This month’s Pup of the Month is Big Ben Frankland! While we want to celebrate Ben’s adoption and newly found family, his story isn’t quite complete without mentioning another pup – a pup named Koga, who was also adopted through the Humane Society of West Michigan in 2006.
Koga was first spotted by Amanda Frankland and her Mother while running errands at Cedarpoint Mall in Grand Rapids. The HSWM had a group of adoptable dogs at the mall for public meet and greets. Koga was amongst those dogs. She caught their attention because she was all alone. People were petting and greeting the other dogs, but not the skinny, weak and timid 10-month-old shepherd mix. Koga had been rescued by a Good Samaritan from a backyard in the dead of winter. She was chained up with no food, water or shelter – she was emaciated and malnourished. When Amanda went up to Koga, she shyly reached up and softly licked her hand. Amanda and her Mom completed their errands and went home, but not without Amanda stopping by one more time to see Koga before she left the mall.
When Amanda got home she couldn’t get Koga off her mind – the pup’s total vulnerability and a desire to help her totally occupied her thoughts until she called her boss. She told him the story of meeting Koga and asked if she adopted her, would it be okay to bring her to work with her everyday? He immediately said yes and she was quickly on her way back to the mall in hopes of catching the humane society personnel before they left to take the dogs back to the shelter. She caught them in the parking lot loading up the dogs and told them she wanted to adopt Koga right then and there. That was the first day of 12 wonderful years of joy, love, trust and loyalty together – best friends and companions. During those 12 years together their little family of two grew into a family of five, as Amanda married Marc and eventually little Sienna (4 years old) and Jax (2 years old) came along.
This past summer the Frankland family had to say goodbye to Koga. It was devastating for the entire family*, but it was especially hard on Amanda, as the two of them had been together for so long. As Amanda so aptly put it, “We grew up together – I got Koga when I was in my mid-20s. I felt a part of my world and my comfort died. I grieved and I actually still grieve her to this day. I think of certain memories and still tear up.“ But even in Amanda’s pain and grief she was able to recognize how much Koga brought to her life in their time together. She could still feel the love and presence of her beloved pup in her heart. Through her tears she understood how a chance meeting in a mall changed her life forever, as well as Koga’s life. Koga wasn’t with her anymore, but the love and the cherished memories of their time together live on. Love never dies – that is part of the reason it is so hard to not be with the people and animals we love so much. In her grief, she knew eventually that she would want to give love and a safe haven to another soul. She knew that welcoming another dog into their home and hearts was just as important now as it was when she welcomed Koga into her home and family 12 years ago.
This is something all dog lovers have to contemplate – the loss of a dog and thoughts of getting another. Some feel guilty – that they are betraying the memory of their furry family member if they get another pup. But that is looking at it as if we are trying to replace the dog we just lost. You can never replace a beloved human family member with another person, so I am not sure why people think of welcoming another dog into their lives as replacing. It’s not about replacement. It is about welcoming a new love and joy to your life. Getting another dog won’t help you get over the loss of a pup. Grief has to play out – that’s just the way it works. But why not work through that grief while a new joy and love is next to you wagging his tail? All dogs are special in their own unique, individual ways.
I have also heard many people say that they will never get another dog because they couldn’t possible go through that kind of grief again. I’ve been lucky enough to have lost three dogs in my life. I say lucky not because of the grief I went through when I had to say goodbye to them. I say lucky because of all the years of companionship, love and joy that enriched my life because of the many years I had with them. Life just wouldn’t be the same with a tailwagger (or two) in my life. I wouldn’t trade those years for anything. It’s about trying to live and love completely – about sharing your love with the world around you and that most certainly includes your pup. We get as much from our pups, as we give them – perhaps even more.
Roughly a month after the Frankland family said goodbye to Koga, Amanda decided it was time to find their new family member. They headed to the Humane Society of West Michigan, as Amanda had read that the HSWM had an influx of dogs. Amanda and Marc thought they were interested in a younger dog, because their children were so young and they wanted the three of them to bond and grow up together. Ben was the third dog they met that day and he was a bit more timid and quieter than the other dogs they had met. He acknowledged them all giving them a good sniff over and then lay down and rested his head on Amanda’s leg. The family went out to the waiting room to make a decision, but Amanda felt she needed a little more time and walked back into the kennels by herself to observe each pup. All the pups they looked at were lying down – including Ben. But when Ben saw her come back – he sat up and made eye contact with her. That was the sign Amanda was looking for and went straight out into the waiting room and told her family, “Let’s get our boy home.”
Big Ben is a nine-month-old Shepherd mix with all the natural curiosity and energy that healthy puppies have. Ben also has the coolest ears that I have seen in a while. They seem to have a mind of their own – they flip this way and that – without much apparent control from Ben, but that is part of what makes Mr. Ben so adorable. He loves to go for walks with his family, especially his two favorite toddlers.
He loves to play ‘tag’ with Sienna and Jax, play fetch with his squeaky toys and he even learned how to swim this past fall. He walks and runs sideways when he is excited and has the most adorable head tilt when he hears a new, intriguing sound. He can’t get enough cuddles or kisses from his family and sleeps with the tip of his tongue peaking out, while bringing down the house with his snoring. I’ve been told he can revive the dead when the little man starts snoring. He is even friends with Chuck, the neighborhood squirrel, who visits every day. Ben has brought a new joy and love to the Frankland family that is just as unique and special as Koga’s and for that they are exceedingly grateful. “Ben is finding love again after a great loss”, reflects Amanda.
Congratulations again to the Frankland family! Pup of the Month Club is a partnership of Tailwagger Dog Photography and the Humane Society of West Michigan. It is a celebration of dogs, dog adoptions and the human/dog bond. If you have an adopted HSWM pup and would like to nominate him or her for the Pup of the Month Club, you can find more information and the entry form on Tailwagger Dog Photography’s website.
* Amanda and Marc bought the book The Heaven of Animals by Nancy Tillman to help Sienna and Jax understand and cope with the loss of Koga.
