I
could see the wagging tails through the windows and hear the barking as I swung
my car door shut and approached the house.
Mitzi opened the door to greet me.
“I’m warning you, Molly: Copper has no manners. So do what you have to do.” Copper is an exuberant adopted Lab who lives
with Mitzi, her five other rescued Labrador retrievers and her son’s Old
English Sheepdog, Ivan. Indeed, 10-year-old
Copper jumped on me a few times, displaying the most energy of all her dogs.
Mitzi
is Mitzi Heytow. She’s no ordinary pet
owner, and her dogs aren’t typical rescues.
She specializes in taking in elderly Labs who are unadoptable because
nobody else wants them due to advanced age and infirmity. What also makes her unique (some might say a
little daft!) is that at any given time she has an average of six of these lovable
dogs sharing her home. She began her
mission over 12 years ago and since then has adopted more than 35 dogs.
I
was interested in the logistics of keeping so many dogs, so I had Mitzi give me
a tour and explain their schedule. They
eat twice a day and get a cookie at noon.
At feeding time, Mitzi says, the barking is incredible: These pooches
don’t tolerate delays! The feeding
stations are organized in a separate room, with bowls elevated on stands to
make it easier for them to reach the food. They get five walks a day on her 25-acre
property, which includes a pond and a swimming pool. But they can stroll outside onto a huge
fenced-in lawn via a doggie door any time they want. By evening they’re all gathered around Mitzi
in the bedroom while she reads and watches the news.
The
Labs come to her with some heartbreaking histories. DJ was confined with a gluttonous crate mate
who ate most of the food. “When I got him, he was a cadaver in desperate need
of a savior,” Mitzi said. Ernie was
found in a forest, tied to a tree. Remi
was chained in a garage her entire life.
She came to Mitzi emaciated and with facial muscle atrophy so severe
that she couldn’t open her mouth to eat.
After months of being hand-fed
pureed food, she made a full recovery -- “an unexpected miracle,”
according to the specialists at Veterinary Specialty Clinic in Buffalo Grove.
Perhaps
the most heart-wrenching tale is that of Bentley. He spent his first 10 years chained up in a
basement, never seeing the light of day.
He was neglected and abused, and also overfed. By the time Bentley was rescued, he was so
obese that it was hard to get him up the stairs. Although the next two years of his existence were
rife with medical problems, Mitzi was determined to do everything it took –
including spending many thousands of dollars on veterinary expenses –to save him and give him the wonderful life he never
had. He died at age 12, and his loss was perhaps the most devastating for her so
far.
But
the loss of each of her dogs has been gut-wrenching, although she has become
more pragmatic about death over the years.
She recognizes that with the passing of one of her precious Labs, there will
be another to take its place — another that desperately needs her. She doesn’t permit herself the luxury of
dwelling on their deaths. Still, Mitzi
admits that
losing
the dogs is the hardest part of what she does and has taken an emotional toll
on her.
Mitzi
describes the cost of her philanthropy as astronomical. Most of her rescued dogs need laboratory
testing and dental work, and she has spent thousands of dollars on MRIs,
x-rays, lab tests and surgeries.
Most
of us know the joy of raising our dogs from puppies and sharing an active life
with them until they’re old; by then the bond is strong, and we don’t mind
attending to their geriatric requirements. What could possibly motivate someone to
subject themselves to the toil, expense, and heartbreak of adopting dogs with
such a limited remaining lifespan?
Mitzi
explains that for many years she lived in a state of depression because she was
trapped in an unbearable marriage in which she was abused. She felt that she saved her life when she
got out of her oppressive situation. “I
started taking in unadoptables because every dog I took in was a ‘Mitzi.’ When I see these dogs that come from abusive
backgrounds like mine, I feel I’ve saved them; and each time I save one, I feel
that I have saved a part of myself. I
cannot live without these dogs, I can’t — I wouldn’t function well.”
The
dogs followed us to Mitzi’s foyer and gathered around as I was getting ready to
leave. I posited to her that it must be
gratifying to know that you’ve given an old dog a wonderful life at the end,
even if it’s just a week. “I never think
of that,” she replied. “I always think
it could have been better. I consider
each dog I take in such a gift.” Within
the rescue community, she has been called the patron saint of senior Labs, and
I agree with that description. To me,
it seems as if she is a gift to each of them.
This
blogpost is dedicated to Chip, another of Mitzi’s wonderful Labs. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor and euthanized
a few days after my visit. She had him for only nine months.
Support L.E.A.R.N.
and give your pooch a fabulous time! Come
to Pawgust Fest, August 23, 2014.
Many
of Mitzi’s dogs have come from L.E.A.R.N., an acronym for the Labrador
Education and Rescue Network. L.E.A.R.N. is a Labrador retriever rescue group whose
mission is “to save unwanted Labs and place them in loving forever homes.” Several things put this organization in the
top tier of rescue groups. Every dog is
temperament-tested to make sure it’s suitable for adoption. And the group won’t give a dog to just
anybody: Volunteers visit potential homes twice, then decide whether that is
the right family for that dog. They also keep in touch with the adoptive family for a couple of
years. Those precautions help ensure
that the Labs won’t be returned or abandoned once again.
L.E.A.R.N. is an
all-volunteer group in dire need of foster homes and funding. To
raise money to support the organization, the annual “Pawgust Fest,” which Mitzi
underwrites and organizes, is held at her home in Libertyville. During the event you’ll find dogs carousing with
each other and swimming in her pond and her pool. There are also kiosks with vendors offering pet
products, and food for dogs and their people.
This year’s Pawgust Fest – the 10th – will
be held Saturday, August 23, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Just pay a $12 donation per person (kids younger
than 12 are free) when you arrive, and watch your dog have a blast! Dogs
of all breeds are welcome.
August 23, 2014, 11 am – 4 pm
25775 N. St. Mary’s Road
Libertyville, IL
