Lucas

It was the 31st of July 2011. I was driving back from my dad’s farm to Cuenca and since it was the only activity I had planned, I didn’t even put good clothes on, I was wearing my pyjama pants and a random t-shirt. My sister was in the back seat, and we were just taking the highway before turning left to go into the city-centre and finally home and a mini-truck hit a dog.

The dog cried and went to the side-walk and I pulled over and approached the dog. He was scared, so was I, people asked me if he was mine and I said no but I couldn’t leave him hurt just like that. My sister said “what are we gonna do?” and I just held him and put him in my car and called my dad.

Me: “Dad, where can I take him?”

Dad: “He didn’t bite you? Vanessa, you shouldn’t do that, dogs are aggressive when they’re hurt”.

Me: “No, he didn’t, Maria (my sister) is patting him, he’s bleeding a bit but where should I take him?”

Dad: “Don’t know, maybe a shelter?”

Me: “What about your friend Gustavo? He’s a vet, do you think he can check on him?”

Dad: “It’s Sunday and don’t even know if he’s in town, you know how he is…”

Me: “ARCA (local shelter) it is!”

When we got to ARCA, it was closed.

Me: “What should we do?”

My sister: “Let’s keep him tonight and we’ll bring him tomorrow, sure mum will be ok with one night.”

Me: “I’m not that sure but yeah, we can’t just leave him alone in the middle of the street.”

We made it home and I left the car and went to talk to my mum while my sister kept consoling him.

Me: “Mum, please don’t be angry but I really couldn’t leave him…”

Mum: “Leave who? What did you do?”

Me: “A mini-truck hit a dog and we…”

Mum: “No”

Me: “Mum, please listen…”

Mum: “No… don’t wanna hear about it…”

Me: “Mum, pleaseeee I’ll take him to ARCA tomorrow, I can’t just…”

Mum: “I said no, you go and find somewhere else but no, how could you!”

Me (crying): “Please mum… just…”

My sister: “Mum pleaseeeee, how can you be like this? Don’t you have a heart!!! We can’t dump him in the street, he’s hurt, one night, we only ask for that”

My mum has always pleased my sister, she denies it but this situation proved that. My mum agreed to keep the dog for one night in the garage of our house, away from Milo (my female Pekinese dog who once was a Christmas present from my dad). Milo was very spoiled, to the point she never had puppies because she hated any dog around her so when we tried to match her with a handsome Pekinese like her, she attacked him, and the poor thing was traumatised and stayed away from her. Milo was a strong, independent lady who only loved herself and good food, we had to respect that.

The next day I took the dog to ARCA, we hadn’t named him because we didn’t want to get too attached and ARCA surprisingly was willing to take him because I had volunteered there a while ago but they wanted me to get him checked by an independent vet who’d reassure us that he didn’t have any fractures or internal bleeding. So I took him to a vet, got him checked and thank God all was good, he just needed some tablets for the pain but he was going to be ok, despite his limping.

When I got back to ARCA, they had closed early that day. Shit! I needed to ask my mum for permission to keep him one more night.

My mum agreed because at least she knew that ARCA was going to take him and she said “take him to the yard, let’s see what Milo thinks”. Milo was old. I don’t think she had the energy to fight him. She looked at him like saying “what are you doing here?” but never attacked him, I think she thought she was too good for him and didn’t even bother to say anything else. It was funny but at least she wasn’t fighting him and he was humble, he knew his place and went to a corner to have some food and wait for the next day that he would go to the shelter.

Tuesday 2nd of August 2011

I went to the backyard to take him and bring him to ARCA and he got angry. It was the first and only time he showed his teeth to me and I got scared. I called my dad and he said that it must be the pain, he said we should let him rest and give him his tablets and that tomorrow he’d be better.

That meant one more night with us. My mum wasn’t happy about this, but we couldn’t take him, he was going to bite me or something… so my mum agreed to one last night, on Wednesday 3rd of August he had to leave, I either took him or had to call ARCA to take him.”

Wednesday 3rd of August 2011

I took him in my arms and started to cry.

