In Memory

I write to let you know that our beloved family pet, Franklin (named Hansel when we adopted him from AFH), left us in August….I hope AFH takes this also as an overdue note of gratitude – we couldn’t have hoped for a better family pet for the last nearly 13 years…We are going to give it some time to mourn our loss, but I am sure we will be back to AFH in due course for our next rescue dog.  

Best, Carsten

Hi, I adopted Polly in 2017.  She has been an absolute joy to have as part of my family.  She had a horrible life before AFH rescued her, but in spite it,  that amazing dog didn’t have one mean bone in her body.  She loved all my dogs and was so wonderful with any foster that came thru my house.  It is with a broken heart that I have to tell you that I had to let her go to the Bridge today. Several months ago I found a mass under her arm.  We biopsied it and it turned out to be metastasized breast cancer.   It had also gotten into her lymph nodes. I was hoping to have so much more time with her, but this morning  I noticed her abdomen was enlarged and she was pale.  She also for the first time didn’t want breakfast.  She LOVED her food so that was a big thing for her.  I took her to my vet and the reality was she was only going to get worse pretty quickly.  Polly had suffered for the beginning years of her life and I had promised her when I got her that she would never suffer again, so I had to let her go.  Thank you so much for adopting this very special dog to me,  I will miss her more than I can say.    Know that she was loved very much here. I’ve attached a picture of Polly with one of her buddies.  

Thanks, Jeannie 

Hello A Forever Home, Sadly we lost our much beloved miniature poodle, Archie, early in the pandemic. Twelve years ago we adopted him at twelve weeks old from A Forever Home. In April, he suffered a sudden acute attack of pancreatitis, and despite days of round-the-clock care at the local emergency vet hospital, his heart couldn’t take the strain.  The loss has hit our small family very hard, especially since we couldn’t be with him at the end due to Coronavirus precautions. He was our only child’s best buddy and he had a large fan club of neighbors and friends, who would vie to have him visit whenever we traveled. Archie was just that special. We were lucky to be his forever home. Thank you so much for rescuing him and allowing us to adopt him.

Our hearts are simply broken! We lost our beloved Clancy this week. He came into our lives as a very small puppy 14 years ago at an adoption day for A Forever Home where we went planning on adopting another pup. My husband saw Clancy put him into my arms and we never even looked at the other pup. He adopted us and we him. As a younger dog he had daily runs with my husband and bubbled with enthusiasm about everything except a rides in a car. As an Australian Shepherd mix he needed a job;  he chose to take care of our upstairs while we were at work. Never quite figured out what that was but he wouldn’t come down until we went up, looked around and told him what a good job he had done. After retiring, he has been by our sides constantly, snuggled on the couch to watch TV or until he couldn’t jump up any longer sleeping with us in our bed. He was great with children especially our grandchildren while they  grew up.  He always insisted on greeting all guests into our house; often walking with them up to our door. After posting our loss on Facebook, our friends have streamed in with comments that he was one of the sweetest dog they had ever known. Clancy loved us unconditionally, comforted us when we needed it and has been our loyal companion. Our lives will never be the same and we are so blessed that he chose us to be his family.  Nile & Kris

We are so sad to inform you that Kara crossed Rainbow bridge 13 July.  We showed up to adopt a dog-sure that the one Rex and I would meet with the kids’ approval – but alas the pup refused to be parted from her foster mom and our kids brought over a 70+ lb bundle of ginger fur.  Our daughter proudly told us this was the one we needed to adopt and her brother was in agreement. We knew nothing of her at that moment but fell in love with her smile.  She was a soccer dog we were told.  After a home visit just to make sure it was a fit, Kara became our forever pup thanksgiving 2010.  Through the years she was our faithful companion – pulling the kids on sleds, playing soccer, showing off her Frisbee catching skills, swimming at the pool, wading in the creek and game for any adventure, helping with middle of the night work conference calls, leaning in and providing comfort when things were not going well.  We settled into a nice empty nest routine in the last few years and while she didn’t do the stairs as often and stopped playing soccer, her love of walks and spending time with her people never dimmed.  COVID was a blessing as our schedules and plans became nil and we were all home with her.  Monday, July 13^th Kara crossed rainbow bridge leaving behind a heart broken family.  Kara came into our lives at the right time and saved us.  While looking up A Forever Home’s email address we came across the adoption description we never saw before adopting.  We all agreed it described her perfectly– “My big brown eyes will melt your heart. I am playful, smart, sweet and only bark when there is danger. I just want to be loved.”  She got her wish – no dog was loved more than our sweet Kara.

