The event that lead to the search for a dog for my seven-year-old daughter and the story of how Oreo’s Legacy Rescue came to be…

 

On February, 24th 2005, Jessica Lunsford was abducted by John Couey, a known pedophile who lived next door to her trailer home in Florida. On Saturday, March 19th 2005, Jessica Lunsford was discovered in a shallow grave in Couey’s back yard.  She had been bound and stuffed into two trash bags.  She suffocated, buried alive, two finger holes poked through the trash bag to breath. 

 

My daughter Tori heard the stories over and over.  The tragic and horrific things that that little 9-year-old girl endured was in the news, on the streets, at school...  Everyone was talking about it.  She was so upset that she wouldn’t sleep in her own room because she thought someone was going to snatch her and do the same thing to her.  She kept me up all night crying because she was so scared.  Every time I would put her in bed with me, she kicked me and my husband all night long in her sleep.  Sometimes she slept in the wing back chair in my bedroom.  Little girls need to feel protected, not molested and worried if they are going to be killed and buried alive.  So, I did what parents do, I put video surveillance up thinking it would help her to feel safer, but it didn’t.  I finally sat her down and asked, “What can I do to make you feel comfortable in your own home?” 

 

She told me there was nothing that I could do, only Scooby Doo could protect her.

I said, “What did you say?” 

And she said, “Only Scooby Doo can protect me.” Then she started to cry and said, “But you can’t buy Scooby.”

 

I looked at her and said, “The hell I can’t!  He is a Great Dane, just watch me!”

 

I looked everywhere for a Great Dane that was a male fawn like Scooby Doo... No to avail.  We finally went to look at a mantel, because I had to show my baby that I was working hard for her.  We drove to Manassas late at night and met a guy at a gas station and he took us this poor, neglected, dirty smelling five-month-old pup who looked like he had been through the wringer.  I was mortified at his condition and how he was treated!  Yet, I also knew I needed a healthy strong dog to be her guardian protector, I was worried about health issues, a 5-month-old child with special needs…  Another mouth to feed.  “Tori, I said, “we have others to look at, let’s not make a rash decision, let’s look at some more and if he’s the one, we’ll come back for him.”

 

She put her hands on her hips and said, “No, Mommy.  They are not taking care of him right and you know it!”  When they first sent me a photo of Oreo as a puppy, before we went to see him, he was sitting in a mess of pee on a bed next to a baby in a carrier.  The baby was as dirty as the pup.  It was awful my baby Oreo had to set in that.  In another photo they had sent to me, he had a big, heavy chain and a dirty brown collar around his neck with only a crate with holes in it for shelter, tied to a trailer in a trailer park possibly.  It was awful.

 

Tori was right, but I also knew what 'her' needs were.  I asked the guy if he would take less, but my hand had already been shown to him by my daughter.  I threw that cheap bag of Old Roy in the back of the car so I could throw it in the trash when we got home to the good dog food.

 

I drove all the way home with that dirty pup on my leather seats of my Maxima.  He stunk so bad that we drove with the windows open.  I must have bathed him ten times to get that smell off him.  It was horrible, but finally he was clean.  He didn’t know what was happening.  He was so scared but he was so grateful to be inside out of the cold with a warm bed and blanket to sleep with.  The next couple of days he did great, but by the third day he could barely walk.  His front legs hurt him terribly because he had never had the proper nutrition.  It was all he could do to limp outside to potty and as his condition worsened, he would crawl out.  He wanted to please us so badly...

 

I took Oreo to my vet.  I explained everything in detail he x-rayed his legs both front legs had damage from lack of nutrition, and there was a chance that he would never walk right again, but a plan was made to get Oreo on the road to healing as best we could.  He put him of some strong meds and we pumped up his nutrition.  Did you know that within two weeks my son, my baby, my little boy was not only walking?  He was running!

