Our friend Kingston Sweeney

Posted: May 16th, 2011

First off…THANK YOU Julie and Jim for giving sweet Kingston a wonderful and loving home! Thank you for sending all of your encouragement, donations, and healing energy when we first got “the King”. At that time, and even until now, I have NEVER had a dog look that bad but still stand so proud. Kingston had things to do and people to see and let literally nothing stand in his way. Even as he reduced the majority of the female staff to tears, he’d trot right on by, mustering every bit of strength he had left, and go steal a piece of cheese, snatch a cat toy w/ lightning speed, or just plain tell you off in a way that only Kingston could do. Even for every bit of stress and anguish I’d feel, everyday making new food and bringing in anything I could come up with hoping he’d eat, he’d still manage to make you feel at ease and definitely make you laugh. Each milestone was one we thought we’d never reach, but then again, Kingston definitely marched to his own drum so I should’ve known better. I remember the day I came in and found him having a seizure. I’m usually very stoic and can be the voice of reason and, well, make stuff happen lol. He reduced me to a sobbing pile, laying in his run, hysterically crying and holding his little bobbling head. I was yelling at the top of my lungs for the other tech to call Darko (poor guy was enjoying his one day off, playing a game of basketball with friends). I was certain Kingston was going and I was damned if he was going to be in that run. So I hoist him up, carry him outside, and lay on the ground with him, presuming this was going to be the last time…but oh no, not Kingston. He hops up, hobbles around for a few minutes trying to get his legs back on board, and then flat demands to go in my car. Wasn’t going to deny him of pretty much anything he wanted at that point, so in he goes. Well maybe 5 minutes later, Darko comes flying into the lot and with the look on his face (now Im standing dogless in the middle of the lot) I’m pretty sure he thought kingston had already died. So I point to my car, with Kingston sitting in the front seat, giving us the look. It took me damn near ten minutes to get this dog- that I had just stressed to the vet was on death’s door- out of the car. Every door I went to, he’d hop into the back, into the other seat, and plaster himself against the headrest part to make it as difficult as humanly possible to get him out. Little stinker- had me laughing and crying chasing him around. But my all time favorite was definitely the day he broke out of the coop and did his own interior designing at the office. There was not one single piece of kibble, whether it be cat, dog or other, that I could find anywhere. He cleared house, even found a cage or two that had food left and ate that too. All the water bowls were empty and he had created his own river right near the door where everyone walks in. The poor tech had both feet completely in the pee pile before he figured out what hit him- oh and seeing Kingston dip around the corner and dive back into his house- maybe he wouldn’t notice? I got there right after and that was when I took the video of him telling me all about it. And he really did. He wasn’t just barking like normal dogs, he was spilling his soul and there was so much emotion with all of his “words”. I dont know if it was just me but I feel like he’d look completely and utterly annoyed at our ignorance for not understanding him. Kingston was 100% one of a kind, there will never be another one like him. When Carey told me that you and Jim were interested in adopting Kingston, and wanted to make sure it was ok with me, I thought she was kidding. I knew that any dog that went into the Sweeney home was essentially winning the doggy lottery and boy was Kingston due. I was so grateful that you worked through the initial rough patch (with him trying to taste test poor Boris and all), because I just knew that that was where he was supposed to be. I hoped it would be for a hell of a lot longer than this but when I stop and think of how many people Kingston touched, definitely every one of us, all of the ABĀ  rescue family, his previous owners (who loved him enough to let him go to us- the lady was unconsolable for days), I still get asked at the store, at least weekly, how the really skinny dog is doing, because he touched all of them too. I know he changed alot of people’s perspectives about “dogs” because they couldn’t fathom how much personality and presence this little skeletal dog emitted. He also changed the minds of many vets who typically would look at a dog like kingston upon admission and already write them off. I can’t even imagine how you two must be feeling, but I did have an idea…. It seems cruel that Kingston was taken from everyone during one of the most important times in your life but… I’m thinking maybe there was a need for a perfect guardian angel for a little baby girl, I mean who better than Kingston who was convinced he was 1) human and 2) 100% a girl at heart. He was definitely so much more than a dog, it’s hard to understand unless you were priviledged enough to have met and spent time with him.

So thank you, for making Kingston so very happy (I know deep down he even liked the elf costume). He fought so hard to live and there is literally no better life I can even dream of than the one he was blessed with. How often can anyone say that! Sometimes when I come home, I feel like I can hear my old girl running out of the room from her favorite spot…I wonder if Kingston will ever find a way to send you another one of his soap opera-esque symphonies…I sure hope so! I know Kingston is making friends and being a clown as we speak, because I can’t imagine him any other way =)