on the count we release.  Everyone's eyes follow the balloons until we can't see them any longer. 

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I brought home an orange rose. I left behind a flood of tears. I took a lot of pictures. I hugged some people. I pet some dogs. I lost a friend.  So did we all.  Braveheart had a smile that I will never forget; I didn't spend as much time with Brave as a lot of people did.  I was the "Braveheart Blogger" because of my trial piece, but Brave let me love him. He let Steve walk him into the Barkus and Meoux parade a couple of years ago when we ran into him in the parking lot. He gave us kisses and he taught us about unconditional love, hope, and trust. He made all of us better human beings.

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Run free, sweet Braveheart.  You were truly a champion.  No dog ever had a bigger heart or taught us so much.

TSR LA Baby Mommas: Making a Difference One Dog at a Time

Ruby: she's looking for a home.

One of the very good things about the Shreveport-Bossier area is its huge animal rescue community. There are several rescue groups that work very hard to find homes and save lives of the overabundance of unwanted animals in our area.

The American Veterinary Medical Foundation points out that the current population of dogs and cats in the United States "currently exceeds the capacity of our society to care and provide homes for them as companion animals."  Our local rescue groups each have some kind of specialty area but none will turn their back on an animal in need.

For example, Ninna's Road to Rescue specializes in small breeds while Lumberjack Rescue specializes in large breeds, and Port City Cat Rescue specializes in cats.  We also have PetSavers and the Humane Society, both of which work very hard to place animals.  Bossier City Animal Control does a fantastic job at adopting out animals over euthanasia. New rescues are forming and making their mark as well, such as Bark-la-Tex Rescue.  Nova's Heart is an organization that works to help and support the homeless and their homeless pets.  We even have a Mardi Gras krewe which works for and highlights the plight of homeless animals: Krewe of Barkus and Meoux.

One rescue that serves a specialized need is TSR LA Baby Mommas.  This group was launched in 2011 and specializes in puppies that require round-the-clock monitoring and critical care puppies.

These people are amazing.

They were one of the first to step up and help Braveheart, the pitbull puppy who was left abandoned and left to die in a storage building in August 2013.  Braveheart is now thriving and serves as an ambassador against animal abuse.

This rescue group has, for example, taken several cleft palate puppies and has supported them through multiple surgeries to repair their handicaps and ensure that they can adopt out and have healthy, normal lives.  One of those puppies was baby Summit who was fostered by Braveheart's

Summit on left, and Braveheart. Courtesy of A Voice for Braveheart

family; Braveheart helped nurture and care for baby Summit, an endeavor that included careful hand feeding across very short round the clock intervals under the monitoring of a vet tech.  Aspiration was a constant worry in those first few weeks.  Summit is now living a healthy life with his new family.

Some of the puppies that come into the rescue are preemies or have lost their mother at birth due to one circumstance or another.  These puppies literally require round the clock care; they require their now human mommas to get up maybe every thirty minutes for feeding or monitoring.  Someone to warm the sock filled with soft, cooked rice to snuggle next to for comfort.  Someone to change the potty pad and wipe the puppy off.  Someone to clean the face as a momma would.

I've seen these mommas come to adoption events with these very young puppies because they can't be left alone; so they're packed into warm, secure carriers and brought to events so they can continue to be fed are monitored.  The public is not allowed to touch or handle these very young ones just yet because the immune system is still very fragile and all care must be taken to protect them.

The homes and lives of these mommas (and some of them are men) have been taken over by their passion for these puppies; in some cases the dining room table has been put in storage so that more kennels can be brought in or another wire fence exercise pen set up.

LA Baby Mommas also manages a strong network of foster homes who offer safe places for the puppies and bring them to adoption events until they can find forever homes.  There are also folks who volunteer primarily in transport and will drive a puppy countless miles to its new home if need be.

The individuals that I know personally who are associated with this group have the biggest hearts I've ever seen.  Jean, Terri, Patt, Linda want no recognition or accolades for what they do.  They are quiet and humble about their work -- it's all about the puppies.  ALL about the puppies.  But their work can't go unrecognized.  These people spend countless days going to adoption events, caring for puppies, pulling puppies from various bad situations, taking puppies to veterinarian appointments, checking and validating adoption applications, transporting puppies, organizing supplies, fundraising, and managing an online presence.

Dig that cool green dog!

Finding creative ways to raise funds is always a challenge; for example, Jean and Loraine spent hours making ornaments for sale for a donation at the adoption event held today.

As we move toward the end of the year, the Christmas season, and that time when you may be looking for one more place to donate for a charitable tax deduction, why don't you consider TSR LA Baby Momma Rescue?   Every animal they adopt out is spayed or neutered (or comes with a voucher if not yet old enough) and every animal they adopt out is one that has been rescued from almost impossible odds or circumstances.

The work this group does is worthy of recognition (whether they want it or not) in my mind, and I can promise you that they would appreciate your donation, whatever the amount, and use it well.

And if you want one of those cool green dog ornaments, leave a comment here and we can hook you up!

Their Facebook page is here.

Donate here.