Charlie's Foundation
a promise to senior dogs
forever in our hearts
Mooch was rescued in the summer of 2019 and was in a foster home being treated for various medical concerns.
He was a gem of a dog and loved his foster family very much. Sadly, we were just too late as his frail senior body was tired and wasn't responding to treatment.
He was adopted a few days prior to his death and had his forever family by his side at the end. Sometimes all you can hope for is that good people cared, even it was at the end stages of illness.
We are thankful he did not die alone in a shelter. We wish were able to offer him more time on this earth....run free sweet boy in the tall grass with a warm breeze on a sunny day with the ocean in the distance.
MOOCH
MOOCH
final resting date, DECEMBER 16, 2019
SHELBY
SHELBY
final resting date,
SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
Shelby-It’s with the heaviest of hearts we announce our beautiful, regal and kindest girl, was let go on Monday. She had a unrelated vestibular event on Sunday and she did not recover, we had to make the gut wrenching decision and what was best for her to let her run free.
Shelby had struggled with Chronic Pancreatitis since she arrived in our Rescue three years ago. She was diagnosed with Chronic Heart Failure on November 8th, 2018 and given a week to live. Shelby didn’t listen to that nonsense, she had some off days but for the most part she was doing very well.
She loved her daily walks, car rides and lounging on anything she could find, loved to give kisses and run like the wind.
We will never forget the video (one of the first posts we ever made, her video is on our wall way down at the bottom) of her begging for someone to save her. Located on our Instagram Page.
We still are struggling with not having her meet us at the door each day once we arrived home from a busy day, or snuggling with us during the night or her enthusiasm going for her morning walks. When she became excited she would howl and we really miss her💔. Our foundation isn’t the same without her presence.
We don’t know why her previous owners never came for her, we only wish we had been given more time with her.
Please consider adopting a senior dog into your home and heart. We know saying “until-we-see-you-again”, is heartbreaking but to have never allowed Shelby have these past three years on earth is why we said yes, without hesitation.
We thank those who helped us rescue Shelby and to Sal Valdepeña who pulled her and took her freedom photo, to Stephanie Trujillo Gallegos and Katella Animal Clinic who took care of her and Amy Chacon before arriving in Seattle. To our dear friend Julie Austin Photography for her gorgeous photo, that we will always treasure. We also thank her team of specialists at BluePearl Veterinary Partners and BluePearl Veterinary Partners in Seattle.
Thank you to so many people along the way who she touched and to those who also donated towards her care, especially the Kulik’s.
Shelby was truly a magical unicorn who fought hard to stay with us.
We will never forget you and will keep fighting to save those that others have forsaken.
Thank you for being our girl-💞
GREGGOR
Greggor's Celebration of life......
On March 30th 2017 Greggor was saved from one of the highest intake shelters (Downey) in California.
Greggor's family reached out to us this January to let us know he had been diagnosed with an aggressive mouth cancer and it had also spread to his neck but he was comfortable and they would keep a close eye on him.
On February 20th 2019, he was compassionately let go with his forever family by his side.
Greggor was a gentle giant, good in play groups and gentle with everyone he met. We once described him as "average" which meant he was a mix (Boxer, Mastiff and German Shepherd) and a senior that didn't stand out rather he blended in. He was a square peg that didn't fit in the round hole and we knew he wasn't going to get out.
He proved us all wrong because Greggor was ANYTHING BUT "average". He was a magical unicorn a gentle soul with wise eyes and a playful side that was so very endearing.
We've had a tough time posting this announcement because those of us who met him and loved him wanted him to have more time on this earth. It seems he was needed elsewhere and we sure hope he's found the big field with the tall grass and a gentle breeze and sun to warm his face and body. We can imagine him as a young puppy jumping and running with boundless energy.
He was deeply loved by his foster home who at one point thought about adopting him themselves. He adored children, he adored pretty much anything in life, we can learn a lot from senior dogs.
We thank Preston and Vicki and his fur brother Trouper (for keeping him young) for saying yes to this sweet old boy and giving him his final home. He went on walks he had a big home with a covered deck that he loved sunning himself on and a yard with lush grass that he laid on when his mom was gardeing. He had the forever ending we wish all senior companion animals received.
Until we see you again..........
Greggor
final resting date, FEBRUARY 20,2019
maizey
Maizey Essen
final resting date
november 5, 2018
We said until we meet again to another Charlie's Foundation Alumni on November 5th.
