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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Sadie (Fawn) was my first dog. Having grown up with Boxers there was no doubt what kind of dog I would get. My Dad took me to a breeder and bought Sadie for me. She was a perfect dog in every way. She was small for a Boxer but what she lacked in size she made up for in heart. When Sadie was one we decided she needed a playmate. A breeder placed a white Boxer with the agreement that she would be spayed and be spoiled. Angel saw Sadie as her Mom. Where ever Sadie was you would find Angel. Sadie cleaned Angels face till her last day. When Sadie turned 12 her back legs were starting to fail. On March 15, 2004, I called my wonderful vet and he came to my home and while I held Sadie and told her what a wonderful girl she was my vet eased Sadie over to the bridge. Sadie was 12 years and 5 days old. Angel never recovered from Sadie's death. She literally grieved herself to death. We tried to find a dog food she would eat and finally did but at that point she had gone from 60 pounds down to 44 pounds. She had lost her will to live. Angel passed away in her sleep on May 23, 2004. Angel was 11 years and one day old. It broke my heart to lose my girls so close together. It was a huge chapter of my life that has now closed but I am happy that they are together once more.
LSBR Archive - 2004
Sammy was an exceptional Boxer. Our favorite memory of Sammy was at bedtime. He would dance like a whirling Dervish near the cabinet where the dog cookies were kept. He then would run full throttle into his crate, eating the cookie and promptly going to sleep. We loved our “talk” session. All you had to do was give him a rub behind his ears and neck. He would love you back with the most bizarre high and low pitched moaning, then give you “kiss” licks. Sammy could be ferocious when it came to cats and green frogs. Within seconds he could be across our acre after a cat, which he finally learned to leave alone. He promptly disposed of green fogs stuck to the side of the house by squashing them with his nose. When he did not like a command or something you did, he would sit and look at you turning his head back and forth, all the while keeping you in sight. He was always curious about what we were doing. It was a joy to watch him prance with both ears up and head held high as he set out to investigate his world. We miss his active participation and companionship that he brought into our lives. James and Pat Abney
Shortly after we realized that our female Boxer, Maggie, needed a companion, we discovered Lone Star Boxer Rescue (LSBR). LSBR had several Boxers ready for adoption at a local PetSmart the day we met Sartor. Somehow, we knew he was the dog for us as soon as we laid eyes on him. We never could have imagined that this “rough around the edges” dog would add so much to our lives in such a short time. Sartor came to our family in May 2006 and left us too quickly in June 2008. During this time he brought joy to our lives and became a wonderful companion for Maggie. He taught her the one thing we couldn’t, how to be a care-free, honest-to-goodness dog. Besides being loving and goofy, Sartor had a special way of greeting us at the door with the funniest jump and twirl in the air and that will be missed, and never replaced. Sartor had a sweetness and tenderness that he shared with everyone he met, unconditionally. We never knew we could love another dog as much as we love Maggie, but Sartor made it so easy. His passing has left an emptiness in our hearts, but we will remember how wonderful he was for the rest of our lives. Sartors namesake, Dr. Todd Sartor, his staff of caring professionals and the volunteers at LSBR, have also earned a special place in our hearts. Their care and compassion are second to none. We feel blessed to have such wonderful people caring for our family. Sartor, you are forever in our hearts and we know that now you are at peace. We will meet you at that Rainbow Bridge with open arms! Love you always!!! Mom, Dad, Marc, Eric and Maggie
On the weekend of June the 27th my 13 year old dog Sassy stopped eating suddenly. For two days I worried and cried and worried some more. Since our vet did not open until Monday and she was still awake and alert we decided to wait until Monday morning and take her in for an appointment. On Sunday evening, I curled up next to her on the floor and cried into her fluffy coat and while I was holding her, I palpated a large mass in her throat. Being a nurse I started crying harder. I knew in my heart this would not turn out good in the end. Her sister had died two years earlier from cancer and Sassy had out lived all of her siblings. On Monday morning we went to the vet and had the lump and her lymph nodes aspirated. On Wednesday the vet called to confirm what heart already knew, she had lymphoblastic lymphoma. At 13 years old I didn't see the point in spending the small amount of time she had left doing surgery and chemo. So I did what any good mother would do....I spoiled her rotten. She went ever where with me. I took her down to Galveston (her favorite place) to go and play in the sand and the water Your browser may not support display of this image.
She ate any leftovers that we had. I made her homemade dog food with the rotisserie chickens from Walmart. She ate McDonald's and Whataburger. On the morning of July 30 as I was leaving for work, I realized that I couldn't find her. I looked all over the house and then I went out in the back yard. She was laying by the door looking up at me with a sad stare. My heart sank and I knew something was different. She was not laying there on her own free will. I woke my husband and had him bring her in the house. I called my co-workers to tell them I would be late and they told me to stay home and be with my puppy. I made a bed for her on the living room floor and she walked in circles until she finally found a good spot and layed down. I got the pillows off of my bed and laid down right next to her with my arms crossed over her arms and on to her belly, while my two boxers laid down on the other side of me. Together we all fell asleep. Around 9:15 she started twitching and I woke and told her it was OK, her mommy was with her. As I put my face into her belly she took her last breath. I could feel her heart pounding in her chest. As my tears fell down on her, her heart slowly stopped beating. I laid with her and cried for hours. Even though I had known for a month this day would come, it did not make it any easier.
The thought of getting another dog had not crossed my mind. I have Sassy in a box laying next to my bed and I still cry for her all the time. I would like to thank all of the volunteers for all of their help with keeping me informed throughout the week
Thank you,
Laura Sabbe, Clint Hall, Diamond and Ellie
When I first saw Scarlett's picture, I knew I had to foster her. The poor girl had several large mast-cell tumors hanging from her body and was severely emaciated and anemic. What was so amazing though is that in spite of it all she was happy and her tail was constantly wagging.
Once she gained some weight and was no longer quite so anemic, the tumors were removed. We were told that Scarlett would need to be on medication for the rest of her life and that the tumors would likely come back. It was also possible the cancer had started to spread internally. I knew then that I couldn't let her go.
I was lucky enough to have Scarlett with me for five months before she lost the battle. Scarlett died Oct. 26, 2004, exactly four weeks after her foster brother, Jake. It means so much to me that I was able to be with her and tell her how much I loved her in the end.
Scarlett was very special to me and I miss her terribly. She quickly won the hearts of all the people she met -- a testament to what a sweetie she was. Hopefully she and Jake are together, running and playing pain free once again.
Debbie Lon and family
LSBR Archive - 2004
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