TJ
I had never even considered fostering a dog before, but one of the kids came across an ad somewhere of a female needing foster. We were told she wasn't other dog friendly, but we have this other boy coming in and needs a foster. And so it began. We were told you were timid & skiddish, and not so sure how you would be with children, but I agreed. I was emailed a picture that broke my heart. You were chained inside a cage, and looked so scared, but I think what got me was your eyes. Even in that picture, your eyes spoke loud and clear that life had not been kind to you. The day we picked you up, you came right to the kids &I and played in the grass with them. You were so thin, no fur on your beautiful face, and those haunting eyes. Well, needless to say, our family fell in love with you, and couldn't bear to let you go. You were here to stay. You were home for good. As time went on, you acclimated to your new life. The fur grew back on your face, we got you healthy and you gained weight. It was so much fun watching you become more and more confident....in yourself and the world around you. Learning how to just be a dog, learning to play with toys, and I will never forget the first time you realized you had a voice. You let out the biggest bark ever, and then looked around as if to say "who did that?". I watched as slowly you trusted us more and more. Best of all, I watched as slowly the fear left your eyes, and light and love replaced it. I thought you would be with us for a long time to come, but that wasn't meant to be. The day we found out you were sick, it just didn't seem real. We had no choices. We made that appointment, and decided to love you even more up till that day came. We spent all that time taking pictures and just letting you know how loved you were. We were all there with you when you took your last breath, still telling you we loved you as you went. We always said the name TJ stood for Tigger Jumps, because you never stood still. Spend your time jumping your goofy self on the clouds. I know you have the biggest, fluffiest wings wings ever, and I know you know we loved you more than words, and miss you deeply. May you have an unending number of fences to jump over.

Rico
We adopted Rico about 5 years ago when he was roughly 2 years old. He was full of energy and chaos, he pulled on a leash, was a bit out of control and our kids absolutely loved him. They took one look in to those copper eyes and told us we had to pick him. So, we did. And what a great choice that was! Rico was the most wonderful pet our family has ever had. He was lovable, loyal, protective and a complete couch potato. He didn't fetch balls, he didn't hunt, he didn't have any tricks, but he loved to be wherever people were and was a constant presence at our feet at all times. He loved to lay in front of the fire, eat snow, greet us at the door, bark at the delivery men, pick up scraps from the kids, chase squirrels and deer, go on long walks at the park and more than ever he loved a long car ride. Rico left us all too soon. It was a sudden event and one that has been incredibly difficult to process. We only had him 5 short years and we had so much more fun to have with him. But, life threw us a curve ball. We will dearly miss our 'Big Fella' so very much and it hurts to know that we will not see him for some time. We know Rico will never be replaced as he truly was one of a kind. He was a very important part of our family and our house is empty without him. We hope you have found your friends up in Heaven, Rico and are jumping and playing and watching over us with Grandpa Jack. We hope you are sleeping on fluffy clouds and eating bad food and waiting for us to join you someday. We look forward to crossing that bridge with you, buddy. Until then, know you are loved and are always in our hearts. You were an incredible companion and our lives are forever changed because of you. Thank you for all the love you gave us. XOXO.

Buttercup and Corky
I adopted Buttercup from you a few years ago. These are a few pictures of Buttercup & Corky. When we got Buttercup was wining a lot, so I thought she was sad and missed having a friend to play with, So we got Corky about 3 weeks later. Later we found out, she just likes to talk. LOL The day we brought Corky home from MARS, it was love at first site. Buttercup became a mother to Corky. She has been one of the sweetest dogs I've ever had. Never barked and loved everyone. My friend would bring over her dog Makita (who is the size of Corky) for a play date. Makita loved Buttercup so much she couldn't get close enough to her. She would put her head inside of Buttercups mouth. When Buttercup had enough of Makita, she would head-butt her, lol. We have hardwood floors in the entry way and kitchen. Buttercup was deathly afraid to walk on them when we first got her. It didn't take her long to get use to them. We would go up north every weekend in the summer. That was her favorite thing to do. She loved sitting outside and watching all the activities. She also loved to sleep in bed us. The problem with that is she liked to snuggle and couldn't get close enough to you. It made sleeping hard, but she would complain until you picked her up and put her in bed with you. Dec. 11, 2015 we had to put Buttercup to sleep. Her hips were so bad that she was having a hard time getting around. I asked the vet at the beginning of summer when you know it's time to put her down and she said you will know when the time was right. She was correct, we knew. I was glad she was able to make it through the whole summer camping season and I think she missed Corky. We had to put Corky down Nov. 11, 2015. He was chasing a toy on the hardwood floor and slipped and twisted his back. His back got so bad after 3 weeks that he couldn't stand long enough to go potty. He was hurting so much we knew it was time to let put him out of his pain. They both went to McDonald to have a hamburger and ice-cream before going to sleep. It's really quiet at the house now and I really miss them. Corky was my baby. He had to sit on my lap any time I was sitting. Hard to sit and watch TV without him. He was just like a cat. He loved to sit on the back of the couch or chairs. He would go for a ride in the car and would sit on the dashboard until we got back. He also enjoyed sitting on the window ledge so he could see everything going on outside. He was very entertaining to watch. Always playing with something and getting into mischief. When we got Buttercup didn't know how to play with toys, but she liked to watch Corky throw a toy up in the air and play with them. She tried to throw toy up herself but didn't know what was excitement was all about. LOL I really miss my babies. Here's a few pictures of them. They were the love in my life. We were very blessed to have them in our lives even though it was for such a short time.

Ricky now known as Sammy
On May 13, 2009, I adopted my Sammy from MARS. He was about seven years old at the time. It broke my heart when he passed on January 27, 2016. Sammy was always with me and took several trips to Iowa to help me take care of my parents. He was such a wonderful little companion who was happy just being with me. I loved the long walks we took especially in November in the evening when people had put up their Christmas lights. When walking in the field by the pond, he would chase the Canadian Geese barking all the way. It was so difficult letting go of such a wonderful little dog, especially when he gave me a kiss just before he passed. I’m so happy that I told him every single day that I love him…every single day. He will always & forever be in my heart.

Tabby Baby
It was a busy transport night when some veteran fosters arrived to pick up a dog. They had heard from a neighbor that a mother cat had given birth to three kittens and needed help. After dozens of emails, text messages, Facebook and pestering, we were off to rescue this young family. Upon arrival there were only 2 kittens remaining. Bottle feeding began immediately. The tabby kitten was so very tiny. As the days went by her sibling kept growing, while the tiny tabby stayed so very tiny. X-rays at the emergency clinic revealed an inoperable birth defect. In plain terms, all of her insides were in the wrong place. Her diaphragm was not formed properly. The sad truth was that she would not grow because her body was not made to thrive. The kind team at the emergency clinic gently helped her cross the rainbow bridge. In her tiny, short life she left a lasting impact. She lived long enough to know that she was loved, and to know that her little family would be loved and cared for. It was because of rescuers that chose to speak up and act that this family was given a chance. It hurts immensely to say goodbye, but this tiny little life leaves a legacy that will be honored for years to come.