Maizey was adopted by her final family on June 24, 2016. We knew Maizey wasn't feeling well and were blessed to see her during this time and receive lots of kisses, nub wags, bouncing around and jubilant "talking too's" Maizey was always quite the talker- We will miss you Maizey -
The following was the e-mail we received in her families words:
...
Dear friends of Maizey,
Miss Maizey passed away peacefully at home on Monday afternoon, Nov. 5th, with some assistance from the organization Compassion 4 Paws. She had been battling cancer and old age.
I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to participate in Maizey’s life journey and to provide her with her “forever home”. Before coming to live with me and Boris, she had been rehomed numerous times. While some of her boxer spirit still remained, the disappointments and rejections had taken its toll on her. She was somewhat disembodied and distracted when she first came to our home. Also, her health wasn’t great – she had chronic ear infections and had been taking prednisone for her itchy skin.
Over time, Maizey’s health improved with a change in diet, exercise habits and with some acupuncture and herbs provided by Dr. Naomi Bierman. On some days, we climbed the steep hill near my home a couple of times. Maizey walked up the hill with gusto.
Maizey loved the walks around the neighborhood with her people and little brother Boris. Boris enjoyed the protection of his big sister and walked more calmly and confidently. Neighborhood gardens always provided lots of opportunities to smell the flowers and sniff around in general.
Perhaps having another dog in the household extended Maizey’s life and happiness. She and her fur brother Boris quickly established an excellent understanding and friendship. Maizey was very tolerant of Boris and never displayed inappropriate aggression toward him.
However, Maizey was a reactive dog (towards dogs and sometimes people). Constant vigilance was required when walking her around the neighborhood (because of the heavy pedestrian/dog traffic). My treat-training program was moderately successful with her. In the last month of her life, I ordered some special human grade dog treats (from Treat Me Right). Maizey was obsessed with these treats and displayed an impressive level of self-control on walks in order to procure more of them.
I got to see a different side of Maizey on Orcas Island. She loved the cabin and had a totally different personality there. She was so relaxed and hardly ever barked. She mostly lay around soaking in the peace and stillness up there. I was surprised that she hardly noticed the deer and other wild creatures in the area.
I will always remember the sweet calm nature that resided in her alongside the boxer female bossiness. She was an amazing dog.
Thank you to everyone who cared for her in some capacity and to all who loved her.
with gratitude,
Tasha
dutchess
Dutchess.....until we meet again.
We said goodbye to our girl this past week on a sunny and warm California type day, it seemed fitting for our Cali girl.
We rescued Dutchess on 11/24/2015 she was euthanasia listed as she wasn't getting along with the program (shelter/kennel life). .
Dutchess, was a stubborn American Bulldog/Boxer Mix who came at you with her head lowered and growling on most days (just her way of interacting) with you.
She welcomed many rescue dogs into our foundation and we are sad that so many went before her but hope they are all now reunited and playing and getting reaquinted at the bridge.
Dutchess fought hard this past year with Cushings Disease and a Lung Mass and she did not suffer she was literaly fine until she wasn't. We came home to her looking tired, not wanting to particiapte and refusing to eat anything. We felt her lung mass had spread and she was ready to go play like a puppy at The Bridge.
We spared no expense and the past several months (we intially were feeding her Stella and Chewy's Raw kibble Chicken) along with many concotions we found she liked.
Dutchess flipped-the-script about every two weeks and would decide she didn't like what she was getting so we'd try something else.
The past few months she decided she didn't like healthy food and wanted to eat BADLY, (we decided due to her prognosis she could eat whatever she wanted to). So, we frequented McDonald's becasue she absolutely LOVED chicken McNugget's and she also LOVED KFC and their mashed potato/gravy/corn/cheese and chicken bowl, along with Lucky Charms, and her constant was daily dosage of CBD Oil which kept her pain free and happy.
To say our foundation is missing her presense is an understatement, we are really feeling her void, all of us (4 legged included).
Dutchess helped us welcome and say goodbye to many dogs during her time with us (Lilly, Oscar, Babe, Buster Keaton, Scruffy, Willow and Gwen to name a few) we sure hope they have all found each other.
We always hope for signs when we lose one of our senior dogs and on our way out from the vets office we found a Ladybug on our windshield. There were many cars in the ER parking lot and yet she was on ours.
We want to thank everyone who had a hand in helping us save Dutchess and those who have reached out privately lending an ear and their support when we needed it most.
