Good evening,
You probably don’t remember me, but I volunteered with AFH back in like 2005-2008 time frame. We adopted three dogs from you, as well as fostered dozens more. Two of the dogs we adopted are in the photos below, and I’m writing because sadly they both passed away in the last couple months.
Timber, the chocolate lab, was 14! He was the most beautiful boy, an amazing hunting partner for seven seasons, and the best family dog. He had come from a family in West Virginia and he had AKC papers and the whole nine yards, but the original family bought off more than they could chew. Lucky us! He passed away peacefully last June because he had developed a large tumor that was at severe risk of rupturing and bleeding internally.
Pearl, my cattle dog, was my little shadow and came to us by chance. This is a story that Carmen May remember. Before Pearl we had another cattle dog mix that was tragically hit by a car when she was two in May 2006 names Scout. I was completely heartbroken and It was one of the worst experiences of my life. We continued fostering and I finally told Carmen a couple months later that I wasn’t quite ready, but that my husband and I would want to adopt another cattle dog, and that we wanted a female puppy and would she please keep an eye out? I’ll never forget what she told me. She said “well if you want a puppy, they usually come in litters. You’ll have to commit to fostering the whole litter because ACD puppies are a giant pain and none of the other volunteers will do it.” Then she went on to say “and be ready because now that you’ve got me looking, I’m sure I’ll find it right away.” That was on the weekend at the adoption fair. Then Carmen called me on Monday and said she had found a single female cattle dog puppy in West Virginia. I kind of freaked out because we still weren’t over Scout. So I said we would foster this puppy and… the rest was history. Pearl was by my side every day for almost 14 years, through three babies and a move overseas and back. Pearl passed away last month, Seven months after her constant companion Timber.
We miss them both terribly but so it goes with pets. You know it’s the deal going in that chances are you’ll have to say goodbye to them. These two enriched our lives for 14 years and for that and for your role in it, I’m eternally grateful.
All the best, Allison
PS Let me know if you come across any female cattle dog puppies. Seriously!