Blake came to us in September 2008 from a shelter in OH. Upon arrival, he spent a full day with our vets, who determined his age to be 10-13 years old, diagnosed him with Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
http://neuro.vetmed.ufl.edu/neuro/DM_Web/DMofGS.htm, arthritis and confirmed that Blake was Heartworm positive, Stage 4. Blake had not been well taken care of in his earlier life.
The slow kill method for Heartworm was not making it any better and our vets believed he was not a candidate of the injection therapy, along with this and the DM and arthritis, Blake was becoming more uncomfortable as time went on, even though he was on pain killers and supplements. His coughing increased, and he began to tire out more easily than before. He would fall and need help getting back up, and some days, all he wanted to do was sleep all day. Blake did not trust easily, and in the 4 months he was with us, we tried very hard to help him understand that we were not here to hurt him. He clearly did not have the best life before he came here. Through all of his pain and fear though, he did want so much to be loved and give love in return. He wanted to trust, he wanted to be part of a family. As much as his spirit wanted to go on, his body couldn't, and on Feb. 28th, 2009 Blake went on to Rainbow Bridge, and took a piece of our hearts with him. He helped to remind us the power of perseverance, love, patience, and most of all, simple kindness. I learned from him to find the strength against the odds to go on when it is thought impossible and to always listen to my heart. Blake-we love you and you will never be forgotten.
Your forever family,
Danielle, Mike, and Brianna
So this is where we part, My Friend,
and you'll run on, around the bend,
gone from sight, but not from mind,
new pleasures there you'll surely find.
I will go on, I'll find the strength,
life measures quality, not its length.
One long embrace before you leave,
share one last look, before I grieve.
There are others, that much is true,
but they be they, and they aren't you.
And I, fair, impartial, or so I thought,
will remember well all you've taught.
Your place I'll hold, you will be missed,
the fur I stroked, the nose I kissed.
And as you journey to your final rest,
take with you this...I loved you best.
~Unknown~
The BDBH Volunteers and Board of Directors would like express their heartfelt thanks to the following people who gave so generously to Quent and BDBH:
Christopher Rodler - Quent's Forever Foster Dad and BDBH Volunteer
Christine Holmes - Forever Friend to Rose and her Hannah Banana (surviving well with Mega-E)
David and Kathy Mallory - BDBH Volunteers
Price Jones - Quent's temporary foster mom
The Hunt Family - Forever Family of BDBH's Gracie
Heather Allen, D.V.M
and the entire staff of All Creatures Animal Hospital, E. Amherst, NY
and City Creatures Animal Hospital, Buffalo, NY
REST IN PEACE MY SWEET QUENT
It is with Heavy Heart and many tears, that my Sweet Boy Quent has gone to the Rainbow Bridge. Life teaches us some Harsh Lessons...
If we never felt Sadness, we wouldn't know Happiness,
If we didn't feel Anger, we may never know Forgiveness,
If we never shed a Tear, we may never hear Laughter
If we never faced Defeat, we wouldn't know Victory
Unfortunately I am feeling all the sadness, anger, tears and defeat. Rescue is "usually" about the Victories, the undoing of the injustices these animals endure. Today we have to experience the other side of Rescue. I question why Quent had to make the Long Journey, why such a Beautiful, Confident, Proud pup was dealt this awful hand. In the midst of all his pain and all he had gone through, he convinced me that he had the Will to Live, unfortunately his Body just was not strong enough. Through all this, he was a Fighter, a True Champion. He gave more to me than I could ever give to him. Always with Brightened Eyes when he saw me and a wag of his tail he looked passed his own pain just to feel the comfort of a hug, a warm hold. There was a reason he was sent, not sure why he was taken. I pray he passed knowing how much I loved him, how important he was to me and this world. He journeyed to his FOREVER HOME where he knew Love......He found his Forever Mom and his Forever Dad, Chris
Hopefully soon my heart will soften the sadness, forget the anger, stop the tears, and be able accept the challenges of defeat.
Rest in Peace my sweet Quent, Guard the Gates for Big Dogs, Big Hearts....
until we meet again, You will Never Be Forgotten
Love Always,
Your Forever Mom Rose
We lost Miranda 05/13/09 during emergency exploratory surgery for complications from her spay earlier this week. At this point, we do not know for certain what occurred, we do know her bloodwork did not show anything of concern.
