In Memory

In 2008 we adopted one of Sadie’s 9 pups.  He was the last to get adopted and we were so glad that the best was saved for last.  Moose has been the best dog from the moment we brought him home at 12 weeks.  He has always been loving, calm and relaxed.  He filled our hearts with unconditional love.  He loved everyone he met.  The love between him and his dog brother that we brought into the family later was also so amazing.  Moose was such an important part of the family and we were sad to have to say good bye to him in October.  Our hearts ache without him but know that his tired body needed to run free with his other dog brothers and sisters that left before him.  Thank you AFH for bringing our perfect Moose into our lives.  He will never be forgotten. 

The Smith Family

…I wanted to let you know that our sweet boy, Bolt (a/k/a Malcolm) has crossed the rainbow bridge.  It was super sudden…diagnosis hemangiomas carcinoma ventricular.

After sixteen years with our beloved Holly, we have come to believe that the name “A Forever Home” should really say something about what our pets have become to us rather than what we signed-up to give them; something more along the lines of “Forever in Our Hearts”. Holly came into our lives in the Autumn of 2005 during an AFH adoption event at PetSmart in Chantilly Virginia and immediately became one with our family.

Side-by-side growing-up with our two sons, Holly became the third wheel with everything they did except watersports, far too risky behavior for this proper lady. When 34 guinea hens made their way into our life in 2013, Holly’s Border Collie instincts kicked-in and she was determined to set the boundaries for their free-raging activities and wouldn’t take no for an answer until they flew to treetops, waiting the coast to be clear of that strong-willed and determined dog.

Holly was an unscripted addition to our family, and we all became Holly-centric over time basing many of our family decisions and directions with Holly in mind. We were never without a wagging tail or a smile looking for a treat; Holly was always ready to play when we were (and even if we weren’t). Over the years Holly touched many lives and most assuredly was greeted by her grandfather on the other side whom she shared a home for almost a decade. We can almost hear him saying “Hello Dog”. Planting our garden will never be same without Holly’s pawprints in the freshly groomed soil but memories like those will stand the test of time.

Thank you to AFN for not only the opportunity to give Holly a forever home, but for the opportunity to have Holly in our family and memories forever.

Tom, Cathy, Barrett and Griffin Cosgrove, Georgetown Delaware

AFH, In the fall of 2006, we rescued Tyson, a beagle mix puppy from A Forever Home Rescue Foundation. Little did we know, he rescued us. He was the only black beagle in his litter and his mild temperament drew us to him. We are saddened to report that Tyson passed away on Oct 28, 2021. Tyson was a little over 15 years old and brought love and joy to our family every day in a way, only the best dog ever could.  We miss him immensely. Rest in Peace, Tyson. July 4, 2006 – October 28, 2021.

Dear AFH,

My name is Maggie…I adopted a wonderful great dane/ airedale terrier mix from you about 12.5 years ago.  She was an amazing creature, and made a wonderful family member.  She was a great nana dog to my daughter, who is now 18.  Unfortunately, I had to have her put down about 3 weeks ago due to multiple organ failure.  Dr. Eeg came to my house and and we eased her over the rainbow bridge here at home.  She is sorely missed. 

Thank you for all you rescue work, Maggie – AKA Lola’s mom

We adopted Rocky (formally Benton) from A Forever Home in August of 2010. We knew immediately when we saw him, that he was our dog. Since then he was with us for every one of life’s big milestones; marriage, home ownership, the birth of our three children. He enjoyed every family vacation with us; we honestly didn’t go anywhere without him. He was a fixture in our community, everyone just adored him. He loved his food, walks, car rides, but most importantly, he loved his family. As long as he was with us, he was happy and content. He was the most loyal, sensitive and loving companion. Rocky was diagnosed with Cancer (Lymphoma) on his 10th birthday, June 16th, 2020. After receiving Chemotherapy, he enjoyed 8 months of remission, before relapsing. We lost him May 6th, 2021. The loss of Rocky was profound. He might very well have been the most loved dog, ever. We are so thankful to A Forever Home for bringing us together. He was our missing puzzle piece, and am intricate part of our family. We miss him greatly.

If you have a pet, show them some love in honor of Sammy. Sammy was the best dog I could have ever asked for. From 4th grade through grad school he had been with me and my family- through SO much. He loved to play hard (frequently running into things, especially with one of his favorite toys- a green frog half his size) and nap hard. He requested dinner early relentlessly. He always did circles in excitement and gave you a snarled smile while wiggling his whole body when you came home. I will miss him so much. May he rest in peace, the best boy.