We are grieving but happy she had the best second chance and end life with us.
Please consider fostering so dogs like Dutchess can have their second chance, we would have never gotten to love her, to have cared for her in the end and to be her family that stayed by her side and the last face she saw knowing she was loved.
Thank you for your support and for understanding that dogs like Dutchess with larger than life personalities leave broken hearts behind. We hope to mend ours soon and keep rescuing on in her name and all those that came before her and all those that will come after her.
We thank Charlie for making all of this possible.
dutchess
final resting date October 4, 2018
COOPER
Cooper Byrne
SeptEMBER 8, 2018
Cooper AKA Coop Coop AKA Coopie, came to us by way of an owner relinquishment over 15 months ago. This was tough knowing not only was he a senior but he also came to us with known seizure activity.
We tried for 6 months to find him his perfect home and we had meet and greets or photo shoots most weekends this entire time. We grew to love Cooper like he was one of our own personal dogs.
Cooper was placed into the most loving home we could of possibly dreamed up. His family came to us through their eldest daughter who had known us for several years and knew her parents would adore him for however long he had.
We immediately took Cooper to his lifelong veterinarian and finally placed him on seizure medication with careful and close monitoring of his blood values and dosage.
To say Cooper thrived in their home is an understatement. Cooper was a bull in a china shop "literally", he treasured his other fur siblings, his young skin sister "Addi" and his entire extended family. He spent most days in his Dad's office and being able to wander throughout the entire home, backyard and went on very long walks daily.
Cooper loved water like most labs and when we received the first video in his collage (made by his family) we smiled knowing he was deeply valued and cared for.
Two weeks ago on a Saturday evening we received a frantic message that Cooper had multiple "cluster seizures" and perhaps a "grand mal" and they were on their way to the ER vet. We talked on the phone during this time with his Mum and heard how frantic he was. We called the vet to alert them and to please meet them with a stretcher outside.
We all prayed that something, anything could be done to save him because amazing dogs like Cooper are hard to find and even more hard to say goodbye to.
The vet tried to sedate him twice in hopes of finding a way to help him, but each time Cooper came out of the sedation. His family made the difficult decision to say until we meet again as he was telling them he wanted to be let go of his ailing body. Something in his body had given way (we all felt a tumor) and was causing him tremendous pain.
These calls hurt us to the core, we'd be lying if we said we didn't cry right alongside his family.
You see families that adopt previously "owned" animals always worry if they were enough for them, if they knew they loved them if the animal knew them as their family or if they longed for their previous owners. All we can say is that Cooper knew his family, he made himself at home, jumped up and laid on couches, went upstairs and tried to follow a family member into the shower, played in his yard and play pool, did whatever he wanted and showed his family that he was home.
Please don't be sad for Cooper he was where he needed to be in the end, with a family that did everything they could to love him, tried to save him and was with him until he took his last breath telling him they loved him and to run free. Loving him and letting him go was their gift to him and he knew he could go knowing this.
Cooper sent his family a sign that he was okay and made it to the Rainbow Bridge that brought goose bumps to us and we cried happy tears that this sweet dog who wanted nothing from anyone but gave so much love to all he met was finally running free without medical concerns to hamper him as a glorious puppy along sandy beaches and playing in the surf and with others that had come before him to welcome him with open arms.
We were blessed that we met him and better because of meeting him. We will forever be grateful to his family for opening not only their hearts but their home to a boy that needed them.
His family could sure use some kind words as they are still grieving his loss along with his fur siblings and his sweet and darling Addi (their granddaughter) who keeps saying she wants him back.
Thank you to everyone who wanted to adopt him, who met him and who rallied for him, to Old Dog Haven who shared him for us and to our dearest photographer Julie Austin Photography who took such amazing photos of him that captured his gentle spirit, for reasons unknown to us at the time Cooper needed this family to be his final family.
We now understand, Cooper we love you and will miss you...until we meet again.
On a sunny and peaceful afternoon her family said until-we-meet-again and Gwen was released to go play at The Rainbow Bridge.
Gwen was a feisty pocket Boxer just under 45lbs with natural ears and tail (and boy did she wag her tail). She was deeply loved and cared for by her final family which included her big brother Riley and her evening cuddle companion Chester a big orange tabby who she found comfort sleeping with.
What Gwen lacked in size she made up for in her zest for life and her larger than life personality. Her family took her on many adventures (camping and road trips) were constant. She lived in the country where she smelled many scents daily and could run and play to her hearts content.