It had been almost two months, since a local AC officer in TN called Price and he was trying to catch a GSD, so she ran up to help. After an hour plus of trying, Price was able to get a slip lead on a thin 2-3 year old sable girl. Price thinks she wanted to get caught. Price believed she had had pups that she recently weaned and she thought she had an umbilical hernia. She was held at the shelter for 5 days, no one came looking for her and she was released to Price and Price asked BDBH to commit to her.
Price named her Miranda!
Miranda was beautiful, sweet, shy girl who was just starting to enjoy her life.
Our hearts ache for Miranda and for Price, who saved her and helped her know love and security from a human. Please keep them both in your thoughts.
Rest in peace sweet Miranda.
Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears, but laugh And talk of me as if I were beside you. I loved You so— ‘twas heaven here with you.
Isla Paschal Richardson
Life is never easy, and sometimes it’s never fair.
Decisions are hard, decisions are followed by what ifs,
And sometimes the answer is always up in the air.
Rescue is all about going in blind, giving a chance and taking a risk to save a life.
You pray and you hope all will go well, and a happy ending will result.
Unfortunately, rescue is also reality and sometimes reality is tough.
Understanding and accepting not all can be saved and not all can be rehabilitated.
Sometimes the scars are just too deep to overcome, the damage is too far done.
Safety becomes a factor, liability becomes a factor, fairness becomes a factor.
And when all options have been expressed, letting go is the fairest option of all.
BDBH’s made the difficult decision to let our BlackJack (BJ) go to the bridge on 10/16/2009. BJ left us in the arms of his loving foster parents. When we okayed our commitment to BJ almost 4 months ago, none of us knew we’d be facing such a decision. But over time, BJ showed he had some issues that we needed to address. His foster mom was concerned and reached out for help. BJ saw two different qualified trainers whom have both dealt with their share of dogs with aggression issues and he moved to one of our experienced foster homes. Our concern for BJ continued to grow when BJ continued to show aggression to those he knew and trusted. We didn’t understand why BJ reacted in such ways, with sudden outbursts of aggression that weren’t predictable and his triggers weren’t anything obvious. We had to ask ourselves how we could adopt out a dog in time that continued to show aggression to those he loved and trusted with no rhythm or reason. After much discussion and professional evaluation, we felt the fairest and safest answer was to humanely euthanize BJ. All of us at BDBH’s are saddened by this decision and it is never a decision any of us in rescue want to make be it a behavior or health reason. BJ was a sweet older man at heart, he loved attention, loved to play and had his way of worming himself into the hearts of those who knew him. He did a happy dance when his foster mom came home from work and so wanted to be a good dog. And he was. Somewhere down the road, something went wrong, but BJ couldn't talk and BJ can’t tell us why he felt the need to remain on defense and explode at times the way he did. BJ is now free from whatever held him back. RIP BlackJack, you touched many and will not be forgotten.
RIP Fyurie October 27, 2009
A life cut short,
no time to live and learn,
barely a chance to see the world,
but held tight to a caring heart,
during those last hours,
makes a memory forever,
and a peaceful goodbye,
that's what love is and you were loved.
Fyurie was one of BDBH's youngest rescues at only 3 weeks old. He had just arrived from North Carolina with his 5 other siblings (our F litter) after their mom had died and they were going to be euthanized. Fyurie was not in good shape and his foster mom who has much experience with orphaned puppies worked very hard that night to bring him back but he was too far gone. Fyurie died at 11pm the night he arrived in NY from aspiration pneumonia. Fyurie was with us for less than 5 hours but will remain in our hearts, we all wish he had a happier ending to a life that hadn't even started yet. RIP sweet Fyurie.
Fenway left us very suddenly early morning of December 30, 2009. Our sweet girl was up and doing what puppies do best, running around, playing and being super cute. She suddenly stopped, laid down and didn't wake up. Her loving foster parents did puppy CPR to try and revive her but she was gone. Fenway was a young healthy puppy, necropsy done by one of our rescue veterinarians showed no reason that would explain what happened. Sometimes bad things that have no reason or explanation happen and we can't stop them. With heavy hearts and sadness, we have to accept that it was Fenways time, for whatever reason. She joins her brother Fyurie whom we lost just hours after arriving at BDBH's with his siblings and their mom whom we never met. Their small family is now together at Rainbow Bridge. RIP Fenway, many hearts were touched by her in the rescue as well as her loving family that was ready to take her home and give her a loving home for life. Our deepest sympathies go out to them as well as her caring foster family.