I just made a donation in memory of our sweet Tinkerbell. That is her on the right. Pete, her brother dachshund, is still with us. Both came from A Forever Home Rescue.  She basically taught Pete how to be a dog. When we adopted her, she had been a stray in West Va and was going through a “false pregnancy”. She would get two of my son’s doggie stuffed animals and try to nest with them.  So cute, but sad in a way. Two years later, we then got Pete to give her some company.  He was rescued from the 2,000+ puppy mill In West Va. (national news) He had been in a crate for 1.5 years with his two brothers…neglected and ignored.  They would throw food in to eat off the floor. He was a bit of a social, doggie mess. He would cower from a touch and not even “sniff” when we went on walks. But Tink helped him be a dog and the love we All shared helped him grow into the loving (albeit still quirky) dog we love so much. We miss Tink terribly.

Hi, My name is Hanna Rose and I adopted sweet Sam 11 years ago in 2010 from A Forever Home. They all called him “Smiley” because he would smile so much all the time. He has been with me through middle school, high school, throughout college in Texas, and for the past two years in New York City! He traveled all over (Washington DC, Florida, Nantucket, Dallas, Waco, and so many more!) with our family. He was loved by so many and was one of the most loyal and sweetest souls I have ever seen in a pet! He tragically and suddenly passed away this Fourth of July weekend, but I wanted to let you know that he was my rock from age 14 to 24 and I will never forget him. I’ve attached some photos (I have so many!) Thanks again for giving me the best friend and companion I could ever ask for. 

Dear Forever Home, This is such a hard note to write and I have put it off for months as my heart is absolutely broken. Last summer my beloved Ben who I adopted from you in June 2008, when he was 4 month old, had his spleen rupture. He underwent emergency surgery and I received the devastating news that he had Hemangiosarcoma. He underwent two months of chemo to no avail and I had to make the most awful decision to let him go. This is not how I ever imagined our journey together would end. Ben was the light of my life for 12 and a half years from the minute I met him at an adoption event. He captured my heart and held it in his paw every day since. He was wicked smart in addition to being so very handsome and big personality that captivated anyone who met him. He was my constant companion, my confidante, the one who I treasured to walk, wag, bark, and run thru life with. He is missed every minute of every day. I know it saddens you to hear news like this, but also let it be known that Ben had a wonderful full life full of love and adventures that would not have been possible with out your organization from the start with Patricia McIntyre fostering him and letting me become his forever mommy. Barb

Good Afternoon, I am writing to notify you that our pet, Hercules Gwin, has passed away.  We adopted him from you while living in Springfield VA in 2007.  About 5 years ago he developed diabetes and quickly went blind, but he remained an active, loving part of our family with the help of another rescue dog we added to the family, until this past Sunday.  His mobility was severely limited and the diabetes finally took its’ toll on our sweet boy.  Thank you for the chance to add this precious dog to our family.  He will be missed deeply, and will be in our hearts forever.

Sincerely, Kelly

June 1st would have been our dear, sweet, goofy Miles’s 15th birthday. He crossed the rainbow bridge on August 31, 2020 after a valiant battle with heart disease. It has taken us a long time to process his passing which explains the delay in writing this memorial.

We adopted Miles from A Forever Home on August 4, 2006 when he was only 8 weeks old. He was the smallest of the “Millie” litter (we decided to keep the name from his foster family) and looked microscopic next to his siblings. I still remember my parents skeptically asking me, “Are you sure that’s the one you want?” But as soon as I picked him up, I knew he was destined to be a member of our family.

Miles brought life to our household amid difficult times. Even if we had nothing to say to each other, we could talk about him for hours. The sounds of his paws click-clacking on the hardwood floors, his disproportionately booming bark from a 20-pound body, and the nonsensical conversations between him and us echoed throughout our house all day long (except during nap time, of course!)

From day one, we could tell that Miles was highly intelligent, but also extremely stubborn. This trait showed the most when we received his congestive heart failure diagnosis. The cardiologist prognosed that he had about six months left but our headstrong boy made it through a full one and a half years. Even the day before we put him to sleep he was galloping around refusing to give up the croissant he snatched from our grocery bag.