Back in 2007 we adopted I believe “Taser”…but his litter was American Gladiator themed for sure. They were found in an abandoned trailer in West Virginia by a mine. Unfortunately his mom didn’t make it, but the whole litter did. We renamed him “Riggins,” which over time got shortened to Riggo then eventually just Rig. He was the best. After 13 years, health problems started to pile-up, especially on his back legs, and at the end of June our vet…recommended we put him down. He was simply in too much pain with little chance for recovery, so we did…. I also wanted to thank you for him; like I said he was the best, always, even as our family grew and got bigger. I attached a picture of him “keeping an eye” on my youngest in our back yard, it’s the last picture we have of him. Thanks again for him and all the great work you do.

Thanks again, RJ

We are saddened by the recent loss of our beloved Samson (formerly known as “Will” in 2006). Samson loved our family well for 14 years! He was our first baby back in 2006. He then became a “big brother” to our 3 children over the years. Samson loved going for hikes, eating peanut butter from a spoon, and belly rubs. He was a loyal friend to each one of us. He always wanted to be with us no matter where we were. I can remember when he was a puppy and on our balcony of our 2nd floor apartment. We were outside down below talking to family, and Samson had to be with us! So, to all of our surprise, he took a flying leap off the balcony and happily and eagerly ran right up to us just to be near. It was so funny! A few years ago, Samson developed a few lumps and bumps as older dogs sometimes do. Sadly though, he had liver cancer. For so long, it didn’t slow him down and we were able to help manage it! Only in his last week or so, did things rapidly change and we knew the most loving thing to do was to put him down. He will forever be loved and missed, and always in our hearts. Thank you AFH for bringing this furry rambunctious ray of sunshine into our lives 14 years ago. ♥️ Warmly, the McDonald family

My Parents and I had to say goodbye to our 16 year old Beagle mix, Kelsey this morning. So very difficult because in my eyes she was/is the best dog we had.

We were introduced to her (not sure of her name before she came to us) in May 2004. I was 24 out the time still living at home and that February we had to say goodbye to my childhood Beagle Mandy. My Mom and I were headed to Giant in Greenbriar and we noticed Puppy Adoptions next door at Petco were going on, so we decided to go over and look. The first pen we came to were the Beagle mixes. We looked at each other and went over to pick one up. Kelsey at the time growled (we later found out she doesn’t like to be picked up). Well we were instantly hooked and I know I needed to fill the void of a dog. We put in an application and she was ours. It didn’t take long for my Dad to be on board. My parents we’re leaving the next day for Italy for 2 weeks so it was my job to potty train her. I think I did a fabulous job.

Thank you A Forever Home Rescue for my best dog yet, Kelsey. She helped me to get over my childhood dog and we made so many other memories. I have since moved out of my parents house and wanted a dog but didn’t want to remove Kelsey from the home she knows, so I decided to go back to A Forever Home in 2011 and adopt my 2nd Beagle mix, Josie. Kelsey idolized and followed Josie wherever she went. They (Josie rather) got into several fights and had many times being together. I will miss the love Kelsey has for Josie. Kelsey is and will be extremely missed in our family.

