Sorry to report some sad news.

Evie, the cruelly mistreated Chihuahua mix who never knew a single day of life in a loving home, died last night from respiratory failure, she contracted pneumonia and according to Dr. Jonathan Bradshaw of the South Arkansas Veterinary Clinic, succumbed to respiratory failure.

Evie, who was 10 years old and was rescued from a notoriously negligent shelter in Texas where her owners had abandoned her,  along with a second dog named Jen, was taken in a few weeks ago by Carol Johnson and the Friends Of Homeless Animals, the good people giving me Bud. Evie had heart disease, hernia and heartworm and was recovering from years of awful neglect.

On the blog, we launched a successful campaign for Evie to find a home along with Jen, and a wonderful animal lover and excellent human named Debra Otta – she lives in Minnesota – adopted Evie and she and  Carol were working very hard to figure out how to transport her that far from Arkansas.

Jen was also adopted, she is moving to upstate New York.

Debra desperately wanted Evie, she and Carol had just about worked it out. The clinic had done a wonderful job bringing the emaciated and nearly died dog back to life.

Evie is a powerful symbol to me, she is the first dog I have actively tried to get adopted, a new project I have taken up. We worked hard to find a home for her. She had bad luck all of her life, she was about to catch a miraculous break.

She is, to me, a symbol of the emotional intensity of the rescue culture as well as of the extreme cruelty some human beings show to dogs.

I want to say that Evie symbolizes both the caring and uncaring nature of human beings. She shows how poorly some dogs are treated, and how much they are loved by so many others. The drama of the human experience is that we can be so good and loving and also so cruel and  destructive.

Evie was important to me, in that she challenged me to look at my own sense of humanity and empathy. She is not the kind of dog I would ever have adopted, yet she touched me deeply. She was important to Carol Johnson who could not bear to leave her to die in that awful shelter, she wanted her to know some love.

Before she died, Carole went to the veterinary clinic to give Evie some chicken and treats – she went every day – which Evie took eagerly.

She was recovering rapidly, growing hair, eating, enjoying the loving attention she was receiving for the first time in her life.

“I am sick about this,” Carol message me at midnight. I brought treats to the vet for her last night and she ate well. The only comfort was she didn’t die in that hellish shelter. She did know love and care. I am so sorry for Debra, I know her kind heart would have given her a loving home.”

Carol, who sees the dark side of animal cruelty every day, wrote that Eve was “just another victim of uncaring owners. Dogs are called man’s best friend but sadly we are often not theirs.” I am sorry for Carol, who also has a great big heart, and gives it away to dogs every day of her life. I think her heart was broken a bit last night.

She wanted so badly for Evie to find a loving home.

(I e-mailed a message to Debra this morning thanking her for her great heart, and if you wish to do the same, her e-mail is [email protected]. I think she would appreciate hearing from other animal lovers. So would Carol, who saved this dog from certain death. Her e-mail is [email protected]. I think they both could use some support).

So a sad and unexpected end to what we all thought would be a happy final chapter in Evie’s life.  She didn’t have many years left, but it seemed they would be good years.

Carol is right, Evie did know some love and caring, from the veterinary clinic as well as Carol and the volunteers at FOHA.

By now, many of you know my philosophy, I’d like to move forward beyond grief and sadness and think of ways to make this death productive and meaningful. My idea is to get another needy dog adopted from the ranks of the FOHA adoption lists.

I’ve asked Carol Johnson to help me choose one.

I identify with this rescue group. They don’t ride around collecting adorable dogs to ferry North, they look for the lost dogs, the saddest and most hopeless cases, and they seek to bring them comfort and affection.

Evie was a hopeless dog who found hope. This is right up my alley.

Godspeed Evie, you deserved a better life than  you got, but I think your death will mean something to people, and teach all of us something.

A peaceful journey to you, I like to think of you in that beautiful place the shaman told me about by a beautiful stream where the spirits of dogs go to rest and shine as sparkling blue lights, and wait to return to the earth again to brighten the life of a human being.

I think Evie will get another chance. And I’m going to try to get another dog adopted in her name and memory. Stay tuned.

Audio: In Memory Of Evie