A few years after the couple married,
Sandra began a campaign for a family dog. After two years of her persistence, Sol finally presented her with a dog on her birthday. It was a stuffed toy. Not amused, Sandra began earnestly looking for a breeder who bred Boxers. They brought their Boxer puppy home and named her Coco. “She was a problem puppy from the
start,” said Sol. “Well, in all honesty, I’d forgotten the
work that goes into raising a puppy,” Sandra replied. With that said, Sol figured Coco would
completely satisfy Sandra’s desire for a dog, back then. While Sol grew his business as an archi-
tect, Sandra worked in her popular bridal store, Let’s Get Married, just across the street from Plant High School. “We also rented prom gowns,” she said. One day, she came out from the back of
the store to find a man standing in her shop. They startled one another. She asked if she could help him. When he mumbled some- thing and began fidgeting, Coco came out from the back of the store and took her place between Sandra and the man. She was mak- ing a low-pitched guttural growl while look- ing him straight in the face. The man took one look at Coco, mumbled something else and walked out of the store into a waiting car that had two or three other men inside. Sandra suspected Coco had just saved her from a robbery, or worse. During that time, Sandra also enjoyed
her volunteer work with several nonprofits, including Lowry Park Zoo and the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. When a new rescue group formed in 2000, someone called Sandra asking if she would like to volunteer. It was Florida Boxer Rescue (FBR). “With Coco, I had been in favor of one
dog,” said Sol. “I soon realized I was about to lose that battle,” he deadpanned. The couple adopted seven more Boxers (Flash, Boo, Cosmo, Shoona, Katie and their two current dogs, Rascal and Jack) in addition to fostering countless others over the almost 17 years Sandra has been involved with FBR. Their marriage seems to have weathered the storm of all those dogs in crisis. As we sat around the couple’s sunny
breakfast nook, listening to Sandra’s recollections, Jack sits at our feet and Rascal watches from a nearby chair. Sandra becomes more animated with each story, many of
40 THE NEW BARKER
which are familiar to anyone who has worked in animal rescue. Same issues, different breed. Of course, there are always some doozies. Like the time the couple volunteered to
foster a dog they were told there was absolutely no way she was pregnant. “We came home from an evening out to blood all over the house and no sign of any dogs. It looked like a crime scene,” said Sandra. “We
it’s the first time he saw her, all those years ago. Then he shakes his head, as if reality snapped him to the present, and throws up his hands. “What can I say?” he asks incredulously. “Sol, it’s because I never know which
call is going to be the call - the one that’s a matter of life and death,” said Sandra. “Remember the one time I slept through a call, thinking whatever it was could wait until morning? I’ve never forgiven myself for that,” she added. Another time they were at a fundraiser
for FBR when she took a phone call from Florida Beagle Rescue. While pulling a Beagle at the shelter, a volunteer noticed a Boxer in one of the runs. “I was told he was skin and bones, ready to die. We arranged for a volunteer to pull the dog and nursed him completely back to health. It was one of those unforgettable moments. One of those moments that make all of the others we couldn’t save, somewhat manageable.” Sandra admits that she still cries like a
Rascal relaxes in his favorite chair.
thought something awful had happened.” They soon found the momma dog with her just-delivered puppies. “So now, we’re dealing with our dogs,
the foster dogs and a brand new litter of puppies,” said Sol, shaking his head at the memory. For Sandra, what started out as just a few
hours a day, volunteering to answer the phone for Florida Boxer Rescue, quickly turned into 10-hour days, seven days a week. “We, the rescue group volunteers, were taking dogs in from all over Florida. Owner-surrenders. Boxers in shelters. Boxers abandoned and abused,” she said. “I had no idea of the mag- nitude of the problem and the need for these rescue groups when I started volunteering for FBR.” Sol added, “I’ve tried to be patient, over
the years. But, when you’re dining out with friends, having good conversation, sharing good food and wine; to then be interrupted by Sandra taking phone calls...well it’s been trying, to say the least.” As Sol speaks, he looks over at Sandra, with just a hint of a smile on his face, his head slightly cocked, and a defi- nite sparkle in his eyes. He’s looking at her like
baby each time a foster leaves for its forever home. She figures it’s time to slow down, pull back a bit from rescue and let someone else take over. Working in rescue, at this level, has taken an emotional toll on both Sandra and Sol. There is one story that still makes the hair on the back of Sandra’s neck go up, as she recalls the incident. It has left an indelible mark on each of them. She tells the chilling story, remembering every detail as if it happened yesterday. “This guy planned to kill his girlfriend,
but knowing her Boxer would try to protect her, he first took the dog out to the woods and beat him to death with a tire iron. Then he went back to the house to wait for his girl- friend to come home. It was horrible. He was still beating her with the same tire iron when the police arrived,” said Sandra. While he was in jail, the man called a
buddy to go retrieve the dead dog and bury him. Adds Sandra, “He didn’t want to be pressed with a second charge of animal abuse. Well, it turns out the dog wasn’t dead.” Florida Boxer Rescue volunteers
arranged to take the dog and nurse him back to health. Meanwhile, Sandra attended the trial, providing support for the girlfriend throughout the whole ordeal. On the day the girlfriend took the stand to testify against her boyfriend, he caught her eye and winked at her, then mouthed ‘I love you.’ When she took the stand, she told the judge that the beating wasn’t really all that bad.
www.TheNewBarker.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112