 

My parents babysat Oreo and Tori everyday.  They loved Oreo, just I did.  We were all so happy and he grew into the most kind, gentle loving, and amazing boy. Every time I tell Oreo’s story the tears flow.  I loved him so much!  He did everything with Tori and she felt safe with him.  We all loved him so much…

 

Once when Tori went to get little peeps, Oreo went with her.  Everyone was amazed!  She would stand there, with him at her side and pick out the peep she wanted.  She would show him each peep and he would kiss it, then they would stick it in the box.

He was so gentle and he watched over those peeps, slept next to their cage and when they were bigger and went outside to live, he protected those peeps.  When a chicken hawk would fly over the yard all the chickens ran to Oreo for safety.  It was amazing to see.  

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Oreo’s sidekick was Margarita.  He loved her with all his heart and he took care of her every morning.  He would set in the sun that came through the French doors of my bedroom, and she would go crawl up against his chest between his legs with her little head across his leg.  They would lay there for hours.  Oreo wouldn’t move until she got up.  He would just watch her sleep.  Chloe, the standard poodle and Oreo were very close also. 

 

When Oreo was about 1 1/2 years old, as the apple blossoms bloomed, he got sick and began to have seizures.  I was scared out of my mind.  We rushed him to the emergency vets.  The vet tried to tell me that Oreo was epileptic.  I thanked him, shook his hand and said, "What?  Thank you, thank you for nothing, because you're wrong!  My dog is no more epileptic than you are!  I'll see my vet in the morning!"

 

I began documenting each seizure.  45 minutes apart.  He was losing his bowels and urinating at the same time and he seemed so upset by pottying in the house.  I kissed him and hugged him and told him that I didn’t care about the house, because we could get a new house and a new rug that he is all I cared about!

 

He would come out of the seizure and then run into things.  He busted his nose on the bird cage and I treated it.  It was awful!  He was critical by the we got to my vet.  While we were there, after a seize, he tried to climb the wall and fell backwards on his back.  It scared me so badly! My vet had tears in his eyes and said, “Omg, Tammy…  I can’t help you.  I said, "I know that, you’ve been my vet for 30 years and I can read your face like the cover of a book, but you’re going to find somebody who can help us.  Oreo is family and he is not a luxury item.  He is a necessity."

 

He said, “Yes, yes, I am.  Let me make a call to a specialist in Leesburg.  I’ll be right back.”

 

I had to call the specialist so that they could tell me that it would be $500.00 and that I could verify that I could pay the fee.  I said to the lady on the phone, “Let me tell you something.  This is my son, my moon and my stars.  He is my child and I don’t care if it’s $5000.00 for you to see him.  I will be there.”  So, my vet sedated him and put him on a stretcher.  I called my husband to come quickly, that I needed him.  Then I called my parents.  They were devastated and couldn’t come because they had to get Tori off the school bus.  I didn’t want her to see Oreo in this shape!

 

When we arrived at the specialist’ we had one ahead of us, so we stayed with Oreo in the SUV, the vet came out and got in to see how Oreo was doing and told us that in the meanwhile, if Oreo woke up and had a seizure, to let them know.  I had to lay on him to hold him down because as he came out of the seizures, he didn’t know what he was doing and would hurt himself.

 

After each seizure, he would pee out everything he had in him, and each time it was a massive amount.  It was awful.  He was going to end up dehydrated.  When he woke up, my hubby ran inside and told them that he was awake, having a seizure and they needed to get the vet out there right now, because we couldn’t hold him any longer!  He was going to end up hurting himself!

 

As we took him out of the SUV, I was afraid he would get away from me after the seizure and run out in front of traffic and get hit.  I held on to him as tightly as I could. They finally got us into a room and Oreo was examined, then they took us into a consultation room.  I told them that Oreo is our son and that he was for my daughter and why.  I also told them that I didn’t have two hundred thousand dollars, but if it was 20K or 50K, that I would get the money.  I had just paid cash for a new SUV and I would sell it back to the dealer in a heartbeat, if I had to, just to save my son.  They made us sign a paper stating that it would be around $1800.00 just to spend the night there and that he would be there at least one week, if not two.

 

I never batted an eye about the money and neither did my hubby.  All he said was, “Just let us know what we need to do to get him well.”  They said it was either viral or bacterial and it was in his brain area causing swelling and this is what caused his seizures.  He was critical!

