Joe came into our lives 2 years ago. He was one of the many that saw a dog on Urgent and felt moved to do something. In fact, he DID do something… he contacted Zani’s and offered Selene a lifetime of love. His passion and his need to help made the decision to send Selene to him a “no brainer.” He did not disappoint, and for the past 2 years we were gifted with constant updates, pictures and videos. What no one knew was that the lifetime of love Selene DID get, was going to be crammed into just 2 short years.
Anyone that knew Joe, knows that this is not how he wanted to leave Selene. For the first few days after he passed, Selene waited patiently for him to wake up. When that did not happen, and Joe’s body was found, she was taken from her home and from all she knew, and brought to the local ACC where she spent another few days. As soon as Vallie and Linda from Zani’s heard the news, a frantic search was started to find Selene and bring her home. Calls were made and plans were put in place. Today she is safely with “Absolute K9,” the trainer that worked with Joe and Selene, and she will be coming back to NY in the near future.
Joe insisted that Selene has some issues around other dogs, as well as some anxiety issues, and we plan to have her evaluated. We will also give her time to decompress and get used to her new life without her daddy. Once we are sure that she is OK and we know the type of home she can go to, Zani’s will look for someone that can come as close as possible to loving her like Joe did. HUGE shoes to fill but only the best for Selene
Joe lived for Selene and she adored him. He saved her life and we would like to believe that she made his last years a bit more bearable as she showed Joe that unconditional love does exist. Now, to honor his memory, we need to make sure that Selene never knows anything but the same level of love she came to know with her dad.
Zani’s made a promise to Joe. They promised that no matter what ever happened, Selene would be cared for. Once we heard about Joe’s passing, we reached out to Zani’s and told them that Urgent too would always be there for Selene. We all hope that Joe can rest a bit easier knowing that she WILL be loved. She WILL be cared for. And, HE will be missed more than he ever thought possible while he was alive.
If you want to donate in Joe’s memory to Selene’s care, you can contribute to the Urgent Care Fund. Zani’s and Urgent have vowed to be there for Selene throughout her life, should ANY issues arise. We will “babysit” that precious little girl until she is one day reunited with her forever person.
<3 Rest easy Joe, you were loved. If only you knew how much. <3
**Never forget to tell those you care about, just how much they mean to you. Do not let angry words cause walls to be built. Love with all your heart because you never know when that chance will be gone forever**
To donate for Selene, please go to this link and note “Selene” in the comments: https://urgentpodr.org/care-fund/
Thank you ~ Vallie, Linda & “K”
Joe’s obituary can be found here http://www.andersonfuneral.com/joseph-a-ouellette-iii-leominster/obituaries/7620/