We loved updates (we received them often) and posted her adventures with her family each time. A few months prior to her passing she started to have health concerns, at first just slight changes then progressively these instances became more frequent and more concerning. She started to lose her balance, get tired quickly and seemed to be in pain. She went for vet appointments and it was thought that she had degenerative lumbosacral stenosis which made sense for the changes. Gwen’s medical concerns sadly progressed very quickly and not to long after this initial diagnosis a mass (tumor) was found in her lung.
We did not know Gwen’s background other than she had been adopted by three previous families who all failed her and she ended up back at the shelter each time. We are thankful we saw the pleas to save her and that Gwen AKA Gwennie finally found her forever family and home that she deserved all along.
This may seem like a sad outcome but please don’t be sad for Gwen as she got that opportunity to have a devoted and loving family who was with her all the way until the very end. She was sitting on her Moms lap with arms around her telling her how much she was loved and cherished and had her Dad and her big brother Riley right across from her so she saw everyone who loved her and those she loved. Her family is still missing their shadow as she was a constant in the home especially with her Mom.
Gwen was a little Lioness who had a huge heart, these sweet seniors burn brightly and sometimes that bright light burns out more quickly than we are prepared for or want. Her family is still grieving her loss which also breaks our hearts and our foundations, as we know loss and the pain ourselves.
Senior dogs like Gwen rarely have these wonderful families or happy endings. We are eternally and forever grateful to her family the Marchands, her Big Brother, Riley and her Orange Tabby, Chester for saying yes to helping her, adopting her, loving her and having the strength to let her go from her pain and struggle.
We want to thank everyone who fought for Gwen, those who loved her from afar, those who rallied to get her out of the shelter safely, those who literally pulled her and transported her to her ride to Seattle and those who may have never met her but now hopefully know that she was loved.
We know this post also will affect a lot of you and we hope you can have comfort in knowing Gwen never wanted for anything, she was loved.
Run free Gwen and let your inner Lioness roar...until we meet once more.
Gwen
Gwen Marchand
2/10-2016 - 7/20/2018
tucker
#A1785485 the shelter staff affectionately called him Grandpa or Gramps (today he was given his angel wings)
Here is his story and we hope this gets back to his owners who never came for him and what compassionate people did for him that- they- should- have.
"Tucker" as we named him was pulled from the shelter as a joint effort between Charlie's Foundation and BRLA. A mutual friend and BRLA volunteer Linda Baker have offered to show him a very good "last day" of love and kindness and out of the shelter.
Tucker spent the entire afternoon with Linda Baker and her loving son Lucas. Tucker was very sick and had been for a while.
Tucker stopped eating at the shelter and was becoming depressed he could only walk a few steps before "tipping" over and when he tipped over he couldn't right himself so he laid there. He had soaked urine on his underside when picked up as he had laid in the kennel. Kennel staff cried when Linda Baker picked him up and thanked her and everyone involved for doing right by him. Tucker had ground down teeth and those that were not ground down were broken and probably part of why he wasn't eating but not the main reason.
Tucker was given a treat of a sausage egg mcmuffin, cheeseburger, and 2 hamburger patties. He licked Linda's face entirely multiple times. Tucker also picked up a tennis ball and now we know he has lots waiting for him at The Bridge. Tucker had ataxia and suspected cerebral ataxia it's was all over his shelter notes. Tucker was suffering "in silence" this is no way for a sweet and regal Boxer to live. We made that difficult decision as no amount of funds could reverse what was occurring and putting him through tests and exams that are not fair to him to let him compassionately go and be a Boxer like he once was. (We asked Linda a few times are we doing the right thing by him and she said yes every time). Our decision was not taken lightly and especially not being there in person to hug him and love on him hurts. He was in the best hands possibly.
Tucker will be coming home to reside at our headquarters and we wish it were him and not a wooden box. His appointment with the vet was quick as he was ready to go be young again. We blame his previous owners who chose to never come for him or the people that brought him in that could have been his owners. I guess we will never know the real story.
We loved you Tucker and will never forget you.....
tucker
6-28-2018
leila
Leila was a Boxer/Beagle Fusion saved from a high kill shelter on May 26, 2018. She was severely underweight and was diagnosed with Lymphoma. She was beautiful, kind, sweet enjoyed cuddling and other dogs to keep her company and always had a smile. She had a "bucket list" which she enjoyed very much.