Me: “Ok doggie, say goodbye and thanks to mum”

Mum: “Take him to ARCA… bathe him, deworm him, schedule his vaccinations... Milo seems to be fine with him”

My sister and I couldn’t believe it. For yearssss and I mean, since I can remember, I had asked my parents to rescue a dog from the street. You see? In Ecuador there are so many stray dogs and I always always always wanted to bring one home. I even remember crying outside the bank begging my mum to take a stray dog that I had seen. The answer was always “we can’t” but not on that 3rd of August 2011. That day was the day my sister named him Lucas and that I finally had rescued a dog.

This is just the beginning though… Lucas’ story is beyond his rescue chapter. I could write a whole book about him, with so many details but I am not a professional writer, but I need to tell his story. I need to put in writing, somewhere he will live forever and for more people to know how special he was so here are a few more lines about Lucas.

Lucas, the limper

When my mum gave us the green light to keep him, we did as she asked us. We took him for a bath, got him his vaccinations but he still didn’t understand what was going on. He was still recovering and in a bit of pain. He was limping and walking around Milo. Milo unbothered.

I used to keep an eye on them from my room’s window that used to look towards the backyard, and I was there with my mum and wait a minute… Lucas wasn’t limping. He was sort of playing with Milo. “Oh, he’s fine now” I thought and went outside to play with them and as soon as he saw me, he started limping again. “Oh, ok, you’re still in pain then…”

The next day, same routine, looking over my window and he was playing with Milo, running even.

Me: “Mum, come over, Lucas is fine, right?”

Mum: “He seems fine…”

Mum opened the window: “Lucassss!”

Lucas started limping again.

We laughed.

I went outside and he came over to me and I said to him: “It’s fine baby, this is your home now, you don’t have to limp anymore…” but he looked at my mum, as if he was saying that he wasn’t limping because of me but because of her. He knew I wanted to keep him from the very first day but it was my mum he had to convince and sympathise with. So he kept limping while my mum was around, until my mum took his limping leg and pulled it down and said to him “It’s ok Lucas, this is your home now.”

He understood, stopped limping and we lived happily ever after.

Lucas, the heartthrob

Milo never attacked him, which was strange enough but wait, we noticed that Milo was shoving her tail to him… what was going on??? Was she… flirting with the stray dog? Was she coming on to him? She was too old to have puppies. In fact, she got in heat once, once in her whole life, and it was the time she attacked that poor other Pekinese. Nuto was his name but that’s all we knew about him, he never came back and she never wanted him back.

But Milo fell in love with Lucas. Bear in mind that this was 2011 and it was around the time Ashton Kutcher married Demi Moore who was over 10 years older than him, so my mum called her Milo “Demi Moore” Pulgarin. It was hilarious, she was smitten with him. He was a gent, never tried anything but they loved each other, they respected each other and he gave her great company and the most wonderful last couple of years until she passed away.

And along came Mocca.

Lucas, the bro

Mocca was his adoptive sister and she acted as such. We took her from ARCA. My sister chose her or well… Mocca chose my sister. She’s so special and funny… reminds me of Phoebe Buffay, that’s the type of character she is.

Lucas had the patience of an angel to deal with Mocca but somehow it worked and there you go, that was the start of our advocacy work for people to rescue dogs… but you know what? As long as you love the dog you have and don’t hurt the ones who are waiting for a home, that’s enough. Loving a dog is a privilege, spending their short lives with them is a luxury and I hope everyone gets to experience a dog’s love at least once.

Lucas, the hero

Back in 2011, I was attending counselling, trying to leave a very toxic relationship I had with my first boyfriend, who for the purpose of this post we will name Voldemort (who shall not be named). I cannot understate how toxic the relationship was so naturally, leaving it was a slow process but steady. By the time Lucas came to my life, we had broken up but (as multiple times) Voldemort wanted me back but I needed to be strong and not go back to that relationship. Being strong was the toughest part and Lucas helped. I’ll go into details now.

But first of all, let me just say that Voldemort wasn’t a huge fan of dogs. He had one but I think that’s the only dog he liked. He wasn’t compassionate with other dogs. I should have known better and from that moment I should have seen the red flag but c’mon, I was young.

Lucas only met Voldemort once… from the backyard, separated by a door because as soon as Lucas saw him, Lucas barked, got angry, super defensive and ready to attack. I had never seen him that angry.

