On October 1, at the morning meeting of Hamilton AM Rotary, author Michelle Stark spoke about the sad tale she and husband Tim experienced coping with the significant health problems of her two pure-bred dogs – a breed called “Silken Windhound”.
Broken is a story of unbridled love of pets, frustrated by their illness and massive personal and financial costs. This included 10 trips to a highly specialized surgeon in West Virginia, sometimes in the terrible weather US I-90 is known for.
Michelle gave up a very successful legal position because her dogs needed her at home due to continual leg breaks. She is convinced that the practice of “in-breeding”, tryng to keep the blood line pure, has reduced the genetic diversity needed to maintain health and prevent traumatic injury such as her dogs, Maple and Raisa experienced in their short lives.
Michelle was ostracized by the breed community for her work in identifying the significant extent of the “leg break” issue in Silken Windhounds. She is now fully retired from the law, living with Tim on a farm in the Dundas area, carrying to two “regular” dogs, tapping maple trees for syrup, hosting bee hives and chasing chickens in the yard.
Her book is intense and from the heart. Dog lovers who really care will be amazed by her story, saddened by Raisa’s sad demise and will admire her tenacity and love of her pets.
Posted by Mark Ewer
