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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Chelsea came to us when she was 3 years old. It was amazing that someone didn't want this wonderful dog. Through the years she was with us, Chelsea was always an exuberant, faithful, and loving friend. We miss her peeking around the curtain when we came home - every time we returned it was a joyous occasion with lots of woo-woos and spinning around. The happiness she brought our family was a great gift to us. The picture shown is her with her favorite stuffed toy squirrel. When she was really excited, she's grab it and carry it around proudly. We miss our sweet girl.
Marilyn, Ted and Rose
LSBR Archive - 2005
Max came to me in July 2001 as companionship for me and my father who was in the end stages of dementia. Max contributed a lot of happiness to the last months of my father's life and helped me to heal when he died. My first boxer had been put to sleep a year earlier, and both dad and I longed for another boxer face in our lives. I got Max from Sharon at Lone Star.
Max and D Keeping this to memorial length is difficult as we'd rather write a book! My boyfriend DeSha and I often comment that Max was the most amazing dog we've ever been around. He was also the loudest and had the biggest presence. He couldn't sit next to us, he had to sit on us. The amount of time he wanted to spend sitting on us was directly proportionate to the amount of time we had been away from home. Max would wake up in the morning and shake his whole body as he jumped all over the bed. He tried hard to be calm, but he hadn't seen his people in a whole 8 hours (although chances are he was on the bed most of the night)! His snoring and even breathing were so loud that you always knew exactly where he was. His affection knew no bounds, and his expressions were so intelligent. His favorite past times included walks on the Katy Trail or along Turtle Creek, and visits to the neighborhood Starbucks so he could greet his "public". One of the funniest things about him was the things that seemed to be constantly falling from his face like eye boogers, water, slobber and pieces of food. But we learned to love them as they were part of him. We have frequently joked that if he had a business card, his title would be "eye booger manufacturer". Other titles could have been bed warmer/hog, running companion, leg licker, U-dog (given to him by a neighbor's child for the shape his body made when excited), and our favorite nickname, Moo Moo.
I would like to extend a special thank you to Sharon for the wonderful foster home she gave to Max for a year, and also for all of the things she does for boxers every day. We will be back down to Houston sometime this year to add another boxer to the family. We loved Max with all of our hearts and know there will never be another one just like him.
Kara Watson and DeSha Sims
LSBR Archive - 2005
Rookie was our first boxer, raised from a pup to a good citizen. His happy dance was called the "helicopter" because he would bounce around in circles as soon as we got home. Rookie was a proud handsome dog who loved playing in the surf. At age 4, he was diagnosed with pancreatitis and died a month later after many treatments and care. We all miss him dearly, including his grieving boxer widow, Gypsy.
Kasie Connor
LSBR Archive - 2005
Pretty Girl was only with me a very short time but she quickly stole my heart. She was surrendered to Lone Star Boxer Rescue with a massive infection. Because she was so severely anemic and was in such great pain with little hope of recovery the vet advised euthanasia. Even in the pitiful state she was in, she was able to give me a smile and wag her little tail. Pretty Girl was aptly named and very brave. It broke my heart that we weren't able to save her. I stayed with her until the end and she passed away with her head in my arms on November 7, 2004.
Debbie Lon and family
LSBR Archive - 2004
When I first saw Scarlett's picture, I knew I had to foster her. The poor girl had several large mast-cell tumors hanging from her body and was severely emaciated and anemic. What was so amazing though is that in spite of it all she was happy and her tail was constantly wagging.
Once she gained some weight and was no longer quite so anemic, the tumors were removed. We were told that Scarlett would need to be on medication for the rest of her life and that the tumors would likely come back. It was also possible the cancer had started to spread internally. I knew then that I couldn't let her go.
I was lucky enough to have Scarlett with me for five months before she lost the battle. Scarlett died Oct. 26, 2004, exactly four weeks after her foster brother, Jake. It means so much to me that I was able to be with her and tell her how much I loved her in the end.
Scarlett was very special to me and I miss her terribly. She quickly won the hearts of all the people she met -- a testament to what a sweetie she was. Hopefully she and Jake are together, running and playing pain free once again.
Debbie Lon and family
LSBR Archive - 2004
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