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart(s) that we write another email like this again and so soon.
Lexus started showing signs of bloat late New Years Eve. We rushed her to the emergency vet, where they took her right back for radiographs which showed she had indeed bloated and even worse torisoned. BDBH's sweet Lexus went to the bridge last night around 10:45 PM on New Years Eve. Lexus would have been 8 years old in February.
Lexus came to us last year as an owner surrender because her elderly owner was going into assisted living. She fostered with Kathy Boone, had KCS repair surgery (dry eye) and adopted out a bit later. Lexus was unfortunately returned in August 2009 and fostered with Darcy and Michael for almost a month before she joined Brett and myself. We had some ups and downs while we got into routine and got to know each other. Her KCS caused her to need eye meds multiple times a day. She was a real trooper through having her eyes medicated up to 4 times a day and rarely complained. She had severe arthritis in both knees with possible ACL tears. She was quite an anxious dog for some time as well. Once we got her pain under control with medication and put her on Clomicalm to help her anxiety, she really blossomed. She was able to truly relax like we
hadn't seen before, would go out and enjoy a nice romp
with the rest of our dogs and not
come in lame. She was quite the spunky girl and she
grew on us very fast. Knowing Lexus was most likely
a forever foster, she became one of our own dogs to us.
We will miss her greatly. She was a sweetheart and
had a lot of love to give. My most recent happy memory
of her is after Christmas, we went and bought the dogs
some new toys, one being a yellow rubber chicken.
Lexus adored it. Most waking moments in the house,
she had it. In the mornings when we woke up and came
downstairs, she'd be waiting with the chicken in her
mouth.
RIP Lexus, you touched many hearts and will be missed.
We thought that fostering a litter of five German Shepherd puppies would be a fun adventure. While there were happy times with the "C" litter, Tim and I knew from the start that there was just something that was not quite right with Carmen. Carmen made the long trip with her mom and four other siblings from Greenville, Kentucky. This poor litter had a hard start to life and it was a constant up hill battle for all of them.
Carmen was the smallest of the litter and from the start we had been told that she was potentially blind. Carmen always kept to herself, and was not very active. Within a few days, we knew that there was far more going on heath wise with Carmen. On Wednesday morning Carmen began having what we thought to be seizures. By the afternoon we had her in our vets office and we heard the horrible word...Distemper. While we were not positive at that time if Carmen had Distemper we knew that this sweet little soul was suffering horrible seizures every 45 minuets. It was with a heavy heart that we knew it was best to let Carmen go to the Rainbow Bridge. While our Wednesday afternoon was terrible, Tim spent some special time with Carmen Wednesday morning and that is the memory that we will always keep of sweet little Carmen.
Fragile Circle
We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached.
Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way.
We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan.
--Irving Townsend
Our sweet big boy Ranger went to the bridge yesterday 2/20/2010 around 11:30 am. Ranger was sick Friday sometime during the day with very acute vomiting that we discovered when we came home at 5pm and just feeling blah but it was not bloat. We talked with the vet over the phone and got instructions to give medications, withhold food/water and let his stomach settle down. Around 10 Friday night he seemed a bit better, resting and vomitting had stopped. I checked him on and off all night and he was always resting in his crate. He was still very off- lethargic and painful at 6 when we got up Saturday morning, so we called the vet as soon as they opened and got him in. Right before we left, he had bloody diarrhea in his crate. We rushed off to the vet and in 30 minutes to get there he went into shock. The vets immediately got fluids going and got on the phone with the emergency vet to get him transferred over there, we just needed to try and bring him out of shock before we got him back in the car.
Once we got to the emergency vet they took him right back and got to work and ran multiple tests. Nothing was really adding up at all. Xrays and ultrasound showed possible mass in abdomen but they wouldn't know for sure without opening him up and they could not stabilize him- they tried for 4 hours while running tests. He continued to go downhill and was dying despite efforts to stabilize him and knowing he would not survive the surgery, we made the decision to let him go.
