Our Story
In March of 1980, a passing motorist found a seven week- old puppy on the streets of New York City being abused by a group of children. She was nearly bald from mange and had a distended belly from worms or malnutrition. The driver stopped his car, and scooped her up, bringing her to Bide-a-Wee, a no-kill shelter.
The volunteer at Bide-A-Wee told this man that the shelter did not take dogs off the street, so the puppy would have to go to the pound where she would have been destroyed because of her poor health. Arlene, the volunteer, went out to the car to see the puppy. Impressed by the fact that the dog seemed extremely friendly and happy despite her condition, Arlene thought that this dog deserved a chance to live; and named her “Ananda”, a Sanskrit word that means “bliss”. She took the dog into her own home and began nursing her back to health until she could arrange for a private adoption. If not for the kindness of strangers that day, Ananda would surely have died. Eventually, the puppy came to live with me and my family. For the rest of her life, another 13 years, Ananda lived up to her name. Lively, vibrant, fun-loving and delightfully mischievous, her exuberance was infectious and life seemed just a little sweeter when she was around.
When Ananda was about four, we found a lost dog on the FDR Drive in New York City. Caught on an island between uptown and downtown traffic, we were able to get him into the car and take him to the pound that the owners could claim him. A few days later, a follow-up phone call to the Program Director revealed that he had not been claimed. We decided to take him into foster care until we could find a permanent home for him and we named him “Johnny-Come-Lately”.
As soon as Johnny walked into our apartment, he and Ananda had an instant chemistry, engaging in almost nonstop play. After experiencing this special bond we decided not to separate Johnny and Ananda, so what was supposed to be temporary care became permanent home.
Ananda and Johnny continued their constant play and mutual joy for the rest of Ananda’s life. After Ananda died from lymphoma, Johnny was inconsolable (as were we). Although he lived another four years, he was never again the same playful, happy, and fun-loving dog he had been when Ananda was alive. And we missed her, too.
After Ananda died, the words of the Bide-A-Wee volunteer echoed in my mind. “This dog deserved chance to live.” It occurred to me that there are many other dogs who also deserve a chance to live, but are not rescued. They either die painfully or are "euthanized” in kill shelters.
In thinking about a way to help change this, I realized that there might be many homes where the families would be enriched by having a dog in their lives but the cost might be prohibitive.
An idea was born: Why not put these dogs in these homes, and then help the families care for them? And so, in memory of our beloved pets, we created the not-for profit Ananda & Johnny Program.