There are so many stories out there featuring miracle dogs – dogs who saved people’s lives, dogs who ran away only to return to their owners many years later, even dogs who survived great abuse or injury to become some of the best pets you’d ever meet.
It is rare, however, to find a story about a dog whose tenacity and lovability resulted in not only their own salvation but that of thousands of other canines as well. Our story begins at a St. Louis animal shelter with a dog whose time has just run out.
Normal Day
It was a chilly August morning in 2003. It wasn’t that it was unseasonably cool or anything, it was chilly because the employees at the St. Louis Animal Control pound had a grim task ahead of them. The same one they had been forced to do every morning; euthanize six to eight dogs who for whatever reason, had not found a home.
Not Uncommon
The preferred method of euthanasia utilized by the St. Louis Animal Control pound is by pumping poisonous carbon monoxide gas into a sealed chamber. The dogs breathe it in and slowly fall asleep in the room. Many believe this to be one of the most efficient and humane ways to put dogs to sleep, but there are problems with the method.
What Is Humane?
According to the Humane Society though, gassing is not the most humane way to put animals to sleep. The dogs are marched into a sealed room and left there as the gas fills the chamber. The animals become understandably distressed by being left alone in the room. They are also smart enough to sense when something is wrong.
Lethal Injection
Lethal injection is, of course, the preferred euthanasia method when euthanizing any animal. The reasons for this have to do with the “rapid loss of consciousness” that occurs prior to death. It’s quicker, easier on the poor animals, and unfortunately, it also happens to be far more expensive and time-consuming. Still, there were ways to make it more humane.
A Kindness
Rosemary Ficken and the other employees at the St. Louis location loved the dogs, that’s why they worked there. They weren’t heartless, they wanted to make their passing easier. So before they marched the dogs into the chamber, they tranquilized them. It calmed the animals and made the inevitable a bit easier for everyone to swallow.
Seven Dogs
The gas chamber was airtight and about the size of a large washing machine. Not big by any metric, but comfortable enough for Quentin, a one-year-old Basenji mix, was ushered off in a peaceable manner. Rosemary closed the door and started the gas. A few minutes later, she opened it again to find something remarkable standing before her.
Unbelievable
Rosemary had been working at the city pound, euthanizing unwanted animals for more than 15 years and this was the first time that she’d opened the gas chamber door to find one of the dogs still alive and kicking. Quentin sat among the dead dogs, wagging his tail and looking expectantly up at her.
Still Kickin’
A moment later and Quentin came sauntering out of the gas chamber towards her. He was swaying a bit as if he was a little drunk, but he seemed happy to see her and none the worse for wear. It was at that moment that Rosemary decided that she couldn’t just shut the door on him again. Quentin was a proper miracle.
Not Again
A brief vet check told them that Quentin was just fine. Rosemary knew deep down in her bones that this was no ordinary dog. He had a will to live and that meant that there had to be someone out there meant to have him. That someone, as it turned out, ended up being Randy Grim, an animal welfare advocate. It was love at first sight.
Meant For Quentin
When Randy Grim first met the miraculous mutt, his name wasn’t Quentin, it was Cain. Randy’s first meeting with the dog cemented in his mind that Cain was hardly a name for so pleasant and friendly a dog. So he changed his name to Quentin after California’s San Quentin prison, once known for its gas-chamber executions.
First Meeting
Even though he liked the dog, Randy wasn’t sure he was going to keep him at first. He had every intention of giving him up for adoption to a new family. Unfortunately, news of Quentin’s amazing brush with death soon gained national attention, and over 700 people applied to adopt him. Picking a single family was impossible. That and Randy had taken a liking to Quentin.
Keeping Him
It was an easy decision to make after that. Randy became Quintin’s new owner. Soon after that, Randy was contacted by the California-based animal rights group, In Defense of Animals. They asked if Quentin might be interested in becoming their “poster dog” to help educate Americans about the millions of strays euthanized every year.
The Good life
Randy and Quentin accepted and were soon flying around the country. Quentin even got to fly first class. He sat in the window seat, was served chicken, and when they landed, rode in a stretch limo. Quentin was even given the royal treatment when they got to the hotel. He had a feather bed, toys, bowls, everything he could ever want to be happy, even a loving owner.
Flying and Fundraisers
The amazing canine had gone from the gas chamber to living the high life and becoming a national icon. Together, dog and owner attended fundraisers, charity events, and in time even began lobbying for legislation against the use of gas chambers when it came to animal euthanasia. Thanks to Quentin’s notoriety, their efforts worked.
50 Communities
By 2008, Randy and Quentin had persuaded 50 communities to shut down gas chambers at their kill shelters. Naturally, St. Louis Animal Control pound was among them. Though they had made the switch barely a year after Quentin’s miraculous emergence. They had even lobbied to end them statewide.
Sad End
Sadly, in October of 2018, Quentin suffered a stroke and passed away. He had been known as the “spokesdog” for other animals like himself, animals who had been on death row. He didn’t die in vain though, Quentin’s story of survival inspired thousands and touched the hearts of thousands more, including that of his owner, Randy Grim.
Picking Me
Randy recently posted about his former buddy online so that his friends and followers could understand what Quentin truly meant to him, and to everyone. “Surviving the gas chamber in 2003, he picked me to be his partner to close down numerous animal death chambers across the country, but his miracles didn’t stop there.”
Miracle Buddy
“My miracle buddy also helped to spearhead the no-kill movement, an animal abuse task force, a shelter to protect the abused and forgotten, all the while keeping his dad, me, feeling loved and sane. He changed the landscape of an entire city, and I pray his legacy continues to be a driving force for a humane nation for all animals,” he explained.
Famous Friends
Randy wasn’t the only one who felt the loss. Upon hearing the news of Quentin’s passing, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson offered her condolences on Twitter. “I am very sorry Randy,” she wrote. “You and Quentin changed everything in animal welfare in St. Louis and across the country.”
Final Years
Quentin’s final years had been happy and he had “retired” from raising awareness for strays in 2013. He spent his days enjoying the wide open spaces and lush couches of Randy’s Rescue Ranch with other aging dogs like himself. “Quentin has done more for animal welfare than any human ever could,” says Randy Grim, and he’s absolutely right.
