In Celebration of a Life
Thursday, July 21st, 2011
On a visit to the Champaign County Humane Society, I noticed a beautiful Blue Point pressed into the corner of her cage. The card attached to the bars indicated her name was Pookie; she was two years old and had been abandoned by owners who had a new baby. Too depressed to eat, Pookie was scheduled for euthanasia.
My childhood nickname was “pookie”. It seemed like an omen; I was meant to find her that day. Could I possibly leave this forlorn little girl to her fate? They brought her to me in the adoption visiting room and after a few moments she nestled her head against my neck. I was experiencing a very dark time in my own life, and we seemed like two lost souls clinging together. That was July, 1990, and for the next 19 years we were never apart.
How can you put so much history, so much love and loyalty in a few words of type? Pookie was the inspiration for my company, KittyKaddy.com, and its mission: Adoption is the Loving Option, and she also became the matriarch to a pride of several other adoptees over the years: Molly, Patty, Sam, Jinx, Tucker, Boo, Cleo, Iggy Pop, Reggie and Samantha.
An elegant, perfect lady to the end, Pookie left us on March 2. I owe a debt of gratitude to the Champaign County Humane Society for bringing us together so long ago. Please support the Humane Society in every way you can. The staff and volunteers there are our unsung heroes. Pay a visit. One (or morel) of the deserving pets waiting there could be your lifelong companion. They need you. You need them. Friends often comment that I ‘rescued’ Pookie; but she and I know the truth: it was she who saved me. Godspeed, my precious girl, until we meet again.
– Marsha Peters, St. Charles, IL, 2009