Voldemort was clearly upset and dismissive and I asked him to leave. He couldn’t believe I was choosing a dog over him and of course, started to accuse me of being crazy for loving a dog that much and I yelled at him that my dog would never hurt me and that my dog, Lucas, was the distraction I needed to keep my mind busy and not think about the break-up. As soon as Voldemort left, I let Lucas in, hugged him and asked him to take care of me. I told him we didn’t like Voldemort but that it was complicated but that I needed him and his love to get over that relationship. I swear to God, Lucas understood.

Lucas had his own room and bed so he was never too into sleeping in my room or being too lovey-dovey but while I was getting over that relationship, from the moment I told him I needed him to get over that relationship, Lucas became a cuddler, he was active and funny and every time he saw me he started to jump as if he was seeking for attention and attention I would give him. Took him for walks, worked with him next to me, bathe him, told him about my day and just like that…

I rescued him but he saved me.

Lucas, my angel

Not only Lucas helped me to get over that relationship but summer 2012 my sister went for a few weeks to the US to study English and well, my sister and I have become very close (we weren’t while I dated Voldemort) so during those weeks I missed her a lot… I was outside just thinking about her and Lucas was with me but suddenly he went inside, went to her room and took her favourite Teddy and brought it to me.

I was stunned. This was a dog who I didn’t need to say anything to, he just knew what I was thinking and who I was missing, and he knew what to do and he would do it.

I looked at him and I said to him “You’re not a normal dog”, and for a second I thought of my grandpa (+) and wondered if he had sent him because Lucas was too special to be just a coincidence. From that moment on, I never thought of Lucas as a dog, he was my angel.

Lucas, never apart… maybe in distance but never at heart

It’s been over ten years since that happened and a lot has changed but I’ve always kept Lucas up to date with my life. After I moved out, I visited him pretty much every week and would still take him and Mocca for walks. Then, I moved to Ireland and last time I was in Ecuador and saw him was Christmas 2018. He still jumped with the same energy and loved me regardless of how long we hadn’t seen each other.

From then to now I’ve tried to go back but a world pandemic, work, visas got in my way to go back to Ecuador and every time I talked to my auntie Mimi who was taking care of them, I’d ask her how they’re doing. I did a few video-calls with Lucas and Mocca. I tried, I swear I tried so hard to see them again.

I’ve had tickets to Ecuador twice in the last few months. The first ones were for December 2022 but my Schengen visa expired and couldn’t fly from Amsterdam, it was a very messy situation for me to fly so I postponed the trip to February 2023 and then I found out I was pregnant and by the time I had planned the trip in February, it was too risky for me to fly so I cancelled the flights and decided that I would visit Ecuador in September or October 2023 with Trav and Baby Trav. However, every time I changed my flights, I cried because deep down I knew it… I knew Lucas didn’t have much time.

Two weeks ago, I had a feeling. I was talking to my mum on the phone and asked her to ask my auntie to send me photos of Lucas and Mocca and my mum said “they’re fine, I’ll ask her though” and I never got the photos and two days ago I told my sister “Something’s off, but I’m too afraid to ask, I don’t think my dogs are fine, do you know anything?” My sister replied “no, I don’t know anything, they should be fine, but ask Mimi for the photos” so I grasped some strength and asked my auntie Mimi for photos and she said “I’ll send them later today” but nothing.

I talked to my mum and sister yesterday and my mum finally broke the news, Lucas had a heart attack two weeks ago and neither her nor my auntie could find the right moment or right words to tell me before because they knew I’m in a vulnerable situation by being pregnant. They knew how much this news was going to hurt me.

I broke down in tears. I knew it… I knew it!!!

Lucas, forever.

“I knew it”.

That’s all I managed to say while my mum kept saying that I should calm down because of my baby. And yes, I felt my baby moving, I was crying inconsolably but felt my baby moving and I understood that Lucas didn’t leave me alone, he chose the moment I had this incomparable company and huge comfort and then he left and crossed the rainbow.

Nonetheless, I wish I could have seen him one more time, hugged him one more time, I wish I could have told him I loved him one more time.

My mum says he accomplished his mission, family and friends say they’re sorry about my loss and from the bottom of my heart I thank you all for the sympathy and kindness… but today I want to tell these bits of stories about Lucas to keep him forever, somewhere at least, and I will look up to the sky and say:

Lucas, I loved you soooo much and I will tell my kids and grandkids about you, and I understand, you were never mine, I was yours, and it was an honour.

2011 - ∞