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 I
acquired Jewel on November 24, 1998 (just before Thanksgiving) from the
Tallahassee, Fl shelter. When she came to me, she had six large infected
lumps on her back and tail from flea infestations, severe ear infections
in both ears, severely infected anal glands, and was so malnourished that
she could barely walk or stand (she was 70 lbs. when she first came into
the shelter).
She was very hand shy and submissive towards anyone and any dog she met,
but her tail never stopped wagging for a second and she'd cling to you
like glue if you petted her just once. Her history is unknown considering
the Tallahassee shelter said that she was shoved into one of their outside
kennels overnight and found the next morning.
 I
took her into rescue where the lumps where surgically removed from her
back, the fleas exterminated, her ear infections cured, and the rest of
her fattened up to 90 lbs. During that time, she had a slight cough that
progressively got worse as time went on. Her vets put her on four
different types of antibiotics, treating the cough as a bacterial
infection, but the cough kept coming back. Finally, our vet referred us to
an internal medicine specialist and he diagnosed her with pulmonary lung
disease. According to the specialist, this lung disease was caused
strictly by environmental abuse. In other words, whoever had her, kept her
in a highly polluted area such as a junkyard, asbestos ridden area, etc.
The x-rays of her lungs looked similar to what miners have after working
years inside digging a mine. He diagnosed that she would not live through
the year, but stated that she was not in pain and could live a quality
life for probably another six months so he recommended not putting her
down. At that point, Ms. Jewel became my girl.
 Originally,
we were going to send her up to Mickey (my State Coordinator) for final
retirement, but fate kept us together. I watched her blossom into a
confident Bullmastiff that had no problem bulldozing in for a pet in a
group of people or stopping you with a paw as you walked by for a belly
rub. Hooch grew to adore her also and was vital in building her confidence
with other dogs and new people.
He’d let her run over him, take away his toys, or steal his
favorite napping spots. And although she picked on him from time to time,
she clung to him when we went outside of the safety of our home and he'd
watch over her as "other" people petted her and dogs sniffed her. She was
very sweet to everyone - dogs, cats, people. The neighbors grew very
attached to her also and would come over while I was at work to keep the
kids company.
On May 8, 1999, 5 1/2 months later, Ms. Jewel passed quietly away in her
sleep. I knew her time was getting close, and I had made her appointment a
week before to the vet for 10:00 am that morning to verify if I was right.
I thought that maybe I was mistaken because the day before she left us,
she seemed better than she had ever been. I guess it was her way of saying
"this is the way you should remember me". We all went to bed at 3:00 am
that morning, and then I got back up at 6:30am that morning to find that
she had just left us.
 Although
the 5 1/2 months she was with us was not enough time to make up for a
lifetime of abuse, I only hope it was enough time to show her what true
love and happiness felt like.
Thanks to the Tallahassee shelter for giving Ms. Jewel a chance at
happiness by notifying Bullmastiff Rescue.
Formerly known as “the Bullmastiff in Kennel 21”, I don't think I
could have given her a better name, she was truly a perfect Jewel.
-Hooch
and Sophie
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