This coming March 16th will be three complete years since Preston passed away. I sometimes can’t believe it’s been that long. And, I’m still talking about it as if it happened just yesterday.
But, that’s what experiencing a significant loss can do for those left behind. You’re forced to pick up the remaining pieces of your life. Because how you envisioned it to go, suddenly changed in that instance. Now, your left re-examining what life will look like moving forward.
And, if it’s even going to be worth it.
Years back, I was once told – “You don’t find the dogs you want; the dogs you need find you.” I don’t know if I knew what that meant at the time, but that’s what hindsight seems to be for.
I first met Preston on May 15, 2008. It happened more or less by accident, but I now see that there are no accidents in this life. Everything happens for a reason.
I was thirteen months into researching dogfighting for my directorial debut as a documentary filmmaker. This was sparked by a raid on the Virginia property of NFL star quarterback Michael Vick on April 25, 2007. They discovered dozens of pit bull dogs and evidence of dogfighting.
Preston himself was formerly a dog with this alleged background or past.
According to his shelter paperwork, Preston and two other dogs were confiscated from a home in Akron, Ohio on July 6, 2006 by humane investigators.
Similar to the Vick case, the raid occurred due to a drug bust. The dogs were found only because of it. Unlike the Vick case, the person(s) who owned Preston and the other two dogs, were never charged for any animal cruelty crime.
But, remember, this was also about nine months prior to the Vick case. Additionally, his former owner(s) weren’t star NFL quarterbacks. And…this happened in the state of Ohio, which had a statewide law restricting the ownership of pit bull dogs since 1987.
Prior to Vick’s case, dogs like Preston were typically destroyed without much, if any, publicity. Oftentimes, nobody knew about it at all! But, things changed slightly once news spread about Vick’s association to the activity.
Unfortunately, the two dogs Preston came in weren’t benefactors of that exposure. They were euthanized two weeks after entering the shelter. And, the clock will soon start ticking on Preston’s fate.
A woman named Shana Klein frequently visited Preston at the shelter. She ran the only pit bull rescue in Cleveland – For the Love of Pits, in 2005, and would occasionally pull dogs from this shelter. But, Preston would be her first rescue of an alleged ‘fighting dog’.
On July 28, 2006, at about 2 o’clock, Shana received a courtesy call explaining that Preston would be euthanized at 4pm that day. She scurried to locate a foster home, and drove to the shelter to talk to the director and beg for one more day.
Thankfully, the shelter director agreed, and the next morning Shana would arrive to the shelter where Preston was waiting.
As previously mentioned, when I met Preston in May of 2008, it was for the sole purpose of obtaining credible information about pit bull dogs. I didn’t expect to meet a dog like him. His entire aura and zest for life was captivating.
Before leaving that afternoon, I spontaneously blurted out that I was going to adopt him. I don’t even know why I said it, but I did. And, I will never take those words back because it was the single most impactful decision I made in my life.
But, those words were easier said than done.
Four days later, on Monday, May 19th, Lakewood City Council proposed a pit bull ban. This was bad news for my plans, as I was living in Lakewood at the time.
I immediately pivoted the focus of my directorial debut from dogfighting to examine the effectiveness of breed specific legislation, and titled the project – Guilty Til Proven Innocent.
It took five months total, from the time I met Preston until he officially came home on October 4, 2008. For the next twelve years he was the one constant in my life, but all good things eventually end.
On March 16, 2020 at about 9:30pm, Preston took his final breath. He was estimated to be 15 years old, and he lived every one of those years to the fullest no matter the situation he was in.
This promotional video – “Remembering Preston” is told by family, friends and others who knew him best. To remember Preston is to remember the power of the human-canine relationship, and the chance to find your once-in-a-lifetime dog.
Produced by: River Fire Films, LLC
Directed, Shot & Edited by: Jeff Theman
Dr. Danial Hill
Shana Klein
Jill Tvaroha
Dawn Stretar
Shelley Theman
Janine Chmielewski
David Theman
Mike Kehl
Artist: Oleksi Kaplunsky/LesFM
Track: “Calm Dramatic Piano“
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