In memory of.....

We adopted Dossie From ACR in May of 2003 not long after we lost our first Rottweiler to cancer. We almost did not get to adopt Dossie, since she had been placed in her two week trial period with another young couple. Fortunately for us that couple's parents did not think a Rottie was a good choice for a family pet, how wrong they were! Dossie was the sweetest, most compassionate, caring and loveable girl we have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Everyone that Dossie met loved her bright eyes, her sweet nature and her love of life. She was more than just a dog; she was our little girl and saving angel. Dossie was only 45 pound when she was rescued and after much TLC she recovered to a healthy weight. Have you ever seen a 95lb lap dog?

Dossie loved life and...sofa-surfing, frisbee chasing, tennis ball skinning, flower sniffing, hole digging, walking in the park, kayaking, car riding, rolling in cat poop, hogging the air vents during the summer, playing tug-of-war, belly rubs and hugs as well as giving slobbery kisses. Dossie's all time favorite leisure activity was swimming in the lake. All dogs can swim, right? Wrong. When we first took Dossie to the lake she ran right into the water but couldn't swim. Dossie tried her hardest to doggy-paddle but ended up paddling vertical with her head just above water. After many, many swimming lessons with her cousin Abbie (and the help of a doggy life jacket) Dossie morphed into a furry fish that didn't like to leave the lake. We spent hours throwing sticks and watching Dossie retrieve what she thought were sparkling trophies that deserved a treat. Dossie would prance around her piles of sticks as if she struck gold. Those days were great!

In April of '06 we adopted a sister for Dossie, a 6 week old black lab pup named Josephine. Dossie and Josephine grew to be partners in crime and were inseparable. We know in our hearts that Josephine helped keep Dossie young and mischievous. Over the winter Dossie began to slow down but tried her hardest to keep up in every way. Thursday, January 25th 2007 God called for our little girl and our lives were changed forever. Although our hearts have been broken we are reminded of our Dossie every day and of how blessed we were to have her with us as a member of our family. She will always be in our hearts and our thoughts. We will miss our girl and will honor her life and spirit by doing good deeds for other animals. We love you Dossie! You are missed greatly!

Love... Mom, Dad, and Josephine

Not too long after college, my sister got Bogie as a young puppy. She lived with my sister and her fiancé for several years and they spoiled her as if she was their own off-spring. They always joked about who would get custody of Bogie if they split up. Sadly, my sister's fiancé died unexpectedly about 6 months before their wedding. Bogie was confused for a while with all of the changes that happened after that, but she was there to comfort my sister as she worked through the pain of her loss. December 2006 my sister married a wonderful man and Bogie got a brother, Mr. Hagan, a sweet bubbly dog that loved having Bogie for a sister.

Bogie had surgery January 23, 2007 to repair an injured knee and had unexpected complications. She was a feisty dog and we know she fought hard to pull through. No one in our family was prepared to loose such a sweet spirit so soon.

Bogie will be greatly missed for her sweet gentle nature and tiny dry kisses that no one ever complained about getting...and she had enough for everyone! She was my sister's guardian and sidekick in life and will be her guardian angel forever.

A note from Gavin's foster mom:

Gavin had just about given up on life when ACR first rescued him. He was scrawny and sad looking, he had heartworms and a kidney disease, it looked like someone had burned his ears, he had been shot with birdshot, he had a big skin tag hanging from his stomach, and he had large calluses on his elbows from lying on concrete all his life. But the moment we saw this gentle giant, we fell head over heels and knew we had to give him a shot at a better life. After all, who could resist those big, droopy eyes

Every day brought a new challenge in Gavin's care. But finally he realized his life had turned around, and he wanted to live. He nudged our hands for a few more minutes of petting, he ate 13 cups of food in one day, he galloped after tennis balls and sunbathed in the grass. No longer was he the pitiful, ragged dog we met in the pen at Animal Control in January 2006. His coat was shiny, his eyes were sparkly, and he was happy to be alive.

