Why Amy's Purpose?

By President DeAnn Lubell

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It was a beautiful, Sunday morning on December 22, 2019. I opened the French doors to let our 10-pound terrier mix, Amy, and 75-pound American Bulldog, Sugar, go out into our backyard to sun themselves on the chaise-lounge as they loved to do in the California high-desert sun. Our property sits up high overlooking wide vistas of rugged desert terrain.  We were aware that there were predators about such as coyotes, bobcats, hawks, owls, and rattlesnakes – but had never really encountered any in the few months we had lived in our new home near Joshua Tree National Park in the Mojave Desert. I decided to go into the kitchen for a cup of tea before joining the dogs.  I had left the dogs outside for no more than a few minutes.  As I walked out of the kitchen to go back through the master bedroom towards the French doors, I spotted our cat standing up with her paws pressed against one of the panes.  Her eyes were wide, ears back, and she looked frightened.  Moving quickly towards the doors, I saw our big dog cowering on the patio.  In an instant, the alarm bells went off and I ran outside just in time to see three large coyotes standing over the lifeless and ripped apart body of my precious Amy.  Knowing Amy, she had probably fiercely taken them on and had not run away.  She was fearless. It was 11:00 in the morning.  The day seemed so bright, sunny, and innocent. The sky was blue. The birds were singing.  We were happy.  Bad things are not supposed to happen on such a calm, glorious day, but they did – in a heartbeat.  We had not been fully aware of the nature of the beast and totally clueless of the dangers because of our own naivety. I was traumatized and shattered.  That little dog meant the world to me.  She was my soul-dog.  In honor of this special fur-baby, we decided to help educate and bring awareness to pet owners to better safeguard their dogs and cats, and even themselves.  We are not against the coyotes or other natural predators.  They were here first.  We invaded their territory.  Coyotes can be found in all rural areas, small towns, gated communities, quiet suburban neighborhoods and, yes, even big cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York City and many more.  They are in just about every state.
We hope that you will find Amy’s Purpose educational and helpful.