Dante AKA Jack
Dear Jack, I will miss you so very much. Thank you for coming into our lives. Your mama picked you because you were so beautiful and showed you were smart. You were a special wedding gift to your daddy, our future police officer. You scared us with your strange habit of picking up ALL small dogs like they were your puppy. The small dog owners just could not understand that your massive mouth was not hurting their brainless twit of a dog. Your mama protected you from that stupid woman that hit you on the head. What a stupid person to hit a huge German Shepherd on the head. Your mama protected you, sure she had to tackle you to the ground and lay on top of you, but the woman and her stupid little dog left. You had such a tender heart and this sense of when to be gentle. Thank you for your concern to my Trooper. You knew he was hurt before he even moved. Just a sniff and then you went and cried to mama to tell her to do SOMETHING. You could be running full bore in my yard and stop as soon as you saw Trooper. You did not want to hurt him. Thank you for protecting my family and home when you visited. You made sure you laid down where you could see both doors. You also thought I was sleeping when you made your nightly rounds to make sure we humans were all in bed where we were supposed to be. I will never forget the very human expression you gave me when I stepped on the treadmill for the hour long walk. It was clearly, "What the H-- are you doing on that thing... GET OFF!! but I did not get off, so you proceeded to lie down and stare at my feet until I was done. Thank you for your help on your mama and daddy's wedding day. No one knew.... My back was trying to go out when you stepped into my room and let me lean on you for quite a while. It was just what I needed to relax the back spasms and enjoy the best day ever!! When you visited me, you never were more than arms length from me. Now I am no longer afraid of Shepherds and knew this was the kind of service dog for me. Your presence in my life will eventually give back soo much freedom I have lost in the last 9 years. Thank you Jack. Say hi to Great Grandpa. Gramma Kelly C.

Keyush
Sweet KK (Keyush) came to us from a rural shelter in the south. He was terribly emaciated, recovering from Heartworm, beaten and battered. He was a very smart boy who loved to cuddle and give plenty of kisses. We will never fully understand what happened to KK before we saved him but whatever it was, it was just too much for him to take. We will miss you forever little boy. You found your place in our hearts and your memory is burned in our soul.

Ivy
Ivy Ivy spent a year with our family and probably thought of us, not as her foster family, but her forever family. Two times she was adopted and two times she was returned. She just didn’t like those two places! So she came back to us and you could just see her smile and relax when she returned home. She came to us last June. She had stitches on her belly and eyelids, very underweight and had hip problems. She had gone through two surgeries before she even got to us! On a visit to the vet, it was discovered she had heartworm. Just another blow to this sweet dog. She endured the harsh treatment with a smile on her face. As sick as she was, and with strict instructions to not let her run around, she would still sneak outside and chase a squirrel or two before we could reign her in. She never complained about anything. After she got the all clear from her treatment, she started having issues with her bladder….we had a whole shelf of medications that she loved to take….as long as they were buried in peanut butter….her favorite snack! Ivy loved her walks. If she saw someone going towards the door, this gentle giant would stand and face the door just waiting for that longed for walk. She never pulled at her leash but just trotted along, as happy as could be, despite her sore hips. Her tail would just swing back and forth and you would think that she hadn’t a care in the world. Upon returning home, she would get a long drink of water and climb up on her favorite spot….the couch. We gave up trying to move her. It became her space. Even when she was sick, she would place herself between anyone she thought was a threat and our family. One time, when one of my children’s friends was dropping something off later in the evening, Ivy heard him in the kitchen and cornered him while he screamed for my daughter and until my husband and I came tearing down the stairs to see what the commotion was about. Little did this friend know that Ivy wouldn’t hurt a sole. When our grandson came for a visit, he loved climbing all over her and she never made a sound in protest. However, every once in awhile, when we had another foster dog that was annoying, Ivy always put them in their place with a quick head turn and bark. Ivy was the most loving, gentle dog, who greeted everyone with licks and tail wags. She didn’t deserve all that life dealt her but our family was so happy to have been part of her life for the year we had her and cried many tears when she became so ill that we couldn’t help her anymore. She went over the rainbow bridge with her favorite foster sister and mom holding and petting her as she regally laid her head down and quietly went to sleep for the last time. She will always be remembered and the time we had her cherished forever. We hope you are having fun chasing those squirrels up there Ivy.

Raven, formerly known as Gunner
In June of 2007, my boyfriend and I adopted a baby hound mix pup from your rescue who at the time had the name Gunner. We ended up renaming him Raven. On November 5, 2009 we lost our best friend to a congenital heart condition. It all happened so fast, and at the time we did everything we could to save him. After going through a blood transfusion and then draining fluid from around his heart, Raven went into cardiac arrest and the U of M doctors were unable to save him. We continue to miss him every day and his urn and pictures of him through out our house remind us how much he meant to us. In honor of Raven, we adopted a redbone coonhound mix and have fallen in love with him so much already. Thank you for adopting a dog to us that gave us so much joy in his short life. He impacted my entire family's life more than he will ever know. Raven was the center of our world and some days are still so difficult. Thanks for all you do in finding dogs loving homes. If not for you, we would have never met "the best dog ever".

Butch
Butch was found one morning waiting on someones doorstep when they went to put their kids on the school bus. He was just looking for some good food and a warm place to lay his head.They wanted to make sure he stayed safe so they called animal control to come get him and he was brought to the pound. He was very underweight, but he was so sweet. He loved everyone there including the clinic cats. He was very gentle and just full of life, even though he was around 8-9yrs old. We were able to find him a wonderful foster home with another dog to play with and his very own little girl to love. His foster family gave him lots of love and good food, and even a warm spot on the couch that he loved to sleep on. He had the life he always dreamed about! He loved his home and his new family with all of his heart and soul. Sadly he crossed the rainbow bridge on 2-13-2010, but was in the only place he would have wanted to be, with his family. Thanks for being such an amazing dog, Butch, we will all miss you until we meet again.