We knew we did not have the money to give Gavin the life he deserved, but it did not take long for his angel to appear. Pat immediately fell in love with Gavin and literally devoted every day to making him as happy as he made her. We celebrated with her as Gavin gained weight, laughed when she told us stories about her grandkids using Gavin as a pillow, shook our heads after hearing how he had stolen ANOTHER loaf of bread. Truly, we could not have dreamed up a better mom for Gavin. They were the perfect match! But just 5 months after Pat adopted him, Gavin lost his fight to live. He could not overcome what others had done to him.

We are amazed at how many lives Gavin touched in the 8 months we knew him. Everyone who met him adored this creature that was so full of love, and we are glad for the short time we had with him. Thank you, Pat, for seeing past the scrawny, sad-looking dog from Animal Control and being the best mom our little Gavey ever had. You gave him the best 5 months of his life!

A note from Mona's mom:

Putting your dog to sleep is the last thing you're thinking of when you decide to adopt a puppy. However, when that puppy is diagnosed with a rare disease that compromises her way of life it changes verything. Mona was one of the most lovely puppies I've ever known and having her in my life changed me. I didn't realize how quickly a deep bond could form between a dog and its owner until I had her. Mona taught me so much about love and being thankful for what you have. I am blessed to have had her during her short life and her memory will live on with me forever. I love you Mona and miss you dearly.

A bond of ten days is as strong as one of ten years when a rescued dog finds her perfect family. Sasha's family had been looking long and hard for a dog and although they met many wonderful foster dogs from several rescue groups, they didn't find their canine soul mate until they met Sasha at an animal control in North Georgia. From the moment Sasha came home, she showed nothing but love for her family, a desire to please and good will towards everyone else. She was in heat and had the minor health problems of stray shelter dogs, but she was getting better every day and adored her new people and new life. Tragedy struck on day ten, when Sasha had a major seizure and her family had to say goodbye to their precious girl. They gave her unconditional love and a peaceful passing, and she will never be forgotten. Ten days or ten years, it's never enough time before they leave us.

A letter from a friend of Joanne, Todd and Buddy:

I Can't remember if it was Todd or Joanne who said 'this is the end of an era', but it's definitely true. As of Wed. evening around 5:30 pm, their dog Buddy now rests in peace.

For those of you who had the pleasure of knowing Buddy, I know I don't have to tell you what a special guy he was. For those of you who didn't ever get to meet or know Buddy, I'm sure I don't have to tell you what he meant to Joanne & Todd. For a little background info, Buddy was their first dog together, and made the move down to Athens from Michigan with them. (I know it's hard to believe, but they only had 2 pets at the time!) ;)

Buddy was recently diagnosed with Fibrosarcoma, a very aggressive cancer that was causing Buddy to deteriorate rapidly. As many of you have experienced first-hand, animals have a way of letting us know when they are ready to go. Bud was no exception. A dog that was always ready to eat & the BEST about taking his meds was adamant on Tuesday that he would do neither. Buddy would have turned 15 in May. It was quite amazing for a dog his size (great dane mix!) to live as long as he did. One thing's for certain - they enjoyed every bit of "bonus time" they had with Bud & vice versa!

I have attached one of my favorite pictures of Buddy. Another tidbit was that he was a GREAT frisbee dog. Over the past few years, he wasn't able to run & catch them any more, but he was still quite content to walk about the yard with one in his mouth! :)

I think Joanne took this picture a couple of years ago. Joanne & Todd are doing quite well, considering. Such a peaceful end was well-deserved for such an amazing friend.

Take good care & hug all your 4-legged kids extra hard tonight

Who Needs 4 Legs, Anyway?

There are way too many good things to say about Miles, but suffice it to say he was one extremely loyal companion. Miles stuck by Cathy through fun times and through tough times. It was only fitting that Cathy do the same for Miles.

Miles underwent a lengthy surgery in 2004 to remove a massive tumor under his front left leg /"underarm" area. (he was 10 years old at the time of the surgery!) Besides amputating the leg and removing the tumor, the surgeon had to remove part of his chestplate. Miles came out of this surgery with flying colors - one less leg to stand on, but flying nonetheless... :) Cathy had wondered prior to the surgery if it was the right thing for Miles. He proved beyond a shadow a doubt that it was the right thing! Although Miles got around just fine on his 3 legs, his mommy didn't miss another golden opportunity to spoil him rotten. (which he greatly deserved!) I believe most of the pictures and stories we received of Miles post-surgery were of him riding around in his red Radio-Flyer wagon! He would still hop out of it when they got to the park & fetch that tennis ball. (his favorite game was "ball") Incase you ever wondered if there's such a thing as a perfect "match" between canine and human, the relationship between Cathy & Miles demonstrates such perfection plainly & simply.