The past nine months have been incredibly tough. The house seems empty now without Miles’s “tippy-taps” or “kurkures” (the sound of him digging furiously on our furniture), especially during the pandemic. He truly was my best friend and companion who grew up and stayed by my side from coast-to-coast. We will be forever grateful to Miles for the 14 years he spent on Earth with us and will cherish every single memory he gifted to our family. Thank you, Miles, especially for giving me a reason to get out of bed each morning.

We adopted her as Carla on 2/29/2008 and named her Marley.  Her estimated date of birth was given to us as 1/1/2008.  She was a labrador/boxer mix born with brothers and sisters but we chose her because we loved her shiny black coat and kind eyes. We had her when we were a year married and then had 2 kids so Marley has been with us from the beginning.  She always loved to eat and run around and always had her tail wagging.  The last few days were hard to see because she could not walk as well due to her battle with arthritic legs and sarcoma.  It made us so sad seeing her not being able to eat when she was the best eater with her tail down between her legs which was nothing we ever saw her do.  We had to put her to sleep on 4/25/2021 with such heavy hearts.  Our whole family misses her very much.  We are so thankful for A Forever Home for giving us the wonderful gift of having Marley.

To A Forever Home – 

In 2007, I adopted a puppy that I named Isis (her original name was Gumdrop). For 14 wonderful years, Isis was my constant companion. We walked for two hours or more per day! 

Isis was part beagle, part whippet, so she loved to sniff and loved to sprint. She obsessively chased squirrels and frequently asked for snacks. She provided our family with lots of love and cuddles. 

Isis was sweet and gentle to the end. We said goodbye to her on April 2, 2021, but she will remain in our hearts forever. Thank you for giving us this wonderful gift!

Kathy

We adopted Annabelle (originally Roxy) back in the fall of 2006.  She was with us through the birth of our three children, and was a wonderful companion for our family as it grew.  As toddlers our kids gave her the nickname “Abo” as they had a hard time saying her full name.  She was always very gentle with our kids, who she viewed as an excellent source of supplemental food from vacuuming up the floor around them.  She was wonderful with all of our extended family’s dogs, especially her best friend Stella.  She was a great friend on numerous walks around the neighborhood, hikes through the wilderness, and road trips to the beach.  It was a truly sad day for our family when we had to put Annabelle down this past February after nearly 15 years.  We miss her so much!

The Reichert Family 

Dear A Forever Home Staff, 15 years ago we adopted the sweetest little puppy from A Forever Home. “Cooper” a beagle spaniel mix was in our eyes our first baby and through the years he was the most wonderful little companion we could have asked for. He grew up with our family including our son “Sam” and always held a special place in our hearts. On the last day of August 2019 we had to say goodbye to our dear old friend. Personally, it was the hardest day of my life but he still makes me smile when I look at pictures of him.
Although I swore we could never go through the pain of saying goodbye to another dog ever again, something has been truly missing in our house ever since. It just hasn’t been the same without the pitter patter of paws and happy dog kisses….I attached some pics of “Cooper” that we took over the years. Just figured you’d like to see how that fateful day truly changed our lives.

All the Best, Rob

Our loving companion is gone… but his memory lives on! 

We signed ourselves up 12 years ago for this guaranteed heartbreak without comprehending that it’s in exchange for the deepest, most magical, unadulterated form of unconditional love. Shep, we love you and miss you dearly. You have left your paw prints all over our hearts and you will be there forever. 

– Kaushik, Paromita, Soham, Prisha, Ganen, Dolly & Archana. 

We are sad to announce that Myles (AFH name Charlie) passed away on Saturday, March 27th. We adopted Myles when he was three months old. We attended an adoption event and instantly fell in love with him. From camping trips, outdoor adventures, watching nieces and nephews grow and welcoming our first baby, Myles has been a part of every aspect of our lives. We can’t imagine our days without him but we hope he is at rest and with us in spirit.

Best, Emerald & Kenneth 

We adopted Oscar in 2010 and he has been a joy to the end. He made it well
beyond what he should have. Many surgeries for mast cell and finally 6
months of chemo. Every day was a gift A donation has been made in his honor
via pay pal. Thank you for allowing us to have this wonderful boy. When the
pain subsides–we’ll be back. Be on the lookout for boxer puppies. 🙂 Tammy
and Hal

I woke up this morning to intense sadness. My walking partner of 13 years was not here. I calculated that we went well over 5,000 walks together. Our little buddy who everyone thought was part fox. The sweetest, Best dog ever. Just heartbroken. But we thank God for the light you brought to us. Rest dear Riley. We love you so much!