Stephanie

Comment:

Angela Downie says:August 31, 2020 at 4:29 am

What a lovely heart warming story. Since 1975 we have “adopted” Caesar, Bonnie, Zara, Zena and Sasha since 2012. We have loved and adored them all. Caesar was 5 years when he fell asleep in our hall at such an early age. We have buried him in our garden. 6ft deep was the instructions from our vet. So that’s what we did, and he still lies there under a slab. Then came Bonnie she lived to 15 years., and then Zara and she also left us when she was 15 years. We took her to France for 6 months in 2001 and again later when she met up with her previous “doggy” friends, who she had met on our first visit, as we rented the same house again. Then heartbreak again when we lost her at 15 years old too. Then came our Zena, she was also a German Shepherd, black and tan this time. Sasha our present “baby” is now 8 years and is a Canadian Shepherd, and is Cream in colour. We rescued her from a Dog Rescue Home in Liverpool, and as we live in Edinburgh it was quite a journey. We discovered by her behaviour that she had not been leash trained, although was Toilet trained.She was weiry of most people, so this needed a lot of working on. Zena loved her at first sight and they would lick each others faces, and lie together.In 2016 Zena had to leave us, she had been failing for a while and we literally nursed her along, until sadly her back legs “went” . Our Vet came to the house and Bill and I cried buckets when she was taken away in her blanket. I decided to have her cremated at a private facility locally, and have her ashes in an Urn, which is where she would lie. Her collar in on top and our favourite photo of her in a silver Frame beside the Urn. Even after 4 years we are still missing her. She was a “laid back” dog and never required a lead when out. With regards to Sasha, she was born on 1st January 2012 and we” adopted” her July, and so we think she may have lived in a yard and not socialised at all. It did take quite a while to see her as she is now, a confident girl although doesn’t like men approaching her, but if they ignore her she will go forward and allow them to stroke her. Rescue dogs give so much back.

We are sad to let you know that our beautiful Bella passed away suddenly and unexpectedly yesterday from an apparent tumor behind her heart that caused plural effusion. She was such a good dog, who loved to chase squirrels and bunnies, and sometimes yell at people who came by her house. She was sometimes serious and oftentimes blessed us with the best smile. She was the most loving cuddle-pup ever. We are so blessed to have had her in our lives for 11 years. Thank you for the gift of her! She was happy up until the moment when she suddenly fell ill. She will be in our hearts forever!  Lisa, Ernest, Trey and Hailey

Hi, I wanted to thank you for our Macy. We had seven of the most amazing years with our sweet girl. She was filled with snuggles, wiggles, the softest most velvety ears ever, and the sweetest soul. I could not have ever asked for a better girl to join our family. Two weeks ago Macy had a grand mal seizure and was diagnosed with a brain tumor…anti seizure medication which gave us the gift of two more weeks with our sweet girl. ..She held out long enough for us to be with her before she passed away. I don’t have the right words to express how much I miss my girl. She was truly one of a kind. I just wanted to thank you so much for rescuing her and allowing her to be part of our family.  Tricia 

Note: This girl was very special to us AFH volunteers. Macy came to AFH from a rural shelter in WV. This poor little girl was thrown out of a car on the side of a road! We are grateful to her family for giving her the love of a forever home.

My sweet Apple will forever be missed. She was one of the biggest blessings ever in my life and gave me more than I could have ever imagined. She came to me at just the right time and for the exact right season.

The countless before and after work walks all over DC, the thousands of nights keeping me warm under my blanket or watching tv with me; Apple made me a better person and was a dream come true for me. There were so many years without family nearby and it was just me and Apple. I am so glad she was able to end her life surrounded by a new dad and her devoted grandpa.

A day will not go by that I won’t miss her terribly. I am forever grateful to A Forever Home. 

Trixie was a beloved family member who always brought joy to all those who knew her. We, her family, always felt that Trixie chose us. I knew from the minute she climbed into my lap and laid her little head down to sleep, a true sign of unconditional trust, that she had to be in our lives. That trust reigned true as the memories we made with her are remembered to be filled with love and happiness. Even in darker days, Trixie supported her family with concern in her eyes and obvious love. It always seemed that she knew not only exactly how you were feeling but knew exactly how to help. Since Trixie chose us, every happy memory our family has included her. Family vacations, holidays, family gatherings, playing in the yard (she was a fantastic soccer player), and every day you could come home to her sweet and excited greeting. Now that Trixie has said goodbye to her family, there is a void of that love, that comfort, that presence. Trixie was truly the best dog and we take comfort knowing that Trixie not only had a good life but gave her family a good one too.