A lot of hearts were broken yesterday, not just mine as his foster mom or everyone in the rescue as caring people but also his potential adoptive family whom was waiting for him to come out yesterday afternoon for their home visit and to meet their dogs. The two young kids were so beyond excited and I know they are heartbroken and can't understand why. I myself can't even understand why. This was so extremely acute and sudden onset, there was no warning. I saved this boy from euthanasia 5 weeks back as I felt he wasn't the dog people were making him out to seem and having a soft spot for the big black male dogs, I wanted to give him a chance. And I'm so happy I did, he was an amazing dog, so easy and laid back yet very loving and playful.
Our precious will be given the name Avari which means "of the heavens".
Rest in peace little one....you were loved greatly, by many, if only for a short time
In memory of Blitzen, a BDBH puppy who was found in a field in DeKalb, GA as a stray, with his mom and siblings. Blitzen became an innocent victim of Parvovirus, a deadly disease to puppies, and just couldn't pull through treatment. He left for the rainbow bridge on 12/22/10
"You came to me in your time of need
Starved bitten and beaten
You ate the offered food with grace
Drinking deep of the cool clear water
Barking under a gentle caress
Then slept upon a soft warm bed
How sad the news that you were too ill
To live without harsh suffering
Or the ability to enjoy all that a puppy might do
So I held you close, washing you with tears
And told you of a place called Heaven
Where you will once again be whole and well
I’m only mortal and the decision hit hard
To let you suffer or send you to God
He cares for you now, this I know for sure
Then when the day comes when I too face God
I'll look for you at his side
So I may stroke your fur once more
And see you whole and well. "
- author unknown
Rest In Peace Sweet Baby Blitzen.
May you have a forever home here and be considered a forever member of our pack where you will be forever loved and never forgotten. Life is too short sometimes....
Love your forever family- Sharon, Ashley & the pack
This is in memory of baby Vixen. Poor Vixen, at only 8 weeks old, after being found in a field and pulled from a shelter in GA with his family, lost his battle to parvo, as did his brother Blitzen. He was a fighter but just couldn't hold on. We made the decision to send baby Vixen to the rainbow bridge on 12/26/10 (the day after Christmas), to relieve him from his suffering. Run Free Vixen.
"A pet is such a special friend,
A friend in many ways.
Sharing love and companionship,
Just looking for your praise.
The clever things they often do
Bring a smile to your face;
And so to them I dedicate,
This small but special place... "
Baby Vixen will have a forever resting place in our home with our pack. He is loved and will never be forgotten. Thank you to all who helped us to try to get him through this. It means a lot to us all.
Love Sharon, Ashley & the pack
Bogie was picked up as a stray....so young to be out there all alone. Taken
to a local shelter and rescue stepped in.
Bogie came to me, a happy, bouncing 3 month old puppy with his whole life
ahead of him.
Too Cute, Beyond Words, loveable and just a sweet furball. Unfortunately a
sad lesson, we see so often in rescue, is that his previous owners neglected to
vaccinate their pup against Parvo and his life taken by this.
Though Bogie was only with us for a short time, he made a Lasting Impression
in our Hearts and he was able to know how much he was loved.
Keep your face always towards the sunshine- and the shadows will fall behind
you
Rest in Peace, Sweet Bogie
Meeka was with us for a short time but will have an ever lasting place in our hearts. Meeka was just five years old and had spent all of her life outside. Since she was with us for just a short period of time not many people were able to get the opportunity to meet the most wonderful, tolerant, sweet, and goofy dog ever. For those that did not get to meet Meeka she was an absolute gem in our home. She was curious but happy to be in a home. She had an opportunity to know what it felt like to be a real dog. Meeka joined into our pack as if she had been with them forever, she wanted to play, loved to make sure the backyard was squirrel free and even par-took in some hole digging activities. There is one trait of Meekas' that we will never forget: Meeka LOVED to rub on any and every bit of clothing (clean or dirty), pillow, or blanket. She loved to carry her item to a spot and make it her own. She never ripped or tore anything just loved to roll around and be a total goof with whatever she had.
Meeka, we are so sorry that we were not with you during your last minutes here. We can only hope that with the short time you spent with us you knew what if felt like to be loved, to have a full belly, a comfy and clean space to sleep and a family who truly loved you.
