Loving Tributes
Every dog touches our lives in countless ways. We are fortunate to know each one of them, to experience the joy they bring us, and recognize the innumerable lessons they teach us.
The time came for them to transition from this life and move on, but they will forever remain in our hearts and minds.
Ranger
4/1995 - 6/2006
Ranger was my heart dog. I know there will never be another like him. Always well behaved and devoted, just like a shepherd. He was gentle and protective. He had 4 years of health issues caused from degenerative myelopathy, but he still managed to get up everyday and lay close to me where ever I was. His life was then taken quickly from bloat and in many ways it was a blessing for us both as I knew he would never be happy once he was unable to walk. I will miss him always .................
Lady
Little Lady was left at TLAC in Austin almost 3 years ago by her caretakers. She was over 10 years old and suffered from terrible skin allergies. At her advanced age and in her condition, the shelter would not be able to adopt her out, and so we brought her into our program.
In foster care, Lady showed herself to be funny and spunky. She was calm and good-natured, except when it came to food, toys and squirrels. All were greatly coveted, and cause to raise a ruckus. :-) She got along with other dogs and was just a happy little girl, sharing her life first with her foster home's older GSD, and then with their young, rambunctious one, with equal acceptance and good humor. Her favorite activity was patrolling the yard, keeping it free of birds and squirrels. She was very good at it. :-)
Then, a few months ago, Lady developed vestibular disease. She recovered, and meds were able to help her with mobility and appetitute issues. Her condition deteriorated over time, though, and the treatment from the vet was having less and less effect - she was struggling to walk, she didn't want to eat, and she just seemed ... miserable. The light had gone from her eyes, and sadly, all agreed it was time to free her from the body which had finally betrayed her. Lady was our foster dog for 2 1/2 years...
Yes, I truly believe there must be squirrels where she is, and I have no doubt Lady is keeping them all at the perimeter. Fly free, sweet girl.
Beringer
1994 - 2006
God saw you getting tired,
and a cure was not to be,
So He put His arms around you.
And whispered, "Come to Me".
With tearful eyes I watched you,
And saw you pass away,
And though I loved you dearly,
I could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
A precious soul at rest.
God broke my heart to prove to me,
He only takes the best.
I love you Beringer, and you will always remain in my heart, forever
The Last Battle
If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done,
For this -- the last battle -- can't be won.
You will be sad I understand,
But don't let grief then stay your hand,
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.
We have had so many happy years,
You wouldn't want me to suffer so.
When the time comes, please, let me go.
Take me to where to my needs they'll tend,
Only, stay with me till the end
And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do to me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I have been saved.
Don't grieve that it must be you
Who has to decide this thing to do;
We've been so close -- we two -- these years,
Don't let your heart hold any tears.
Aero
Greater Houston German Shepherd Dog Rescue
Teddy Bear
Your loving foster named you Teddy Bear. You were one of the sweetest, most affectionate dogs we have taken into our rescue. But you were 10 years old, and too many years of neglect had taken its toll. Yet - for one shining week - you knew you were safe and loved so very much. We were a gift to you and you were an unforgettable gift to us. Illness and a dog attack on you at the shelter took its toll. We couldn't save you, but we will always remember your big luminous brown eyes, your wagging tail telling us you knew we loved you, and your immense strength of spirit and courage. We will see you again Teddy Bear, at the Rainbow Bridge.
Rex
REX (Tristan) - Rest in peace beautiful boy. Your spirit is free from all you had to go through. You never got to have the life we were trying to give you, but you will never be forgotten and we will see you again someday. At least now you know safety and love. February, 2009
Buntz
Ever sweet, Ever Loyal
No heart like yours shall I ever know again
A friend thru years of ages
Faithful to master, property and friends
We’ve sent you to play and wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge.
Listen for me. Look for me, because… “Pappa will come for you at the end”
Kylie
When I first went to just "check up" on Kylie and Tanner at the Kennel, where they were being boarded, for Julane, I had no intention of leaving there with a dog in tow. No sooner had I let her out of her kennel to play at the outdoor area, she looked at me and had won my heart. Kylie had the sweetest eyes and the most feminine face on a GSD that I had ever seen. I immediately called Julane and said, "Ummm, I am going to foster Kylie, Okay?" lol She was very, very thin and had a cut on the bridge of her nose like she had been trying to get out of her kennel. I brought her home and she was greeted by two dogs that overwhelmed her. She was very shy at first and did not want to come in the house or even come to people. It did not take long for this thin, long legged girl to get into the swing of things and to understand what living with a family was all about.
Kylie blossomed with us and everyone just loved her. She was soon coming up to me and actually wanted to be touched. Her confidence grew and she started to play with our female GSD. They became more like sisters.
They would play near one of our purple shrubs in the backyard and Kylie would come out with little purple flowers in her hair and the kids would laugh and say she looked just like a blushing bride on her wedding day. lol She always had a smile on her face! What a joy she was. If you were not petting her she would literally lift your hand with her head and make you pet her. What a loving sweet precious baby. She quickly learned what meant when I would say "Wanna go for a walk" and would be first in line to sit and lift her head into her special collar to take a walk.
Her nickname was "Cotton" because her fur was so soft. She was so special to us in so many ways. The first time we took her to Galveston she watched the waves with her perfect ears up and then looked at me and wagged her tail and looked at the waves like "wow, whats that?" She didn't want to go in, she just wanted to watch. She loved my kids and she loved to please us.
