Hilda was one of a kind. Because our local pound only has large dogs, and I wanted a small one, we searched the Internet for our little Hilda, who was at Second Chance Rescue in Oakland, Calif. Hilda had been found abandoned in a van on the streets of Oakland with another dog, a couple of cats and a dead rabbit. The rescuers said when they pulled her out, she smelled like death. Because of her advanced age (our vet said she was probably 15 or 16 years old), we didn't want her to be flown, and because it was winter and crossing the Sierra Nevadas is a daunting trip even in good weather, we waited until the brother of a friend could bring her to Idaho. The rescue people met him in Sacramento to drop off our little Hilda, and she rode here in the lap of his friend, Elaine. Four months after she arrived, we discovered Hilda had aggressive, very advanced melanoma. Four vets told us she had four to six weeks to live. She fooled us all by staying for 10 months. We didn't have our little Hilda long, but she always will live in our hearts. She was quite a dog! Our eternal thanks to Second Chance Rescue for giving her a chance so that we could have her in our lives--even for a little while.

Kitty Delorey Fleischman
Boise, ID