By My Side

Through isolation and loss, our pets have become our cherished companions that help us cope and be happy. Owners share what their pets mean to them.

Love That Bark

It had been seven years since Meghan Froehlich had a border collie, but as she traveled for her job, four-legged friends kept popping up on sidewalks.

“Whether I was in the middle of Manhattan [or] Albuquerque, there’s a border collie I get to visit with,” says the Akron resident who previously owned two border collies.

Froehlich loves the intelligent breed, but her travels as an Episcopal priest for the presiding bishop made owning a dog difficult until she was grounded during the pandemic. In August, she saw an adorable 9-year-old border collie on the website for Maggie’s Mission in Sharon Center, and it was love at first sight. The dog she named Theo was underweight and emotionally withdrawn, needing a foster parent to oversee his severe heartworm treatment. Although she wasn’t certain he would survive, she took him in anyway. Thankfully, with the help of One of a Kind Pet Rescue Spay & Neuter Clinic and Highland Veterinary Clinic, Theo is healthy. Froehlich adopted him and once again has a beloved border collie in her life. She reflects on their journey.

“The first time I met him, I thought, Oh, I would so love to be his person. He was sweet, he was friendly, he was curious. He was bashful and shy because of his circumstance. I immediately felt drawn to him.

I had to be his caregiver, helping him not do anything that would be at risk for his heart and lungs. I’m so glad he healed.

For about six months, he didn’t bark. Then, one day we were playing in the yard. He’s wagging his little nubbin tail, and he’s dancing. He barked and was like, Is that OK? I said, Good boy, Theo. He barked again, Woof! And then another big, beautiful baritone, gorgeous bark. I almost cried. I was so happy he found his voice.

Through the winter, I would have not been outside every day, multiple times a day if it were not for him. That’s good for me — to have his charming encouragement to say, It’s time to go out.

I feel more like myself when I have a dog. To have someone else in the house that you care for and that cares for you is a really different dynamic as a solo person, especially in the pandemic.

Just to have somebody in person — a furry, sweet dog companion is life-changing. I’m ridiculously in love.”

as told to Kelly Petryszyn

Kitten Duty

Sloane Burgess has heard over 100 different meows in her Aurora home since she began fostering kittens over two years ago.

Burgess, an associate professor at Kent State University, and her two daughters, Lily and Catie care for kittens, and occasionally adult cats, for two weeks to four months through the Humane Society of Summit County. “We really like animals,” Burgess says.

That might be an understatement: They have a Dutch shepherd mix, Daxx, a 16-year-old cat, Twinkles, and three cats they fostered but just couldn’t send back — Cindy Lou, Turtle and Frankie, who have a bilateral nostril deformity, a twisted sternum and only one eye, respectively.

When Burgess spoke to us, they also had six foster kittens and their mother. She describes what it means to raise all those fur babies.

“The largest number [of fosters] we’ve had at a time is nine.

We had a designated kitten room. … Within a couple of weeks, they’re all using their litter box. So we just started making them part of our home.

We train the kittens to come when we call. … At nighttime, we would tuck them all in and make sure they’re in the kitten room.

[Daxx is] so sweet and kind, and so loving with these kittens. … And most of the kittens love him too.

Something that I was concerned about when we started [was] that it would be really heartbreaking to take kittens back. … It can be, but one of the things that makes it better is remembering that we’ve done our part, and now they’re going to a good home.

How would we describe what our fosters mean to us? My daughter says, Everything. My husband and son enjoy the kittens, but it’s not really their thing. The three of us will say, This is the best thing that we’ve ever done. It feels so rewarding. … We feel like we’re doing something useful. But we get so much out of it.

We’re with them when they’re the absolute cutest, and they have these little blue eyes just peeping up at you. Their little meows are just so adorable.

You watch them the first time they’re on steps, and they’re tumbling down. And three days later, they’re tearing up and down the stairs. It’s just amazing how quickly they grow.

We’re always excited for what’s coming next and what they’re going to do.

We have no plans to stop.”

as told to Alexandra Sobczak

Follow Your Heart

Melissa Baccaire was heartbroken after losing Koko, her Great Pyrenees mix this January. Only five days after, she happened into One of a Kind Pet Rescue and was surprised to see a Great Pyrenees mix pup with a lot of heart.

“We saw this little heart on the side of her abdomen, made from her fur,” says the Bath resident and Cloverleaf Middle School teacher. “I certainly wasn’t ready, but I couldn’t deny the signs. Her sweet little eyes reminded me of Koko.”

Baccaire named her Kona and adopted her instantly. After nine years with Koko, she is delighted to have another Pyrenees, helping her through her grief and the pandemic. She shares how both dogs have impacted her.

“We were inseparable. [Koko] was there for every milestone. She helped me through a lot of health issues, and she was the flower girl at my wedding.

