For most people these days, dogs aren’t just property – they are family, and are as beloved as much as a flesh-and-blood child.
It cannot be denied just how much joy and happiness these canine companions bring to people’s lives – they are basically irreplaceable and hold a place near and dear to their owner’s hearts.
Which makes incidents like this even more traumatic and heartbreaking.
Retired senior couple George and Peggy Lawson of Orange County, California, were out for the day when they received a burglar alert from the company that was responsible for installing their alarm system.
As soon as the 91-year-old WWWII Navy veteran and the 77-year-old retired nurse saw the alert, they quickly rushed back home to see just what had been stolen.
What greeted them upon their arrival home, however, was worse than any other missing or broken item.
To the couple’s shock and horror, Fefe the toy Poodle, their 12-year-old trained hospital therapy dog, was barely alive.
At only nine pounds, the dog could not have posed any real threat to the thieves – her barks would have barely been heard by the neighbors, given how small she was.
And yet there she was, barely able to move and spitting blood. Even though the precious pooch was in great pain, she still attempted to greet her beloved owners.
This was no time to think about their belongings – their living, breathing, beloved pet was far more important and irreplaceable.
The Lawsons immediately rushed Fefe to the vet, who took one look and sent the dying dog straight to the emergency ward in a nearby animal hospital.
A quick examination revealed that the small, elderly toy poodle had likely been pistol whipped.
The blunt trauma had been so severe, the poor dog was trying to breathe through a punctured lung, four broken ribs, and heavy internal bleeding.
And that is all while discounting whatever other internal injuries that could not be seen without thoroughly checking.
The elderly husband-and-wife duo was told Fefe could be transferred to the trauma unit, but there was no guarantee that she would make it out okay.
Whatever the result would be, this was such a traumatic event that Fefe would never be the same again.
Peggy, however, had already made up her mind before the vets finished their sentence – she refused to let her beloved companion suffer another minute.
So per the couple’s request, Fefe was put out of her misery via euthanasia.
The retirees will now have to deal with their home being ransacked, along with their gun and emergency funds being stolen.
All of this, however, pales in comparison to the shattering loss of Fefe, and just how unnecessarily brutal and violent her death was.
While the Lawsons are no stranger to the passing of a pet, the death of Fefe was such a traumatic event that they aren’t sure how they will move on from this.
Considering just how small and helpless Fefe was, the burglars could have easily restrained her or trapped her in a corner, instead of beating her to an inch of her life.
Hopefully, the culprits will be found and captured soon, so that justice may be meted out.
