Sandra, South Bend, IN|2009- 2015|

Rita was a big part of my new-comer experience to South Bend…especially within my immediate neighborhood. Rita lived two houses away from me. As an older, retired lady living alone, my pet dog Princess was the world to me. I had limitations due to medical disabilities.

In another life Princess could’ve been a service dog. She was a gentle soul. Princess knew me inside and out and always listened to me as if to know me more deeply. Princess was a retriever mix I adopted when her family was forced to give her up. She was five then. She lived fifteen and a half years.

When I first met Rita she was a young student in junior high and later attended high school for a few years before moving out of the neighborhood with family. For the years I knew Rita she was reliable, trustworthy, and sincerely engaged in all she attempted. She walked Princess for me on a regular basis over the years she lived nearby. It was a full-fledged job. I knew I could count on her.

I wasn’t able to give Princess the exercise she needed. Rita’s love of dogs was clearly evident in the care and love she gave my Princess. She was, like myself, very observant of Princess’s spirit and mood. I trusted Rita to give Princess good care and report to me any problems. Princess was evidence of God’s love in his creation of dogs for our human enjoyment and Rita mirrored that.

Rita probably never realized in her younger years (or perhaps she did) the quality of life factor her care of my Princess brought to my life. I am forever grateful.