Today We Rescued Your Dog
by Pat Closher
Today we rescued your dog. We don’t know where you got him from - maybe you saw him in a pet store window or maybe one of your neighbors bred a few litters a year just to make some vacation money or because they loved their dogs so much that of course they wanted to have puppies. We don’t know much about how you cared for him either, although our vet thought that for such a young dog, his teeth were in pretty bad shape.
by Pat Closher
Today we rescued your dog. We don’t know where you got him from - maybe you saw him in a pet store window or maybe one of your neighbors bred a few litters a year just to make some vacation money or because they loved their dogs so much that of course they wanted to have puppies. We don’t know much about how you cared for him either, although our vet thought that for such a young dog, his teeth were in pretty bad shape.
Did you know they were going to keep him outside? At least it was a pretty mild winter. There were no heavy snows, not much heavy winter rain and only a few days of bitter cold. But for all of those weeks he had no companionship, no care, and no love.
For some reason, your grandparents took him to the shelter. Maybe a neighbor complained about him or maybe their own health gave out or maybe they just got tired of him. You know the local shelter is a kill shelter, don’t you? You know that their own statistics indicate that about half of the dogs that enter are killed, don’t you? Maybe your grandparents thought he would be adopted quickly. He is a purebred, after all. No one was interested in him, though, maybe since he’s an adult dog and not a cute little puppy. No one contacted the purebred rescue group either. They probably would have placed him quickly, since he really is a great boy. The shelter is a clean place and they take good care of the dogs. They get good food and they’re bathed and brushed. It’s still a shelter though, and is noisy and chaotic and frightening. He spent two months there in that confusion, away from everyone and everything he had known.
One day, we saw him on the shelter web site. We called and asked about him. The shelter workers were so happy to hear from us and were delighted to agree to bring him to a local pet store where they do adoptions. Do you want to know why they were so accommodating? He was scheduled to be killed that afternoon. He didn’t know that, but the shelter workers certainly did. It hurt them and he felt that, so he knew something was wrong. All of a sudden, though, the shelter workers were happy and excited and so was he. They bathed him and brushed his coat. We think they probably told him this was it - his big chance, or maybe he just knew it somehow. When we met him, we all fell in love.
He had to go to the vet to be neutered, of course, but then he came home. He has his very own 13 year-old boy. You know, it’s almost like watching one of those old Lassie movies, seeing how well they’ve bonded. He’s got good food and his own toys. He’s taken on walks three times a day, is regularly groomed and is taken to the vet for needed care. We’ll be with him always, even if we have to make that last, difficult decision, because, you see, he is our dog and we are his family.
He has a good heart you know, but then he is a dog, so that’s to be expected. He’s probably forgiven you and, with a dog’s grace, doesn’t even remember you dumped him. He’d probably even be willing to greet you at the Rainbow Bridge. But you know what? He’ll greet us and go with us at the Bridge, and then he’ll be with us forever, because he’s our dog and we’re his family.
The way we heard the story, you moved out of state and didn’t want to take him with you. You left him at your grandparents. Maybe you thought a lively, handsome dog was just the thing for them, and under better circumstances it might have been. Maybe they have been cleaning up your messes for your entire life and an unwanted dog was just another mess to clean up.One day, we saw him on the shelter web site. We called and asked about him. The shelter workers were so happy to hear from us and were delighted to agree to bring him to a local pet store where they do adoptions. Do you want to know why they were so accommodating? He was scheduled to be killed that afternoon. He didn’t know that, but the shelter workers certainly did. It hurt them and he felt that, so he knew something was wrong. All of a sudden, though, the shelter workers were happy and excited and so was he. They bathed him and brushed his coat. We think they probably told him this was it - his big chance, or maybe he just knew it somehow. When we met him, we all fell in love.
He had to go to the vet to be neutered, of course, but then he came home. He has his very own 13 year-old boy. You know, it’s almost like watching one of those old Lassie movies, seeing how well they’ve bonded. He’s got good food and his own toys. He’s taken on walks three times a day, is regularly groomed and is taken to the vet for needed care. We’ll be with him always, even if we have to make that last, difficult decision, because, you see, he is our dog and we are his family.
He has a good heart you know, but then he is a dog, so that’s to be expected. He’s probably forgiven you and, with a dog’s grace, doesn’t even remember you dumped him. He’d probably even be willing to greet you at the Rainbow Bridge. But you know what? He’ll greet us and go with us at the Bridge, and then he’ll be with us forever, because he’s our dog and we’re his family.
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The four of you quickly captured a place in our hearts after bringing you into our home to foster. Knowing it is not easy caring for such young ones as you were, we never thought twice about it. Never thinking you would be with us for such a short period of time. Losing the four of you broke our hearts, but knowing you are now in a better place eases the terrible hurt we have because we know someday we can love and play with ya'll once again. You are truly missed and will always hold a special place in our hearts.