What a true best friend she was in her short little life. She was finally someones dog.......May God keep you at His side our beautiful sweet girl, you are at peace and I know that Rush is with you as you are both healthy and happy together! Always know that we loved our precious Kylie Cotton Girl.
Phoebe
Hi, my name is Phoebe...
.... and I'm an Angel. I am filled with peace and joy and love. It wasn't always this way. For a very brief period of time I was a black German Shepherd Dog. I had the unfortunate experience of being a GSD that wasn't wanted. It was a very difficult time for me.
However, ultimately, I found my foster family, and for a brief period of time, I felt loved. It was wonderful and I was blessed to have them with me when it was time to leave. In fact, having them with me at the end made me believe that I must have done something special to deserve such love. I hope so, because they were wonderful.
And now I am an Angel. I feel glorious. I am truly with my Forever Family. I will never feel alone again, and from here I can watch over my Foster Family and help them take care of other GSD's that need to be rescued and made to feel loved. I will be eternally grateful to Laurie and Tom.
“Phoebe, I will never forget you. May you finally have the peace you deserve. You arrived at the shelter as just another dog left in their drop box, but you will be remembered by many, for you were rescued by GHGSDR and every member now knows you. Your picture will be on our Loving Tributes page for all our visitors to see. Thank you, Phoebe, for entering my life and leaving your mark.”
BEAU/BRIT
It is with great sadness that I had Beau (a.k.a Brit) put down on Sunday, August 2. It was due to complications from heartworm treatment. He was in the second phase of the treatment. In talking to the vet, a large factor in this was his age. Beau was at least 8-9 yrs. old. He was fine Saturday and by late Sunday morning he was not feeling well. Like most animals, he was being stoic. I took him to the emergency clinic and the results were not good. He had inflammation of the lungs, thromboembolism, DIC and sepsis. We even had him on prednisone and doxycycline. The possibility of him recovering were almost nil. The most humane thing to do was to put him to sleep. I held and told him he was loved. He went peacefully. He crossed over to that Rainbow Bridge.
In the late winter, early spring I joined GHGSDR to help with the rescue dogs. It was during this time that one of our volunteers got us signed up at a new boarding facility. Among the first rescues to come to this facility was Brit (Beau). He wasn't a big GSD but his heart should have been that of a large GSD. Originally, Beau was at another kennel and he wasn't well received there as he barked a lot. It was not until we got him to the new facility that we found out Beau was deaf. Not totally (could be a male thing) . Not many people looked at him, but to know Beau was to love him. He had a sweet personality. The boarding volunteers went to work on the dogs there and eventually Beau was taught hand signals (sign language). He knew the commands of come, sit, stop barking and of course to bark for treats. He loved to go for walks.
I asked if I could foster to adopt Beau but not right away as I had a very old, sick female GSD at home. I could not take him home with her in that condition. In time, I had my GSD put down. Beau was to find a new home with me. Beau got along well with my smaller dogs but the cats, that was totally different story. More than once at night, I woke up with heavy breathing on my neck and it was not my boyfriend..it was Beau having a stare down with one of the cats. He was a "mommy's boy" and spoiled. Above all, he was loved and he knew it. When he was happy, he would run through your legs back and forth. It will be the little things that I will miss. Greetings at the door, the happy barks and the cute way he wagged his tail.
SHEENA
Sheena came into our rescue group from BARC, in March 2008. Everyone there said she was not only beautiful physically, but beautiful in spirit. She was a wonderful, very affectionate girl, who loved to be loved on and petted. And she seemed to love everyone, including children, and small and large dogs. She was adopted to a family where the husband took her to work with him for over a year. She would sleep under his desk and walk around quietly visiting the staff and getting her pets and treats. Somewhere along the line, her owner moved his firm to another building and was no longer allowed to bring her to the office. One day the family asked that we take her back. We had no foster home open, so we had to put her into Animal Crackers, a very nice kennel that our group uses when necessary. It was discovered that Sheena was ill. On her last day, a beautiful, sunny, cool day, she was taken to our Meet and Greet at Petco, where she was outside all afternoon being loved on and petted. It was noticed that she was walking awkwardly and bleeding from her two back paws. The nails on her back paws had been worn down from her dragging her feet to the point they had worn away the quick. She also didn't seem to be able to get really comfortable lying down. She was taken right away to a vet clinic where two vets diagnosed her with Intervertebral Disc Disease. They also found a very large mass in her abdomen they both believed was Hemangiocarcoma....cancer. The mass was so large it was compressing her spinal cord, causing the IDD. One of our members who works at Gulf Coast pointed out that this is a devastating disease that is "a quickly metastasizing cancer which is frequently too far progressed for successful treatment by the time the diagnosis is made. It most frequently begins in the spleen, and can grow so rapidly it can claim the life of a dog with no clinical signs within weeks." There was no hope of recovery for beautiful Sheena, and all we could have done was delay the inevitable, so the decision was made to give this beautiful girl peace. Our president, Austin Brisco, stayed with her stroking her head and reassuring her that she was loved and all would be well. She went peacefully. Sheena, you were a true sweetheart, and we miss you, but we know you are now well and happy.
Greater Houston German Shepherd Dog Rescue
PO Box 610150 m Houston, TX m 77208-0150
281-506-0400
