The Memorial Wall
We're So Glad for Those Who Are Friends Till the End
Honoring the Stray and Abandoned
Maverick - Lost his home to divorce 11/13/2017
Crossed the Bridge May 15, 2020
It's tough to lose a long time home and land in a shelter. Especially when a tour of duty at 3 should have been the last. Maverick became physically ill, lethargic and depressed. All of that was turned around with love and care by his foster mom Ashton, his care team sponsored by Classics, and an extended family of friends who were always there for him. There were health scares along the way but Maverick always overcame every hurdle. His foster mom knew he was special and foster won by adopting him.
Honoring the Stray and Abandoned
Luna - Arrived Stray on 1/3/20
Crossed the Bridge Jan 16, 2020
When Luna arrived we went to work immediately for her needs, comforting her during her stray hold. A shelter kennel is no place for an elder mobility challenged blind and deaf dog. Getting her out was a priority, even without a foster. We would figure it out as we go. She went straight to the clinic to get her fully vetted. It's always ominous when a dog in her condition has become "lost". We knew it was more likely she was abandoned by a pet parent who couldn't see her through end of life needs. We learned she had an aggressive 11cm splenic mass. Given her many challenges including blindness, deafness, her age est of 16-17 yrs and especially her mobility challenges, which required her to be lifted, jostled and hoisted often, it was determined the best course of action was to allow her the grace and dignity of a peaceful passing. We shared time with her in the grassy breezes where she grazed. She was happy, this must have been very natural to her daily life. She then decided to rest. She had lots of comforting pets. She was a tired girl and slumbered off before being helped to cross the bridge. It was a very natural transition. What a good girl she had been, we only wish we had more time with her ❤️
Honoring the Stray and Abandoned
Phoebe - Arrived Stray 2/10/2020
Crossed the Bridge 2/26/2020
Phoebe was not fit to be in a shelter kennel. She couldn't navigate it well on her own but we were there to help her. When her stray hold was over we whisked her away with compassionate foster Barbara to a comfy home setting. We had her fully vetted and learned she had advanced spinal myelopathy. Without the benefit of a past medical history, we set out to improve her poor quality of life through medication, and with chiropractor and acupuncture services. Ultimately no treatments gave her improvement. She continued to show signs of neurological defect and pain signals and we had to accept we were beyond the window of help for Phoebe. It's difficult to imagine a dog so immobile becoming "lost". It's possible her owner could not bear to see Phoebe through the last duty a pet parent must tend to-making the difficult decision to let your pet go when they are suffering and be present and accounted for. We are grateful we could be there for her through the very end.
Honoring the Stray and Abandoned
Shirley Temple - Arrived Stray on 12/30/19
Crossed the Bridge Jan 26, 2020
Shirley was a sweet, bubbly roly poly girl who spoke to us in grunts and snorts. We had such high hopes for Shirley when she left the shelter for her foster home. She was obese and out of shape. We would get her into shape and she would thrive with a new found health. However we soon learned she her kidney and liver health were unwell. She was harboring chronic kidney disease and it was very progressed. It was a tough blow to accept she reached us too late to be helped. We could only be grateful we were able to be there for her when her owner had not been. We thank her fosters, Rose & Dan, our donors, White Rock Veterinary Hospital and CTVSEH for sharing her journey and helping us to help her until it was no longer possible. We still miss her smiles.