~Lillee's Page~
Lillee on 28 September 2003
Photo Credit: Patty Woodbury
~Lillee's Story~
Lillee - A Tale of Teamwork by Cherie Fehrman
STOLA
New Leaf Cover Story - Fall, 2003 (Reprinted by Permission)
Lillee was abandoned in a veterinary clinic after her owners refused to claim her. Fortunately, STOLA was contacted. We quickly arranged for a volunteer to pick up Lillee and put her into foster care. We all breathed a little easier knowing that she would now get the care she deserved.When she went in for her veterinary evaluation, she was thought to be about five to six years old. Right away, her foster mom thought she was very special. Little did any of us know then just how special Lillee would turn out to be.
We
began searching for her breeder, checked for microchip identification, put
out the word to Saluki groups, while Lillee immediately set to work stealing
her foster mom's heart. Days went by, then a few weeks, without being able
to identify her. It was not until Lillee's foster mom was treating her for
a skin condition on her chest that a tattoo was revealed on her inner thigh.
A real clue at last!
Volunteers
immediately set to work to find Lillee's breeder. The initial search of AKC
records proved futile, but Sherlock Holmes would have been proud of STOLA
volunteers' tenacity. In an amazing display of sharing and teamwork, E-mail
messages flew back and forth across the U.S. and Canada as each new clue was
discovered.Finally there it was, Lillee had been identified. But that was
only the beginning of the story.
Lillee turned out to be the littermate of two dogs who had been owned by volunteers. Lillie also turned out to be not three or five years old, but ten. Rather than being a detriment to her placement, it turned out to be a real blessing in disguise.
Lillee's
foster mom had fallen in love with her but, being a senior herself, she was
hesitant to adopt a young dog. Now that Lillee was also found to be a senior
the path way to happiness for both of them had been cleared. Or had it? There
was still one hurdle to overcome. Would the breeder agree to Lillee's adoption?
We
all waited on pins and needles, keeping fingers crossed and saying silent
prayers that Lillee's breeder would agree. Then in a flash it happened. While
Lillee's breeder was happy to take her back, she realized that Lillee was
very much loved and cared for right where she was. Her foster home was now
her forever home. Amid tears and cheers we all shared the moment of pure joy
together. Lillee the abandoned leftover was now Lillee the wholly loved.
Thank you to all the many volunteers whose exceptional team effort resulted in such a happy ending. It's great to be a part of a winning team - but the biggest winner is Lillee
Lillee the day she was rescued - 14 June 2003
Photo Credit: Patty Woodbury
This is Lillee spending a very rainy afternoon in October 2005
Such a hard life! <VBG>
Quote from a dear friend after she saw these pictures:
"Looks like a silken pile of love."
Photo Credit Carmela
Lillee's memorial Page on STOLA: <http://www.stola.org/memorial/memorial31.html>
***Please view Lillee as STAR of our 2004 Cyberspace Holiday Greeting***
Page Design ~ Carmela