We would like to give a special thank you to all of the BDBH volunteers who helped Meeka to be as comfortable as possible, tried as hard as they could to help Meeka, and made sure that she was never alone.
We would also like to thank all of the staff at Lollypop Farm who went above and beyond to help Meeka in her time of need.
Also, a special thank you to Dr. G. at Mendon Village Animal Hospital who helped in any way possible.
I can strongly say that I will never have another Dakota ;and she can not be replaced. She just knew what I wanted from her, no obedience training and she passed the Canine Good Citizens with no problem!! My nursing home folks are so sad at her loss and she is missed by so many people. She made more of an impression and impact in the 2 years we had her then many people make in a life time!! She was so special to each member of our family and made us feel like "we" each one was her special owner, she would roller blade with one, run with another, sit up when another was reading, and be my husband's AM walking partner and my "nursing home" working partner. My Ivana, (eskimo) is also upset and not eating or behaving as usual; as is our cat Snickers. Our whole house is distraught. She was truly one of a kind. Now that I am sobbing uncontrollable I better end this...
Love,
Mom, Dad & the boys
RIP 7/2011 Loved very much by her adoptive family
Roxy was such a special, sweet girl who will forever be missed. She was diagnosed with a condition called Mega-Esophagus, and her mom was working two jobs, and couldn’t give her the time she needed to help stabilize her condition. She asked Big Dogs Big Hearts to help find Roxy her forever home. I took her in as her foster dad, and together we figured out a feeding schedule to cope with her condition. Roxy was forever determined to prove to everyone that her condition would not slow her down, and she did just that. They only time Rox slowed down was when she was sleeping. She was full of life, and truly changed me as a person forever. Roxy did find her forever home and spread her joy to another family, but unfortunately for only a few short months. It is with a heavy heart that we had to say goodbye to our baby Roxy at such a young age, after she was tragically hit by a car. Roxy, you were loved by so many, and will never, ever be forgotten. We all love you so much, and can’t wait to see you again.
We who choose to surround ourselves
with lives even more temporary than our
own, live within a fragile circle;
easily and often breached.
Unable to accept its awful gaps,
we would still live no other way.
We cherish memory as the only
certain immortality, never fully
understanding the necessary plan....
Dear Buckley - we do not know the lesson that you were sent to teach us. Maybe
it was different for each of us. You were loved and you will be remembered. We
will think of you often.
NATIVE AMERICAN PRAYER
I give you this one thought to keep --
I am with you still –
I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow, I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning’s hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not think of me as gone
I am with you still – in each new dawn
"He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.) When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant. His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me... whenever... wherever - in case I need him. And I expect I will - as I always have. He is just my dog."
- Gene Hill
RIP 11/2012, Loved very much by his adoptive dad Steve
The Messenger
Copyright Jim Willis 2001
I dreamed I came upon a meadowsunlit and fragrant, a small dog at my side. As we walked on in silence I saw across the blue ribbon of a river, a field, where animal spirits licked the morning dew from brilliant poppies...basked in sunshine...batted at butterflies.
"Is this Heaven?" I asked. He nodded yes and as we rounded a bend in the path, I saw ahead a wondrous garden surrounded by a halo of mist, where animals and children lay among the flowers.
Cool breezes rustled leaves and over all hung an aura of beauty and peace.
"Is this Heaven, too?" I asked. "An honored place," he said, "for those who lived a Hell on Earth - who died of neglect, torture, unloved, unwanted and abandoned."
We walked on until we came to a precipice that overlooked a dark canyon. Lightning crashed above the horizon and illuminated iron prisons on the desert floor. I heard the wails of captive men, the screams of women imploring for water, railing against the absence of Light amidst an acrid smoke.
Before I could ask he answered, "These were their tormentors."
We continued solemnly until the sound of laughter and music greeted us, and we came upon a village square, where carefree women, children and men played at games, or walked arm in arm.
"They are happy," I said. He agreed and replied, "These were their rescuers. They are blessed above all."
I spent time among them until I awoke, bathed in a new peace. For whatever this Earthly day may bring, I knew that no wrongful deed goes unpunished, nor is any saving grace without its reward.
I hugged my small dog closer to my chest and blessed him as a messenger of truth and love.