The Wiser family

Back in July of 2004, I had an unfortunate accident.  This is when “A Forever Home” came to my rescue.   To make a long story short, we adopted my little “Cami”, who at 8 weeks old, looked like a little gremlin with her big ears and little face.   She bonded right away with me and was my sidekick for the next 15 ½ years.   She was such a good girl.  For all of her 10 pound stature, she felt as though she ruled the neighborhood…she walked by my side everywhere we went.  She was so well behaved. 

We had an inside joke for whenever our daughters would bring a boy home for us to meet, we would say, “you have to pass the “Cami – test”.    We laughed, but we were serious.  If Cami liked you, you were a keeper.  Not many passed, and our two daughters are still single.  Too funny.  

Cami started going blind after she was diagnosed with diabetes in June of 2019. She went downhill from there.  Unfortunately, we had to put her down on Jan. 31^st, 2020.   We loved her so much.  I miss her sleeping with us and greeting us at the front door.   It’s so hard to lose a loved one.   Thank you “Forever Home” for knowing that Cami was the right dog for our home.  You were right!

I’ve attached a couple of pictures of our baby girl.  Cami would have been 16 this May.  We miss her so much.    We look everyday on your site for the next love of our life.  

Thank you so much for everything you do.

I want to let you know our girl, Abigail is now no longer with us. She would have turned 15 in October. We got her when she was just a small pup & gave us so much joy all of these years. As a chow husky mix, she ended up looking more like a golden retriever mix. But the blue tongue gave her away. She was the best dog and loved by so many. I went to one of your adoption sights looking for a boxer mix and brought her home instead. Best choice I ever made. Smartest dog I have ever known or owned In time, I will look to get another dog and when the time comes make sure to see what you all have available.

Thank you for all you do!
Mary Anne

Hi, I believe I may have reached out to you awhile ago. I adopted my little girl from you 15 years ago. You called her Ebbe; I named her Salsa. She was my best friend, but I had to say goodbye to her exactly a year ago. Thanks so much for bringing Salsa into my life. I loved her more than I can say.

Hello there, It is with very sad news that I let you know that our A Forever Home baby Rocky (formerly known as Miles, a pup of Merle’s) passed away recently quite suddenly and far too soon. While the cause of death will never be known for sure, the emergency vet who treated Rocky, along with a veterinary neurologist, suspect he had an undiagnosed brain tumor. Our family is devastated by the loss of Rocky– he was truly the perfect family dog and a best friend to everyone in our family, including our other rescue, Jupiter.

Warmly, Sarah

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!

So sorry to report that my sweet girl Lady Vol cross the rainbow bridge yesterday I fostered her for a few months and then realized I myself would also become a foster failure when I adopted her When she was brought in to AFH her name was Baby She also was affectionately known as money pit I renamed her Lady Vol after the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team She was my heart and she always will be

Hello, We said goodbye to our best buddy Murphy on October 2, 2019. Fourteen years ago he rescued us after we lost our beloved Molly (another rescue doggie), my husband’s Grandma and my Father within a two month period. He raised our pre-teen son and teenage son into men, providing constant love and support to our family. He literally was our therapy dog. He sensed any anxiety and quickly took matters into his own paws to relieve it by wazzling, head butting, “talking,” or just quietly sitting with us. He also was a great mentor to other dogs, guiding and correcting puppies into wonderful doggies. To the very end, he was there for us, stoic to a fault about pain. When he finally let go, he was at peace, he was comfortable, and he went out as a polite gentleman. We adopted our “therapy dog” Murphy from A Forever Home November of 2005. Ken and Cynthia