Love Your Foster Mom & Dad,
Charlotte & Ronnie
Dash came into our lives in August 2006, he was my wedding present from my husband. We drove from College Station down to Houston the Saturday after we were married to pick out a dog. Marsh and Mellow were siblings but completely different personalities. We were drawn to Marsh and decided to adopt him. On the way home we went back and forth on names eventually settling on Dash. We named him such due to his abundance of energy, just like the little boy in the Incredibles. By the time we arrived back in College station my hair was plastered to my face and I had to use a half box of Q-tips to clean all the slobber out of my ears. We and our families fell in love with him instantly, it was hard not to smile at him, he was always up to something. Eventually we moved from College Station to Conroe for my job and Harley joined the family. Then we moved down to Spring to be closer to Bill’s school. He handled each move well, as long as there was food to eat he was home. He didn’t bat an eye when we had Hurricane Ike and had to spend a week at grandma and grandpa’s house. Bill and I realized then how big a part of our family both dogs were, the house felt empty without them. I still remember the look Dash gave me when I tried to get him to go out and potty during the storm, the “are you nuts lady?!?!” look, but he did it. Then we added our own human kid to the mix. Dash was soooo curious about Ethan when he was born, he couldn’t keep his head out of the way, always sniffing and checking. Whenever Ethan would move it would startle Dash so much he would knock furniture over. As Ethan grew and started crawling, walking, and running Dash took it all in stride. He waited patiently for dinner to be over so he could “clean” the high chair. Whenever we went on walks no one was allowed to come near the stroller, he was very protective of his family. My favorite memory of him with Ethan was caught on film by my husband; Ethan, Dash, and Harley all crowded at the front window looking out at the world. I’ll never forget him “fighting” the vacuum, chasing snowflakes and getting overwhelmed, digging in the sandbox and wearing most of it into the house, circling five times before “rolling over,” letting Harley win just so they could keep playing, watching his ears perk when “Bill’s home,” and the way he sounded like a bowling ball flying down the stairs. After seeing three vets and making a very hard decision we had to let him go on January 7th 2012. He got sick pretty quickly, all of his symptoms were linked back to a probably tumor in his brain. We plan to take his ashes out to the farm where all of my families other dogs have been placed so he can be among his kind. I look forward to the greeting we will have at the Rainbow Bridge and know he will be waiting for us. The Shattuck Family
Max came to me in July 2001 as companionship for me and my father who was in the end stages of dementia. Max contributed a lot of happiness to the last months of my father's life and helped me to heal when he died. My first boxer had been put to sleep a year earlier, and both dad and I longed for another boxer face in our lives. I got Max from Sharon at Lone Star.
Max and D Keeping this to memorial length is difficult as we'd rather write a book! My boyfriend DeSha and I often comment that Max was the most amazing dog we've ever been around. He was also the loudest and had the biggest presence. He couldn't sit next to us, he had to sit on us. The amount of time he wanted to spend sitting on us was directly proportionate to the amount of time we had been away from home. Max would wake up in the morning and shake his whole body as he jumped all over the bed. He tried hard to be calm, but he hadn't seen his people in a whole 8 hours (although chances are he was on the bed most of the night)! His snoring and even breathing were so loud that you always knew exactly where he was. His affection knew no bounds, and his expressions were so intelligent. His favorite past times included walks on the Katy Trail or along Turtle Creek, and visits to the neighborhood Starbucks so he could greet his "public". One of the funniest things about him was the things that seemed to be constantly falling from his face like eye boogers, water, slobber and pieces of food. But we learned to love them as they were part of him. We have frequently joked that if he had a business card, his title would be "eye booger manufacturer". Other titles could have been bed warmer/hog, running companion, leg licker, U-dog (given to him by a neighbor's child for the shape his body made when excited), and our favorite nickname, Moo Moo.
I would like to extend a special thank you to Sharon for the wonderful foster home she gave to Max for a year, and also for all of the things she does for boxers every day. We will be back down to Houston sometime this year to add another boxer to the family. We loved Max with all of our hearts and know there will never be another one just like him.
Kara Watson and DeSha Sims
LSBR Archive - 2005
Max and Reba were our Beautiful Boxer littermates. To us, they were our children, and kept us constantly entertained with their antics. We got them when they were 6 weeks old, and even as adults, they still slept intertwined with each other. They loved each other so much, and it was so wonderful to raise them together. One of their favorite things to do was to "GO FOR A RIDE IN THE CAR." We always took them to pick up carpools or wherever we went. It became one of the highlights of their day! It's ironic that they became ill together, both with Cardiomyopathy, and died exactly 7 days apart. It was devastasting to lose them both at the same time, but also comforting to know that they were there for each other, even in death. That helped us tremendously. They will forever be in our hearts!!
Leslie Waxman
LSBR Archive - 2005 and older
On Monday evening, we lost our beloved Maya, a Boxer/Bulldog mix, after 13 wonderful years. First cared for by myself and her mother, Jamie Smith Ellis, in Atlanta, Maya stole our hearts immediately. And while sometimes human-to-human bonds break, and people move onward, Maya never left her mother's side. Throughout the hardest times, Jamie and Maya always could count on each other. Spending the latter part of her life helping her Mom tend to the garden outside her home in Oregon, Maya settled in to her old age and gave those who love her many more years than the average Boxer or Bulldog might. She managed to hold on through a failing liver just long enough to see Mom through her first pregnancy and welcome the latest edition to the Ellis family. "Maya Angel" can now finally relax as her journey is complete. While she has gone on without us, she will always retain a special place in the hearts of those who loved her.
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