She was in a loving foster home who adopted her on her very last day on earth.
From her Adoptive home: It is with the heaviest heart that we share the news that there is a new star in the heavens. Cancer sucks! Leila was having such a grand time, had a visit from her Auntie Ammie and was looking forward to sharing the news that she was officially adopted. She was just waiting for her dad to get back in town, but cancer had other plans. She went from thriving to not well at all from a sudden internal bleed. Our only consolation is that she didn't have to suffer any bad days wondering if it was just a bad day or time.
Thank you all for loving Leila as we did. She was dealt a pretty bad hand and hope she knows how loved she was. She had the most amazing support network behind her with Charlie's Foundation and Leilani Tazzy and so many friends who loved her from afar.
To follow her Facebook page and to learn more information about Leila (her final "bucket wish list") and how you can help more senior dogs who come into our care please see her link here: https://www.facebook.com/LeilasBucketList/
GOOBY
Leila jones
6-9-2018
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we said goodbye to Gooby. (AKA Mickey, Buster, Buster Keaton) on a sunny Seattle afternoon.
He was surrendered on December 31, 2015 when the owners' daughter stated his elderly owner had tripped over him. We rescued Mickey (as he was called) January 5, 2015 along with Miranda from the same shelter.
He was diagnosed with renal failure the beginning of this year (2018) and had done well with supplements and was eating and drinking well up until a few weeks ago.
The past few days he had declined, his loving adoptive family Swen and Sandra Larson reached out to discuss with us that they wanted to let him go to be free at The Bridge instead of struggling further with his diagnosed disease.
We were blessed to have him at our headquarters for many months while he was awaiting his forever home. Gooby loved every dog and cat that we brought in and he also loved his fur sister LuLu and his cat friends at his adoptive home.
His family is shattered over his departure and we too mourn his bright shinny spirit that will now reside only in our memories. All of our lives have been forever changed by this little gem of a senior dog who had a heart the size of an elephant.
Gooby was an ambassador for his breed and he showed great courage in his battle. We were told he was ready and was snoring peacefully and then went to The Bridge to join his friends and be a puppy once more to run in the grass on this beautiful day and be free of his sickness.
We can only imagine his reunion with Willow, Lilly and Big Sugar (Babe). We are sure heaven is having a joyous party with his arrival.
Please light a candle in his honor and please keep his family in your hearts and prayers.
Thank you to everyone who was a part of his journey. We can't possibly thank you enough for helping us rescue him and for the joyous life he's had these past three years.
-We will never forget you-
Gooby Larson
4/22/2018
Babe
It is with the saddest of hearts that we post she has left this earth onto her next adventure.
Babe was on a walk with her Dad when she suddenly sneezed and blood came out of her Left Nostril she was otherwise normal and happy but her Dad knew something was wrong and took her to her main vet who then referred them out to Blue Pearl where a CT Scan and Rhinoscopy were performed and it was advised she stay overnight until the results were in.
It was determined that she had an aggressive adenocarninoma tumor deep in her left sinus that has already partially eaten away the bone that separates the nose from the brain.
From her Dad:
She suffered a sudden and swift decline over the past 48 hours and I had to let her go.
I spent last night feeding her baked chicken and letting her sleep in my king sized bed with me (like she's always wanted), and today we went around to all her favorite parks in our 'hood. Babe's final moments were peaceful, calm, with her surrounded by people who loved her.
She was a great, happy, beautiful dog and she had an enormously positive impact on my life in the short time we had together. I will miss her forever.
Big Sugar is now enjoying the tall grassy fields, the sun and snow in heaven (these were her favorite weather events) and we pray there is a recliner/lounge chair/couch/laundry basket/car seat or kitty bed or two for her to rest on after romping around as a puppy once more and lots of kitties to play and snuggle with.
We will always love you and never ever forget you...............
BIG SUGAR "Babe" McGough
ForEver in our hearts
1/28/2018
LillyMay
Some of the smallest dogs have the biggest hearts.
Gone but never forgotten.
11/25/2017
We’d like to honor a sweet little senior Dachshund named LillyMay (AKA Aunt May).
LillyMay was never far from her Mom and always next to her in their recliner; she loved leisurely walks, car rides, her yard, her recliner and her Mom's Brother and visiting people in her gated neighborhood.
About 6 months ago LillyMay's Mom adopted another senior dog named Debo from her local shelter and although LillyMay had to share her time with her Mom we know she enjoyed the companionship of another senior pup.