We would hike multiple times a week. She would go for miles and miles because she was a mountain dog.

I noticed she was coughing, and she wasn’t acting like herself. I made an appointment with the vet. I was told that she needed to be put down immediately, that she had a tumor on her heart.

I took the next day … to give her all of her favorite treats and spend that final day cherishing her. That happened very suddenly. I was in a deep depression.

I had the idea to go in [One of a Kind] to be happier and be around dogs. … We saw a Great Pyrenees mix. It’s very rare to find them in shelters. ... My mom and I looked at each other and were like, Oh my goodness, that has to be Koko. She had to have a hand in this. Hours later we went home with her.

She’s met my siblings’ dogs who we often hike with. We’re kind of rebuilding the pack.

When you have a stressful day, especially teaching through this, it’s coming home to that therapy. Kona is a reason to be happy. … She’s very, very affectionate.

I encourage people if you have lost an animal to not wait. [Do] not let grief hold you back from doing something that’s gonna make you happy and bring positivity to this crazy time.

Give another animal a chance to open up your heart.”

as told to Wyatt Loy

The Guardian

One day in 2012, Julia Nemeth returned home to discover the unthinkable — her 2-year-old pit bull terrier mix, Junior, was missing. Sadly, he was taken during a home invasion. Three months later, a glimmer of hope came when she found him listed on Craigslist and messaged the seller. She never received a response, but she didn’t give up. For years, she combed shelter websites and posted his picture online.

“The unknown is what drove me to continue because they’re not pets — they’re family,” the Barberton resident says. “Just knowing he was safe was the biggest thing.”

A breakthrough came in 2019 when she saw a dog that looked like Junior on the Humane Society of Summit County’s website. She called, but another family had adopted him. Junior was adopted three times over the years, but none of those owners was the right fit. In December 2020, Nemeth saw him on the society’s site again and called. She received the best early holiday present: He was available!

Now, Junior happily lives with Nemeth, her husband, four children and German shepherd. She recounts what it was like reuniting with Junior after eight years apart.

“He wasn’t only my dog, but he was like my little protector.

When your dog goes missing, it’s the dark things that come into your brain because you don’t understand what happened.

Scrolling through the pictures, I started bawling. I started telling [my husband, Finley], I can’t believe I found my dog. I called the shelter I want to say 30 times.

He smelled me and … I got pummeled by his big head and slobbers.

He’s still a big lug.

He’s phenomenal with [the kids]. They’ll pet his ears or pat his face. He absolutely adores every moment.

He’s still very protective over me. … Even now if somebody were to raise a fist to me, he barks. He will sit or lay at my legs and has to face the door.

He’s always by my side. … With the crap I went through as a teenager and growing up, I have a thing with depression. If I get upset or sad, he licks my face. It’s his loving side.

We get forced into playing a game of tug of war even if I don’t want to. Then I feel better. It gets it out of my system.

If I feel like I have to curl up in bed, he curls up with me: Let’s ride this out together.”

as told to Kelly Petryszyn

In The Family

Kelly Breen’s family pulled out the stops to celebrate the first birthday and first Christmas — for their new baby, a beagle mix puppy named Rookie.

The rescue from Second Chance for Animals in Canton gets the treatment of a full-fledged family member, including Ben & Jerry’s doggy ice cream for his birthday and a red vest to wear on Christmas.

The festivities followed a tough time. In 2018, the Willowick family had to put down Dakota, a rescue beagle mix they had for over 14 years. “We swore we would never have another dog,” Breen explained in an email. “Putting him down was one of the hardest things.”

But last March, Breen’s daughter, Alexis, was sad about missing her senior year. She and her brother, Jacob, convinced their parents they needed a new dog. Breen and her husband, Gary, surprised them with Rookie last April. He goes on family walks and to Jacob’s baseball tournaments, where he wears a little backpack filled with his treats. He spends time with Breen while she works from home as a data analyst. She shares how he completes their family.

“We walked in. My daughter was just sitting doing a puzzle in the middle of the floor. … She was so excited that she ran up and grabbed him right away. She busted out in tears. … You know, just something exciting during all this time that she was losing out on so much.

He gave her something to look forward to. She loves taking him for walks. … He’s given her comfort. He’s given her a buddy.

Even my son was taking him to his baseball games and showing him off. All of his friends loved him. … He was almost like the team mascot. He loved all the boys.

[Gary] loves him. He tries to act tough, but he’s giving him treats or cuddling him or talking to him and playing with him when I’m not looking. They used to nap together when Rookie was real small.

He’s very attached to us. … He goes everywhere with us.

He’s just like another kid to me.

Honestly, it’s almost like I can’t remember life without him. We spent almost the last entire year together every single day. So it’s almost like he’s always just been a part of the family.

He’s just another one of us.”

as told to Alexandra Sobczak