17/02/2024
Today, on my way home, being heartbroken, I was passing by the dark and lonely High-bridge Park. I stopped going there regularly ever since Ricky’s rescue. Unlike few years ago when Ricky lived there, that park was my second home. I was there in the morning before driving to work and I was there in the evening after coming back from work. We were there at night with mom to bring him warm food and blankets. During the weekends we had even more time to spend in the park with Ricky, we talked to him, took photos of him and enjoyed being in the park with him. At that time, the idea of rescuing Ricky was a dream that we thought will never come true.
I remember how we first saw him roaming around the park with another dog and we couldn’t believe that he was a feral dog and were sure that the owner was somewhere around as owners let their dogs run without a leash in the park. However, when we saw him roaming around alone again, we realized that he was feral. Since then, I and mom started visiting him in the park on a daily basis, bringing him food and water and trying to gain his trust in hopes of rescuing him as soon as possible. However, with year after year passing by, the idea of gaining his complete trust was shading away; the idea of ever being able to rescue him was becoming more and more difficult to believe.
I remember how I wrote to multiple rescue groups, shelters, and animal behaviorists to only hear from them that they suggest leaving the feral dog where he lives. I still have those electronic responses from Professional Animal behaviorists that told me that this dog would never be able to live a normal life in captivity.
I remember how I started meeting people one by one who were sharing with me different details about Ricky’s origin, his story, his life. I was putting bits and pieces together and I was fascinated. Ricky is the last dog of a pack of dogs that freely lived in the Park of New York City for years. Isn’t that amazing? I remember meeting Marie and Al, the couple from Upstate New York, who have been involved with many rescues and who have found out about the famous pack of dogs from High-bridge Park and started caring for them until only Ricky was left alone out of all of those dogs. They came up with names for all of them; they knew who was the mother, father, grandparents and all of the siblings. Each and every one had a name. They named him Ricky. The pack of dogs living in High bridge Park was a secret that only few knew at that time. They were very nice couple who used to bring so much of food and bones to Ricky and used to hide enough of supplies of food for him up on the hills until they bring it again. Ricky loved it, he loved those big bones they used to bring from the farm.
I remember how every single day was like walking on the edge. How did Ricky cross the street today? Did anybody go into the park and hurt him? Was he caught and we would never find out where he is at? What If he is hit by a car? Is he hungry? What if he is sick? All of these thoughts were constantly going through our minds. There was a connection between him and people who cared for him, he knew them, waited for them and trusted them to the point. His pack taught him to be discrete, they taught him all the tricks to survive and he learned it all so well. But he was very special and he wanted that companionship with human beings, he wanted it. But we understood it only years later.
Winters were the worst time of the year. Ricky, always being so distant and independent, would come whining to us during cold days, asking for help when me and mom were building shelters at night during snowstorms. This was breaking our hearts even more. Every morning after the snowstorm, I would walk to the park to see whether he was alive with warm food and water prepared by mom. I would come to the park and start looking, calling his name. It was great when I saw him, but there were days when I come and he is nowhere to be found, I walk around the park and check the snow to see whether there are footprints. Good if I saw them, but if I didn’t, my heart was aching. I would ask Park workers and neighbors, whether anyone saw him around and if I get a positive answer, I was so relieved. But if I didn’t, I would come back again and again, until there was a sighting of Ricky.
I remember Ricky when he started looking for a company or partner everywhere. I remember how I first found him very far from his High bridge park, about 10-15 blocks away, crossing the street to a different park (Fort Tryon Park). I remember how I followed him there in my car. Since I first saw him there, I started checking both parks if I couldn’t find him in Highbridge. He used to change his location pretty often. We believe that every time someone new started visiting him, he would change his location.
I remember how he finally found a companion, young skinny female pit bull. Oh, Ricky looked so proud and content! He then disappeared and was out of sight for more than a month and we feared the worst, until he came back again!
I remember police stopping to discuss how to catch him as they were receiving complaints from neighbors saying that Ricky follows them and their dogs and they are scared for their dog’s safety, I remember how every day and night I was worried how Ricky was constantly crossing the streets and that not so kind neighbors could see him and hurt him or call the police or Animal care and control.
I remember how Animal Care and Control set up traps to catch him on numerous occasions due to complaints of other people and how smart Ricky was to be never caught by them. I remember how I once saw the truck of the similar organization that was there to catch Ricky and I went straight to the park to the guy sitting in that truck to find out what’s the plan and the guy told me that he has known Ricky for years and he has loved him and knew how smart Ricky was and he assured me that even if by some mistake Ricky would get caught in the trap, he would release him back.
His life was full of adventures, it was difficult, but he enjoyed that life to the fullest while he was young and strong. He learned from his pack all of the tricks that helped him survive all of them and be the last one, the strongest one, the smartest one! But Ricky wanted more, he wanted the companionship with human beings, he was curious and he trusted his instincts. When the time came and he became weaker, he allowed people he trusted to help him! And that’s how he was saved! From the dark and lonely park!
Today, when I drove by that Park, I was devastated... Ricky is gone!!! This dog hero, the strongest, the smartest dog, the last one of his pack, has left us! But then I stopped myself and said to myself that we have to be grateful for all that happened to us, for the beautiful experience we had with Ricky, for the privilege to help him and to have this bond with him, to love him and get his love in return, for being able to rescue him and extend his life for few more years out of the dark and lonely park! Today he was reunited with his pack, with Tara, Champ, Negrita and all others! Goodbye our special boy, Ricky! Good bye!
