See Beyond – July 2019

50

W

ith very little motivation, I always did

poorly in high school. Fortunately, I

graduated the fire academy before my

father suffered a heart attack and died. At the ripe

age of twenty-three, I started providing guidance

to my younger brother and lending my mother

a shoulder to cry on. This new role was tough.

Quite frankly, it scared me.

For the remainder of my twenties, I worked long

shifts at the fire department. On my days off, I

worked as a nightclub bouncer or anything that

could help support my family. I took up semi-pro

and pro football, mixed martial arts and powerlift-

ing. Those bright ideas only provided a handful of

bruises and a few decorative t-shirts.

Nearing my thirties, I was an emotional wreck,

after many broken relationships and on-going

financial hardship. Work as an inner-city firefight-

er exposed me to numerous hazards. I remember

worrying that I would crack. Thankfully, that

sense of doom disappeared after one click of a

computer mouse.

I discovered an abandoned six-week-old Amer-

ican Bulldog online. The poor little guy was

discovered stuffed in a mailbox. He was adorable!

I headed out immediately to the rescue agency.

When I arrived, the staff was bottle feeding him.

I’ll never forget the feeling of holding this little

puppy for the first time. He fit in the palm of my

hand. Without delay, I paid the adoption fees and

became a father. I named him Romo, after my

favorite NFL player, Bill Romanowski, and took

him home.

Loving Romo somehow erased a very dark past

and brought out the best in me. We enjoyed

spending time at the gym, the beach, mom’s

house, the store and, of course, the bank drive-

thru to pick up some dog treats. Life with my

furry little good luck charm was truly a blessing.

Then I suffered an arm injury that unexpectedly

resulted in four surgeries. I had to wear a huge

orthopedic brace. After my family, my only sup-

port system, relocated, my downward spiral went

into full-swing. To help put some joy back in my

life, I adopted a rescue boxer named Nike. Romo

approved and we both enjoyed the distraction of a

new family member. Unfortunately, the financial

strain took its toll and the three of us ended up

living out of a storage unit. All my life, I had cared

for others and now I needed help. But there was

no one.

I was also in college at the time and didn’t know

how I could continue. One night, studying for

finals under the dome light in my car, I began to

cry. Life was exhausting. Suicide started to look

like a relief. Then, Nike slobbered a huge kiss all

over the right side of my face. That tongue bath

My Angels Have Fur

By Gene Brzozowski

July/August 2019

Photo credit © Daniel Lincoln