Today We Rescued Your Dog
by Pat Closher
Today we rescued your dog. We don’t know where you got him from - maybe you saw him in a pet store window or maybe one of your neighbors bred a few litters a year just to make some vacation money or because they loved their dogs so much that of course they wanted to have puppies. We don’t know much about how you cared for him either, although our vet thought that for such a young dog, his teeth were in pretty bad shape.
by Pat Closher
Today we rescued your dog. We don’t know where you got him from - maybe you saw him in a pet store window or maybe one of your neighbors bred a few litters a year just to make some vacation money or because they loved their dogs so much that of course they wanted to have puppies. We don’t know much about how you cared for him either, although our vet thought that for such a young dog, his teeth were in pretty bad shape.
Did you know they were going to keep him outside? At least it was a pretty mild winter. There were no heavy snows, not much heavy winter rain and only a few days of bitter cold. But for all of those weeks he had no companionship, no care, and no love.
For some reason, your grandparents took him to the shelter. Maybe a neighbor complained about him or maybe their own health gave out or maybe they just got tired of him. You know the local shelter is a kill shelter, don’t you? You know that their own statistics indicate that about half of the dogs that enter are killed, don’t you? Maybe your grandparents thought he would be adopted quickly. He is a purebred, after all. No one was interested in him, though, maybe since he’s an adult dog and not a cute little puppy. No one contacted the purebred rescue group either. They probably would have placed him quickly, since he really is a great boy. The shelter is a clean place and they take good care of the dogs. They get good food and they’re bathed and brushed. It’s still a shelter though, and is noisy and chaotic and frightening. He spent two months there in that confusion, away from everyone and everything he had known.
One day, we saw him on the shelter web site. We called and asked about him. The shelter workers were so happy to hear from us and were delighted to agree to bring him to a local pet store where they do adoptions. Do you want to know why they were so accommodating? He was scheduled to be killed that afternoon. He didn’t know that, but the shelter workers certainly did. It hurt them and he felt that, so he knew something was wrong. All of a sudden, though, the shelter workers were happy and excited and so was he. They bathed him and brushed his coat. We think they probably told him this was it - his big chance, or maybe he just knew it somehow. When we met him, we all fell in love.
He had to go to the vet to be neutered, of course, but then he came home. He has his very own 13 year-old boy. You know, it’s almost like watching one of those old Lassie movies, seeing how well they’ve bonded. He’s got good food and his own toys. He’s taken on walks three times a day, is regularly groomed and is taken to the vet for needed care. We’ll be with him always, even if we have to make that last, difficult decision, because, you see, he is our dog and we are his family.
He has a good heart you know, but then he is a dog, so that’s to be expected. He’s probably forgiven you and, with a dog’s grace, doesn’t even remember you dumped him. He’d probably even be willing to greet you at the Rainbow Bridge. But you know what? He’ll greet us and go with us at the Bridge, and then he’ll be with us forever, because he’s our dog and we’re his family.
The way we heard the story, you moved out of state and didn’t want to take him with you. You left him at your grandparents. Maybe you thought a lively, handsome dog was just the thing for them, and under better circumstances it might have been. Maybe they have been cleaning up your messes for your entire life and an unwanted dog was just another mess to clean up.One day, we saw him on the shelter web site. We called and asked about him. The shelter workers were so happy to hear from us and were delighted to agree to bring him to a local pet store where they do adoptions. Do you want to know why they were so accommodating? He was scheduled to be killed that afternoon. He didn’t know that, but the shelter workers certainly did. It hurt them and he felt that, so he knew something was wrong. All of a sudden, though, the shelter workers were happy and excited and so was he. They bathed him and brushed his coat. We think they probably told him this was it - his big chance, or maybe he just knew it somehow. When we met him, we all fell in love.
He had to go to the vet to be neutered, of course, but then he came home. He has his very own 13 year-old boy. You know, it’s almost like watching one of those old Lassie movies, seeing how well they’ve bonded. He’s got good food and his own toys. He’s taken on walks three times a day, is regularly groomed and is taken to the vet for needed care. We’ll be with him always, even if we have to make that last, difficult decision, because, you see, he is our dog and we are his family.
He has a good heart you know, but then he is a dog, so that’s to be expected. He’s probably forgiven you and, with a dog’s grace, doesn’t even remember you dumped him. He’d probably even be willing to greet you at the Rainbow Bridge. But you know what? He’ll greet us and go with us at the Bridge, and then he’ll be with us forever, because he’s our dog and we’re his family.
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Liza chose us in May of 2012 and immediately became apart of our family. She loved her boy, Caleb, fiercely. They were always together. Liza was Caleb's security. If he was scared to go upstairs by himself, Liza went with him. She not only loved her boy, but loved everyone, like a true boxer. Anyone that met her fell in love. She was truly a very good girl. We could not have found a better match for our family. She was deaf but that never mattered. You couldn't tell. She knew when you were hurting or upset and needed more love. We hope that she knew we loved her just as much. Today we love and surrounded by her family she crossed the Rainbow Bridge. With love and broken hearts we said goodbye. The Pogue Family.
Meadow came home with us in 2005 the day after we got home from our honeymoon. From that very first day she just fit right in and was a perfect. At the time we had 2 pugs and a lab mix as well and she loved being part of her pack. She was the sweetest girl – she brought so many smiles and laughs. We often called her donkey because she would jump off all four paws like Donkey in Shrek. She was the embodiment of girly – sunshine, flowers and rainbows. She loved a cozy sweater on cold days and had 4 blankets and 2 pillows that had to be just right for bedtime. She instantly loved our son when we brought him home. She slept beneath his crib and was never too far away from him. They grew to be great friends in the 4 years they had together. We will miss our Meadow so very much and her sweet little wiggly butt. Jacek, Christina & Chase
Bram was only with us for a short time but he was loved! Bram came into the LSBR program with heavy heart worms. He was treated and seemed to respond well to his treatment. Unfortunately, as the heart worms died off, it was too much for his fragile body. We lost Bram on 12/16/16. From his foster mom: To Bram - a beautiful, sweet boy who laid on his tummy with his legs sprawled out behind him like a frog, and who might have been the fastest eater I have ever seen ( no telling how fast he would have been if he had been in top form). RIP sweet boy....our only regret is that we weren't able to get to you sooner! LSBR
We rescued Clifford from you guys in September of 2005. At that time we were stationed in San Antonio. We moved to the coast of Virginia in 2007 and then to North Carolina in 2010. Throughout this time, Clifford was my best buddy. He lived a very happy and comfy life with his adopted sister boxer and later with his Great Dane brother. He was silly, brace and very sweet. I hope he knew how much joy he gave us and how dearly we loved him. Sadly we lost Clifford to lymphoma December 6th of this year. We are deeply saddened by his passing. We just wanted to thank LSBR for allowing us to have 11 wonderful years with the best dog anyone could ever ask for. Dave, Megan and Aubrey Durham
Honey came to us in 2001 when she was already an adult and passed away in June, 2008. Our first female, she loved watching birds and small critters. She was also particularly fond of things colored red. Honey was a faithful companion that was always by our side, especially when it thundered. --Missed by Alex R and Family
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