 

I called the specialist every day and I worked my day off because they wouldn’t let me see him.  They said he was in an induced coma for a solid week, as they fed him heavy meds through an IV.  They were treating him for viral and bacterial infections, as they were unsure exactly which he had.  I felt so bad for my Dad when Oreo was in the hospital.  He called often.   When he and my Mom were able, they came to see Oreo.  He said, “Oreo is family and we are not going down without a fight.  I’ve got some money in my saving.  We can use that.  Don’t put him down for lack of money.  I’ve got $600.00 and it’s for Oreo if we need it.”  He made me laugh, even though he was so serious.  It was funny because I knew what the specialist was charging and he didn’t.  I laughed and said, “Glad you’re sitting down.”  And when he asked why, I told him everything.  Dad almost fell out of his chair when he heard of the amount of money needed to save Oreo.  He looked at my Mom and then me and said, “Cancel our vacation.  I don’t care if we go on vacation or not.  Do we honey? Oreo is more important.”  You see, it was a once in a lifetime trip to the Bahama’s for all of us.  Passports had already been gotten, excitement had been building, but Oreo was loved so much by all of us.  His life worth so much more than a trip that could be taken later.  I told them both that I was going to work and sell everything on that lot.  I would be there before they opened and after they closed.  Dad and Mom took care of my kids and Tori.  They went to my house and fed my poodle, Chloe and kept Oreo and Tori with them at their house.  They made sure Oreo had all his meds.  Mom got my mail and paid my bills.  I stayed at work and sold and sold.  On Sundays, I stayed in bed all day if I wasn’t on the lot handing out my card.  When he could come home and I finally saw him, I cried so hard! 

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Oreo was on meds for three months and he took 5 different kinds, two times a day.  Five pills of each of kind.  He was a walking drug store.  I told my Dad, “Don’t stand too close to him, you may get high.”

 

Thankfully, Oreo got better and I made the money to pay for our trip.  My brother and his wife moved into my house and took care of my dogs and we all went to the Bahamas.  It was a trip well needed and deserved, but the biggest and best thing of all… Oreo was healthy!! 

 

After Oreo’s bout of debilitating illness, every time my vet saw him, he would just stand there and stare at him for a long time.  Then he would smile and shake his head and say, “Tammy, I would not have thought any less of you if you would have said to euthanize him as sick as he was.  You fought and fought hard, and you won.  Just look at him!  He is so beautiful.  He is a miracle...  That miracle couldn’t have happened to a better dog or person.”

 

On August 11th, 2013, Oreo woke me up at 5:00 a.m.  He was very sick.  We rushed as fast as we could to get him to the emergency vets.  He died on the way.  When we got there, they found no pulse and asked us if we wanted them to do CPR.  I looked at them crying, “Of course, I do! He’s my son!  I love him!  He’s my world!  My everything…  Oreo did not make it...  Crushed is not the word for what I felt.  Heartbroken can't even cover it.  Oreo lost his battle.  I lost my son.  Tori lost her protector. My family lost the best dog ever to walk the earth.  

 

After Oreo passed, Chloe curled up on top of and around his urn, her paws touching it.  She was never the same after Oreo passed and eventually grieved herself to death over him.

 

My Dad made a stencil of him on my barn, and as a matter of fact, if you get in my father's truck today, above the sun visor you will see a picture of my son Kyle, a picture of my son Oreo and a picture of my daughter Victoria.

 

Oreo was the sweetest, most magnificent and amazing dog that ever walked the face of this Earth.  He was my everything.  So, in honor of him, Oreo’s Legacy Rescue came to be, to stop the madness of abuse and homelessness in other dogs’ lives, as it was in Oreo’s life before I rescued him to rescue my daughter….

 

I will never forget the pride in Oreos stride when he walked.  Once a broken abused pup, yet he became a big beautiful boy who knew he was loved very much...

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~Tammy Barr

Founder of Oreo's Legacy Rescue

Mother of Tori and Oreo