We were alerted to her decline as she was placed on a strict diet and was being given daily fluids, her kidney and liver values were not good but she still seemed in very good spirits. Shortly after Thanksgiving she stopped wanting to eat and her Mom had a very hard time seeing her turning up her nose at even things she shouldn't eat but most dogs would gobble down.
Quality of Life is so hard to judge sometimes as you want to keep them with you forever and not have to say goodbye.
To everyone who has never experienced the love of a senior pet we urge you to please consider. We know the pain of letting them move on is so hard although seeing them belong in a home and be loved by their family is so worth the heartbreak in the end.
LillyMay's adoption day was magical and she was excited (like a puppy) when she saw her new huge back yard. She wandered for hours it seemed, smelling everything, learning her doggie door in one day and following her Mom around by the time we had to leave.
Our hearts are heavy and we are all grieving with losing her but our hearts are also full because we had the chance to love her, to hold her and to offer her a life that she wouldn't have had if we hadn't said yes to rescuing her. A foster offer literally saved her life.
Her Mom made the right choice for sweet LillyMay and made that heart wrenching decision to let her go run free once more as a renewed puppy. We can imagine how darling she must be now as a puppy again, frolicking, playing, and being her sweet self.
Until we meet again sweet girl………..
ROCKY
ROCKY & Angel
together forever
9-8-2017
We say goodbye and honor another sweet senior "Rocky" half of a bonded pair- Basil (AKA Angel on top) Rocky below her
April 2016
Rocky came to us through a plea after a Craigslist Ad was spotted by one of our dear friends and Boxer lover Danielle Elizabeth. Rocky's previous owners had died and he was staying with relatives who had him listed as free.
When Danielle got to the home and was about to leave she saw a smaller and much older brindle boxer. She asked who is that and they said Angel we are going to take her to the vet on Monday and put her to sleep because no one would want her. We made a fast call to Heather Jones with Sachi Animal Rescue and they agreed to partner and take "Angel" under their wings.
Rocky and Angel were a bonded pair, we always thought it was Angel who depended on Rocky but it was the other way around. We will never know their true ages but we know she was much older than Rocky. We had several vet appointments and we thank Danielle and Stacy McKeon Coleman who helped with some of these and offered a discount through her vet.
May of 2016
an adoption application came through that seemed so amazing we couldn't believe it! A couple wanted to make them both theirs! They had another sweet female Boxer named Chia and had a love for seniors and they wanted to keep them together. The only thing was they were moving to NH, well, as it turned out Danielle was from there and agreed to deliver them personally!
In June 2016 they hit the road with their Boxers too and the adventure began! These two were able to see the country and sleep together and play in mountain streams and they made the most of it!
They were delivered to their new home where they flourished! Angel was like a puppy again going on hikes with Rocky and Chia and their family.
Written from their family when they arrived:
June 2016
Today marks a week with Rocky and Angel (now called "Basil"). Our family - including our other boxer Chia - are so in love with them. Chia gets them to play with her a little more each day. Basil lopes around the back yard attempting to get Chia's stick, and Rocky engages her in some light boxing. And they all take turns licking each other. Sweet boxer love. Rocky and Basil are my 7th and 8th adopted boxers, most of whom were seniors, and I've fostered lots of others in the past. I can honestly say that these two are the sweetest and easiest dogs I have ever had in my home.
These two sweethearts loved to spend time together snuggling and enjoying their new forever home and life.
We were all updated on Basil as she had enjoyed almost a full year of life that she was failing by her family...
January 7th, 2017
My heart is heavy - I know it's time. We've chosen today to help move Basil across the bridge. Her body continues to deteriorate, though her sweet demeanor persists. She is strong, kind, patient and gentle - qualities we all aspire toward.
A very warm thanks to all of you who have loved and supported this dear addition to our lives. Basil will live on in our hearts.
Rocky struggled a bit but then started to work on making Chia his girl, he sure did too! Rocky and Chia had such fun times and he was quite the character.
We were updated on Rocky by his family this past weekend.:
September 8, 2017
Farewell Rocky. We loved you and your sweet old face.
Rocky died in his sleep last night, here at home.
A few pics from his last couple of weeks, including his last hike, up Moose Mountain.
We all feel Rocky had a heart attack and he went relatively quickly and we are so thankful to his family and all involved with saving not only Rocky but sweet Basil. We sure hope they've found each other at The RainBow Bridge and are happy together again and forever.
