I don't believe in coincidence.
In order to understand how Dagny came into our lives, you need to understand a little bit about her Mom. I used to have a fast-paced corporate job in NYC. I loved it; for the longest time I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I had the perfect career. I worked full-time in corporate travel for a really fun company. I taught an aerobics class one night a week at a local gym in Westchester County, NY. I had fun at that job too.

Then somehow the years began to pile up and the corporate job got more stressful than fun. I decided to leave and ended up spending a lot of time at a local park, sorting out my life, trying to decide what to do next. It was there that I met El Duque. El Duque was an all-white Havanese, and his owner, Steve, was nice enough to let me play with his dog every time I saw them at the park. I fell in love with this dog. I dragged my husband to the park one day, in an effort to introduce him to my new little friend. Scott thought that El Duque was great, and I vowed, right in the middle of my mid-life crisis, that one day I would get myself a Havanese. You see, I had always wanted a dog, but my lifestyle prohibited it. I believed one day, when the time was right, that I would have a dog to call my own.

Years later, I saw an ad while watching the Westminster Dog Show. It was an ad about shelter dogs that tugged at my heartstrings, and I simply started crying. I turned to Scott and said, " I really want to adopt a dog. But I really want a Havanese." The next day, I searched the internet: Havanese, Shelter Dogs. I was surprised to see that there was a Havanese Rescue Organization. I got so excited that I logged off and called Scott, totally forgetting to fill out the application. Once we filled out the application, we were contacted by Karen Grant (who is an absolute angel) about a dog that she thought would be a great match for us. The dog was being fostered by Mary Falcone. If Karen is an Angel, then Mary is a Saint. Once we were approved, we excitedly went to go pick up Dagny. She was all I had ever hoped for and more. She has some issues; the place she was at originally specialized in neglect, and so she feels the need to be with us constantly. We don't mind. We love having a new little furry friend in the house. She brightens up our lives, and we have not been the same since the day Dagny entered our home. I still go to the park sometimes, but I have not run into Steve. Perhaps Steve served his purpose, and that little commercial was broadcast at precisely the right moment in our lives. After all, I don't believe in coincidence. I look at Dagny and I think that all is right with the world.

Debby and Scott

Where: Denver, at the National Specialty hotel in "The View" room, right next to the front desk
When: Thursday, August 16, 7-10 PM
Who: You and friends
What: Finger foods and Cash bar.

HRI will be holding our reception to see our HRI friends and acquaint others to our organization. We will have a DVD of our rescues, directed raffle, the HRI rescue pendants depicting a rescuer and pup, the Garden Helpers Quilt and tickets. There will also be some new HRI gear with embroidered logos (see photo!)

In addition, on Friday and Saturday we will have the HRI booth in the judging area. Stop by! We'll have some very special items for sale and more information about HRI and our dogs in rescue. The beautiful Garden Helpers Quilt will be displayed until the drawing on Saturday after classes end. Tickets will still be available, so don't miss an opportunity to win this quilt and help our dogs in rescue!

And, a special treat, at least four of our wonderful rescue dogs will participate in the Rescue Parade on Saturday, time unknown as yet.

On the occasion of Lu's retirement as President of HRI, we wanted to write a tribute to her. How do you honor someone who loves purely, is naturally giving, and is talented enough to organize a moon landing and then write an account of the event which tells the story to everyone as though it were a poem? All this, mind you, while raising an exemplary daughter and carrying two jobs. It's impossible to believe!!
But it is Lu, our Lu, Lu Wyland.

She weathered the challenging stresses of HRI's beginnings. While under fire, rescue had to begin again, to start from the ashes and create a new organization while continuing to save the dogs that people turned in in increasing numbers. Looking back over the past several years, the growth of HRI has been incredible - 1200 people read our newsletter, there are 150 volunteers, and over 100 dogs have been saved, renewed, and have been happily rehomed! Is it not amazing?

It is also just a part of what Lu does, is doing, and has done. She is a gifted leader; intelligent, loving, practical, and kind. She visits nursing homes with Gracie, her therapy dog. She evaluates children with severe problems for Public Schools in Wisconsin. She takes her dogs, the puppy mill replica she built, and printed material to Pet Expos and fairs to educate people about puppy mills. She works weekends at different pet stores for a dog food company. She writes. She has two rescue dogs who have each had very tough beginnings and needed her special touch. She created the www.theyreallkeepers.com (They're All Keepers) website and compiled the Small Breed ID chart (a wonderful, useful tool). She inspires and she leads HRI. Her accomplishments seem endless. Fortunately for us, she has always made herself available for countless phone calls to talk to prospective adopters who want to know where they can pick up their housebroken rescue puppy this afternoon, people who needed to turn dogs in who needed a sympathetic ear, and all of us who needed some advice and guidance on how to handle a situation that had arisen - which happens quite frequently in rescue! We have benefited from all of her wisdom, and we will continue to do so even though she has retired because Lu always seems to make time to help with problems and our dogs!

We love you, Lu. You have mentored us, and we are blessed because of you. We are better for having you in our lives and memories and we just wanted to say thank you for all of your time, boundless energy and guidance you've given us so freely - you're a difficult act to follow!