29/02/2024
“You can’t change a dog’s past, but you can rewrite the future.” – Agnes Carass
It’s with great sadness and a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beautiful Jemma. Jemma came from the Bloomfield Shelter and remained sheltered with Bergen County Protect and Rescue for 5 years before she was finally adopted by one of our wonderful volunteers with whom she had developed a strong bond.
Written words do not do justice to how Jemma was. To know Jemma is to live life for what today has to offer and not for what yesterday has taken away. Those of us who remember Jemma knew she had some pretty dark demons from the past, but we were more afraid of those demons haunting Jemma’s future than she was. Jemma was ready to let go and change the course of her future, she just needed that one person who understood her and freed her from the shackles that tied her to her past. That person was our wonderful volunteer Ashley Rodriguez, and at 7 years old, Jemma finally had a family to call her own and to start living her new life.
Every new day was a gift, an opportunity, for Jemma to show the world that dogs live in the present. Jemma is a true testament that there is no such thing as a bad dog. OUR biggest fear was that Jemma could never be in a home with children, men, and other dogs; but little did we know we were the ones imposing those limitations on her. But for Ashley, who truly understood Jemma, those limits did not exist, and Jemma proved us ALL wrong! She embraced the company of children with the occasional treat, the warmth of another four paws and furry butt lying close to her, and the trust that not all men were there to hurt her. Best of all, Jemma embraced being loved, being home, and being family.
At 14, a frail and tired Jemma was ready to teach us one of the most important life lessons. Life is transient but that is also worth living positively. Out of nothingness, we are born into this life with no clue as to how long the sojourn will last but with certainty, death at the end of it, and back to nothingness. Live your life to the fullest, do not leave room for regrets when the time comes, but rather have the satisfaction of an accomplished life. The transient nature of life restates the fact that nothing is permanent. And Jemma was ready to move along this journey, whose final date was unknown. She was content and enjoyed the fullness of life in a fast-paced world without feeling incompetent, focusing on the quality of life and the present. On Tuesday, February 6th, 2024 Jemma was ready to be called home, and surrounded by the love of the one person who freed her from her past 7 years ago, she was freed again, from pain and ailments. She closed her eyes and was freed in a blissful eternal sleep. Fly high sweet Jemma.