We are thankful to his family Stowe Beam and Daniella Reichstetter who said yes and gave them both the most wonderful adventures and nonstop love and kindness.
Run free you two.....
SCRUFFY
On a quiet Summer morning sweet Scruffy was found by his loving cartaker Suji forever asleep and curled up in his comfy dog bed next to her bed.
Scruffy was fiercely loved by Suji and her entire family. His fur companion Bailey greatly misses him.
Scruffy was a sweet older senior who had a lot of medical issues and his family fostered him for a while before falling deeply in love with him and knew Scruffy needed to stay with them.
Scruffy wanted for nothing he went on many car rides as he loved them and walks and had a very loving family who spoiled him and cooked for him too.
We know Scruffy is in Heaven at The Rainbow Bridge and we are grateful to his family that they kept him safe and loved until it was time for him to head back to the loving arms of his Dad. We are sure that was a very happy reunion for the both of them.
We all loved Scruffy and will miss his little barks (he always barked twice took a breath and barked twice again), we sure hope he's running free once more in a young body and at his Masters side forever more.
Scruffy Camacho
8/4/2017
WILLOW
On this first day of summer we said goodbye for now to this sweet warrior princess. The sky will be bright tonight with a shiny new star and we will light a candle in her honor.
Her family loved her and we want to celebrate her life and her spirit not that she is no longer on this earth. We made a promise to save her almost a year ago now and for her to have the best final life no matter how long that might be.
Willow thrived even though she dealt with so much in her daily life. She danced around in the morning before her breakfast she kept the resident dogs Gooby (AKA Buster Keaton) and Lulu in line.
She loved her Dad. She was sweet and feisty and would cry when he left for the day and was excited when he returned.
When she was having issues walking we placed a request out for a stroller and she loved taking rides and was able to go on her pack walk in style and comfort. Willow also enjoyed car rides and she loved to eat.
We were told she made peace with her adoptive Mom last night no growling as she normally did unless she was being given a bath. She came up into her lap and allowed her to touch her and love her and she looked straight into her eyes as to say I love you and she went on a stroller ride.
Her most recent diagnosis was trachea collapse including her cushings disease and her heart disease and kidney/liver failure. She had been to the ER a few days ago and placed into an oxygen tent and sent home with pain pills. She coughed all night long and the next day unless she was sleeping, we knew she was in distress and pain even though she kept up a brave front.
Willow's body failed her and we all knew that we'd rather let her go one day too soon instead of one day too late.
Our entire rescue family is grieving, she had a large following and those that loved her all over the world and we know from the outpouring today that she won't soon be forgotten.
We want to thank her family who wanted to adopt her to give her their last name and to show everyone that senior dogs matter and they deserve love, compassion and a forever home no matter how long that might be. We have no doubt that Willow was loved deeply and will be missed even more.
We will be thinking of ways to honor this little lion and her family in the upcoming weeks. For now we want to thank everyone for their well wishes and please say some prayers for her family as they are grieving at her loss.
We love you Willow, may you be young again once more and running free without pain at The Bridge~
~Willow Larson~
July 19, 2009-June 21, 2017
LADY
Lady Bug Vincent
2/30/2016-4/3/2017
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce that Sweet Lady Bug (AKA Lady) was let go of her failing body and gently released to the Rainbow Bridge late yesterday.
Our hearts are with her loving adoptive mom Patricia Sherman Vincent who fostered Lady Bug then fell in love with her and adopted her on December 1, 2016. We also want to thank Heather Jones who pulled this sweet girl and cared for her like one of her own for several weeks before transporting her to her forever home.
Lady was originally an owner surrender who was adopted from the Baldwin Park Animal Shelter when she was roughly 4 years old, she was rescued as a joint effort with Sachi Animal Rescue on 2/30/2016.
She was dumped as a senior and in very poor condition that had lived her life in the backyard of her "owner" with no apparent medical treatment.
Lady was blind (she saw shapes/shadows) but nothing else and had a horrible skin condition which took many vet appointments to find out what was truly wrong. Her vet (Animal Clinic of Santa Maria) and Dr. Helen Harris, DVM are the ones who ultimately found the cure for the severe itching, lumps and other oddities (Pemphigus Foliaceus - an auto immune disease) and Lady was finally on the road to healing. Her fur was once more soft and silky and deep red like a Boxer's should be.
