A tribute to Gunny (and his friends)
Amy Murphy, an occupational therapist, pit bull lover and volunteer for a rescue organization in North Carolina, has put together a video that pays tribute to her rescued pit bull -- a former "bait dog" named Gunny.
It's also a tribute to all the others who helped Gunny on the road to recovery.
We wrote about Amy back in the Spring, and how she'd become a teller of dog tales on Craigslist, putting together accounts of pets in need of adoption for North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue.
Not long after that, in May, she met Gunny:
"I met One Of Those Dogs today. I’d tell you his name, but he doesn’t have one. I can, however, tell you that he has one of the most amazing spirits I have ever had the good fortune to encounter. I can also tell you that his capacity for love and forgiveness warms my heart….and shatters it into a million pieces."
"This guy came to my attention yesterday, when a good friend made me aware of his existence. She is a volunteer for Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue, and gets lots of emails about dogs in need. This little fellow showed up on the “who we are going to put to sleep this week” list from a county pound in a neighboring state.
"She was appalled to see that even though he had an obviously severe injury that was both extremely painful and horribly infected, he would have to wait at least 5 days to be euthanized. They were certain that no one would adopt him, they knew they could not let any “owner“ from his past regain custody. Yet due to their laws, they had to let him suffer---without any pain relief or basic medical treatment---for days on end. Unfortunately, this is not rare, this is how county pounds function. My friend was hoping that the all-breed rescue where I volunteer might be able to help..."
"The plan we came up with was: get him out of that pound, and even if he is too ill to treat, at least we can pay to have him put to sleep in a gentle and humane way. There was no way finances would allow any pricey treatments, like an amputation of the injured leg or treatment for a positive heartworm diagnosis."
Amy ended up volunteering to be the dog's temporary foster parent, and what followed is documented in near daily dispatches from Amy on the North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue website.
Don't worry, it has a happy ending -- not the first Amy Murphy has been involved in, and, we suspect, probably not the last.
Comments
Amy Murphy has been one of my best friends for the better part of 20 years and I can tell you that this is how Amy lives her life. She gives selflessly and tirelessly to animals in need, including adopting scores of them over the years. While Gunny is a special and wonderfully deserving and amazing dog... he's merely one of Amy's many good deeds. Gunny deserves the BEST in life and now he has it. : )
Posted by: Kristin Moore | July 3, 2008 9:23 AM
Gunny says thanks for sharing John!! And so do I, of course. : ) Thanks again to everyone who has helped! As sad as it is, North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue is ALREADY in the process of saving another (puppy!) who lost a leg due to neglect, no surgery involved---isn't that unbelievable and horrible. It's like deja-vu...same leg as Gunny, same efforts to rally the troops and get this pup what he needs. Amy
Posted by: Amy | July 3, 2008 9:37 AM
Thank you John for helping get the word out about Gunny and Amy. A very special dog and lady!Certainly a match made in heaven.
Terry
NMAR
Posted by: Terry Fillow | July 3, 2008 10:00 AM
Kristin and Terry, you are so right! Amy, you are an example to us all. I hope you and Gunny and the other animals at your house enjoy many, many happy years together. You are truly making a difference.
Posted by: Anne | July 3, 2008 11:26 AM
Thank you for sharing Gunny and Amy's story. Amy's efforts extend beyond her amazing feats with the 4-legged ones in need to her day job as an occupational therapist. She is just as giving with children in need.
We all can learn life lessons from Amy and Gunny and continue the work that still needs to be done.
We appreciate you, AMY!
Kathy Fallin
Posted by: Kathy Fallin | July 3, 2008 11:34 AM
I have been thinking about Gunny all day. He so clearly demonstrates the gift that dogs have for putting the past away and living in the moment. There is a beautiful passage written in the 1500's by Fra Giovanni. It occurred to me today that if Gunny and other dogs could communicate in words, this is what they might say to us:
"I salute you. I am your friend and my love goes deep. There is nothing I can give you which you have not got; but there is much, very much, that while I cannot give it, you can take…
No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in today. Take heaven! No peace lies in the future which is not in this present little instant. Take Peace! The gloom of the world is but a shadow. Behind it, yet within our reach is joy."
Gunny has found his way out of the dark past into the joyful present.
Posted by: Anne | July 3, 2008 4:57 PM
Murph is a mess. She is a good friend and I believe she and Gunny share many qualities- tenaciousness, a huge heart, stubborn as hell, fearless, loyalty, and I guess that brindle thing. What a great advocate she is for these guys. Go Murph!!
Posted by: Jeff & Robin | July 3, 2008 7:40 PM