Written by: Jane Sobel Klonsky, Project Unconditional
Meg and Opal will make the most out of whatever time Opal has left..
Photo by Jane Sobel Klonsky
[Editor’s Note: Most weeks, we post about Project Unconditional, focusing on the relationships between people and their senior dogs, by Vermont photographer Jane Sobel Klonsky.]
Seattle, Washington—Opal took Meg’s heart by surprise. The 15-year-old Corgi, a puppy-mill survivor whom she adopted nine years ago, was only supposed to stay with her long enough for her to gain some kind of…Corgitude? Puppy mills have a way of stripping the soul from a dog, and Meg says that Opal was thoroughly stripped when they got her as a foster. But over time she became Meg’s shadow and took over her heart with some kind of magical, ninja stealth.
But Opal can no longer tag along by herself because she has Degenerative Myelopathy (DM), a disease akin to ALS in humans, and gets around in a wheelchair or a stroller (both powered by Meg and her husband, John). They agreed that for however long Opal wanted to stay with them, they would stay with her, regardless of mobility. So she stays. They love the heck out of her, one day at a time.
This is the way it should always be with our adopted furbabies!!!! I have a senior girl who saved me about 5 yrs ago when she came home with me. Lady Girl is now about 9/10 yrs young. Her fairly new little brother keeps her young!!
We will always be together in life and in spirit.
Thank you for showing Opal as she was loved. We are so grateful 🙂