She greatly enjoyed spending time with those at her local dog park, and she loved riding in the jeep with doogles on and this past year was a senior mentor to a young Boxer pup named Jimmy that Patricia pulled and took to her ex husband to become his therapy dog.
Through-out all of Lady's struggles she was a Lady and Patricia loved her deeply.
When Lady started declining in the past few weeks with her DM (Degenerative Myelopathy) and added Dementia where she would stand and bark when she found herself lost in her house or just bark in general because she was confused Patricia knew her quality of life was waning. She was brought into her beloved vet's office and had a consult with Dr. Harris who felt that she would just keep declining and it was decided to let her suffer no more and be healthy once again.
We are so very grateful to everyone involved who followed her story, pledged and donated to her many medical fundraisers and rallied around a senior neglected Boxer who's name inspired all of us to remember her forever as a Lady.
We were also told that her sweet furchild Colton who is 4 years old wanted to be with her when it was time for her to go to sleep and he talked to her and petted her until she was gone. We will be forever grateful to the love that was shown to this regal girl right up until the very end.
Lady Bug Run free and carefree and play until you see your Mom once more and this time it will be forever.
Lola
Heaven has another angel
Lola 11/1/15
Lola was saved from Craigslist 4 1/2 years ago, she was advertised as being in her fourth home and they locked her in their condo bathroom when they went to work and she had started barking and tearing up the walls. They were scared to walk her as she had started to become dog selective while with them for only a month and their comment was please come and get her, so I drove to Tacoma, WA and picked her up. She literally jumped right into the back of my Volvo. She stayed temporarily at a local acquaintances home for a few weeks and then that started to be too much for her and the only option was to bring her to my home and see if the rescue would make an appointment to temp test her.
The rescue group came but their temp testing style was not one I’d ever seen and Lola acted accordingly and they declined to take her. This left me with a dog that had been moved around from home to home with no real positive dog interaction and she was thought to be around 9 years old. It was not smooth sailing at my home as I already had an elderly dog selective male GSD/mix. This was my first foray into “dog rescue” and I had my hands very full with Lola, Wylie and Lilly. Sadly a few weeks into this arrangement Wylie had a very sudden Grand Mal Seizure after struggling with degenerative myelopathy for over two years and a few days later we laid him to rest.
It was now just Lola and Lilly and that still presented challenges at times. Over the next few months and years they had some disagreements and seemed to get through those move on and bond closer, there were set backs from time to time but we took those in stride.
We brought Charlie home during this time and they became fast friends and I called them the three Amigos! There was just one scolding that Lola gave him when he put his sweet big face in her food bowl and he was like hey HBIC it's cool:-)
Lola loved little dogs, and we ended up fostering three during her time with us and it was a hoot to watch her bring out her “Momma Bear” side and scold them when she had enough. One little man we brought in very sick and we named him Rebel he was from Orange County Shelter and she instinctively knew how badly off he was and she kept very close to him. Rebel eventually got better and was able to find his very own home of his own many months later.
We recently brought in a JR named Jack Sparrow from a California Shelter and she loved playing with him. We also brought in many temp fosters over the years and a very under socialized female Belgian Malinois named Katie from Orange County Shelter who also eventually grew on Lola and we were able to also find Katie her forever home.
Over the past few years Lola had started to have small seizures not many at first but this past few months they had seemed to come more frequently, we went to the vet more often to discuss types of treatments and or what to be concerned about and what not to be.
On Halloween night she had a normal seizure or so I thought, this one Lola did not recover from. It was no different in duration or in the events surrounding it except she seemed to have either had a stroke or a heart attack or both during this event that I later became aware of during the course of the evening. I looked deep into her eyes, soul and heart and knew in my heart that she wasn’t going to recover and she seemed worried and very non responsive, I held her throughout the evening and called the ER vet to let them know we would be there close to 7:00am.
It’s so hard to feel such a strong willed girl surrendering her will to be here on earth and she crawled into my lap on her blankets with her paws on me looking at me while I told her to run free like the wind whole and healthy again and to wait for me at The Bridge. Lola took a few very deep breaths, sighed and left us at 8:01am. Lola would have celebrated her 14th Birthday in 2016, but that wasn’t meant to be here on earth.
I will never forget Lola and everything she taught me good and bad but mostly that all animals deserve to be loved and have a home where they receive love. I smile knowing Charlie was there to greet her and take care of her until we can all see each other once more.