Sadly, Miles passed away in April of 2005.

Although Cathy misses Miles' physical presence, she knows his spirit will be with her forever

Mac was a rescue dog who was unable to recover from the effects of neglect and abuse. He had a sweet, loving, forgiving nature that touched everyone who met him. One of his friends wrote a poem in his honor.....

A short time ago along came “Mac”
Instantly our hearts he attacked
A good Samaritan found him in really rough shape
And he had even been in quite a few scrapes
Since he had almost been starved to death,
He barely ever came up for breath
Always seeming to be hungry each time he was fed
Grateful for every little pat on the head
He never stopped waggin’ his tail
But all our attempts did not prevail
We tried our best to save his life
Even put him 4 times under a surgical knife.
After only 6 weeks a HIGHER FORCE took him away
So we just wanted the chance to say
What a sweet little dog we know we had
Even for a short time, we are really so glad
That we had the privilege of knowing this SWEET little guy
And to our Angel we now say Goodbye!

Cocoa 1996-2004

We lost our dear little girl to a rare cancer. At her death two well respected vets concluded it was cancer although it was never given a positive name. She left us far too soon as she had turned seven in September 2003. She was like a child to us and touched many lives in her short time on earth. On her last day I saw the look on her sweet face as if to say 'no more please, I am tired'. She passed away at 3AM and thankfully I was with her till the end.

We adopted her when she was a tiny puppy that someone left to die in the back of our property. It was cold and she only weighed 3 pounds. She looked a lot like a mini-Rottweiler.

She insisted on everyone doing their chores and would come back to get us if we were lagging behind. Loved to go through the chicken house with us. She instinctively knew how to make the cows stay back from the gate when the hay was being taken in. She would jump and take parts out of the hay roll as it was being moved to the center of the pasture. She wanted to help.

Although she wasn't around children much she loved them anyway. I would have trusted her with a newborn, she was that caring. She always insisted on giving them kisses whether they wanted them or not. She would bark at the sight of a car coming down the drive and then run around like crazy to find a toy and stand at the door with the toy in her mouth to greet the visitor.

It is still hard to believe she is gone. it was like she was dropped from Heaven, given the fact that she was found in the middle of nowhere. It seems that God had a purpose for her to be with us a while and then he just wanted her home.

Once a pound puppy, we rescued Buffett Holly Johnson in September, 1994. Throughout the next ten years, she made us laugh with all her antics – playing "mad dog" around the house, tearing the squeakers out of her "babies," hiding under the toilet in the bathroom, and reenacting Lady and the Tramp scenes with her "sister." She never failed to greet anyone at the door so that she could offer you a dog kiss and a chance to rub her belly. Buff was a little dog with the biggest heart, who offered unconditional love (even when we would do things like tie dish towels to her collar and pretend she was "Super Dog!").

If Buffy was around today, she’d tell you that no one made her happier than her mom, Joanne Johnson. Who else would leave her messages on the answering machine and make chicken and rice for her every night when she wasn’t feeling well? So in honor of Buffy’s mom (and mine) and in memory of Buffy, we hope that you’re getting all the walks you want now, Buffett! We love you and miss you.

On June 30, 1993 I rescued Cinderbear from death....and on June 28, 2004 I chose to give my faithful friend of 11 years peace from her pain. During those 11 years Cinder rescued me from loneliness and the grief and pain of several serious losses. Most importantly, my faithful friend helped me rescue two more dogs: Sam (10) and Shelby (7) who are now missing her terribly. Cinder was a wonderful listener, my true best friend and the best snuggler God ever made - so guess who got the best end of this bargain.

Cinder was and forever will be my Angel. The hardest part is saying goodbye - so I won't - for now I'll just say be patient until I can hold you again, "baby girl"-- Love, Mommy.