Update: 19.5.2021 Alaska, the Belle of the Ball ‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all…’ is my only solace at this moment. This line keeps me company in my gravest of hours. If you hadn’t learned about the story of Alaska, it is of most interest to watch the video below. Alaska was exiting the earth when she was found. She was breathing her last breaths and viewing her last scene. And that was when we came into the picture. The maggots wriggled in and out of her head and they squirmed along her face. She was the victim of severe neglect and starvation. She was the victim of a sick human who selfishly cared for only his being, who did not look past himself, who did not feel empathy, who did not acknowledge other life. She was the victim of a dangerous civilian. First aid was administered by the veterinarian and then the rest was left to us. As the days passed, Alaska ate good food, she received love and respect and she got the proper rest needed. As the days passed Alaska began to come alive, to revive. She began to prance. She began to seek attention from the caretakers. She began to act like a normal healthy dog. She was my “Xanax” as I would say and every day watching her blossom into this beautiful creature gave me strength and light and meaning behind our work. This animal that we had found in a horrid state was making a turn around and we were proud of her. We were proud of her determination and proud of her lack of self-pity. What we hadn’t realized was that in her final days along that roadside, with her immune system so suppressed, she had caught a vicious virus. Distemper is a killer for canines. It is in the vaccination schedule we give our owned animals. It attacks the animal’s body in a ravenous way targeting and destroying whatever it finds in front of it, usually the respiratory system or the nervous system but not only. Alaska had been infected yet the symptoms would take weeks to show. And we were clueless to this. As far