At Vandenbergs Fine Jewellery we love your Pets! As a very pet friendly store if you’re shopping for a bangle…bring your beagle. Certainly your Border Collie will help you round up a pretty bauble or two! Golden Retriever's well that goes without saying...
Sometimes our angels come to us just when we need them the most, which is usually a time they need you the most… This is Oscar’s story.
First let’s start at the beginning. As a 2021 Valentines promotion we decided to focus on our pets. My Furry Valentine’s promotion was launched on our social media, we wanted to hear all the great stories about your pet and how they made a difference in your life. We received so many great photos and stories it was very difficult deciding who would win the prize.
Then we heard Oscar and Anna’s story…..told by Anna February 18, 2021
“I was always afraid of dogs growing up. When I was 6 years old I was cornered in our yard by 2 large dogs. I never thought I would get a dog. One day I saw an ad for puppies where this family was moving out of town and needed to get rid of a litter puppies. I shocked my husband and stepdaughter when I told them we were going to pick up a puppy. This was the very first dog I've lived with. We named him Max and he was only 5 weeks old. Too young to be away from his mom but they didn't care. We took him to a vet right away. Everything was fine. Max slept in a kennel for the first few months. He chewed the baseboards in the kitchen where he could reach between the bars lol. Outside he chewed all the bushes and trees at the bottom. We adopted Max in 2015. Max ended up being born with a neurological disorder where he has involuntary muscle spasms every day. He'll be 7 this August. I felt like Max needed a buddy since I was working at that time.”
“Then we rescued Oscar about a year later. He was 4 months old. The young girl that was selling him said she worked 12 hours a day and had to give him to a friend. These teenage boys were kicking him and throwing him around. When we went to his home he was outside shivering and running around in the snow. The yard wasn't fenced. She wanted me to take this broken carrier and a huge bag of smelly dog food. I just scooped him up in a towel and we brought him home. He was so nervous. He's still afraid of water bottles. They must have sprayed him with water. I took him to training by himself, but he just wouldn't listen. I ended up having the dog trainer come to our house to help me. It was difficult for our dog Max to adjust. For that reason, we put Oscar in a kennel for sleeping. He was close to our bed, but he would cry. It took about 6 months for the two to interact without fighting. Once we stopped using the kennel Oscar has slept on our bed every night. This past year Oscar has developed epilepsy with seizures. He is on medication. He'll be 6 this July.”
“As I mentioned he's been by my side every day since I couldn’t work any longer. When I was in my 20's I had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma twice and then a bone marrow transplant. The treatments damaged my heart valves. I needed 2 valves replaced with mechanical valves, and a pacemaker. My 2nd open heart surgery caused many complications. I'm so thankful I have both dogs but Oscar especially since he doesn't leave my side.”
Anna won a sterling silver heart shaped pendant with Oscar’s face engraved on the front and his name on the back. He’s Anna’s angel and she is certainly his.
