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.
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.
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.
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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This morning, with a very heavy and sad heart, I said goodbye to my sweet baby girl. She was full of cancer, loosing her strength, and would not eat. Her body, eyes, and mouth were yellow from jaundice, as the lymphoma had affected her liver. She came to BAPA in late January, 2009 with nine sweet puppies and we all fell in love at first sight. My true "foster failure" as she only came home to recover from a hard spay and go through heartworm treatment. Yea, right. That was March 18 last year and she has brought so much love and laughter to our home. She lost so much weight and was even having a hard time walking very far and would not stand for very long. She gave kisses all the way to the end and as Kim and Katie helped her to Rainbow Bridge, her little nub was wagging as she slipped away from me. She was the best gril, and I will miss her so much.
- Sarah Wright
I got Beauty when she was 5 weeks old and fell in love with her the minute I saw her. We rescued her from back yard breeder not knowing what we were doing. She was such a sick little puppy and many dollars later she survived. Her left ear had been cut half off with something to dock them. We called this her beauty mark. She was really an awesome dog and was well loved and gave back as much if not more love. She was 10 ½ years old when she passed on. Her rescue brother Ben and sister Xena will miss her as well as her loving human family. Rest in Peace Precious Beauty.
In Memory of Mudge Elizabeth Ripkowski
The joys of rescue, they are so many….
Mudgie rescued us and our smiles were many,
She put up with us when our days were bad
She loved us through eyes in her heart
She reminded us once again, the real meaning of love.
Thank you for rescuing us sweet Mudge and I know you and Buddy Ray will be there waiting for your “Daddy Man” and I when our time on earth is done.
Sweet Mudge Elizabeth Ripkowski, “Mudgie Pudge” rescued us when her previous owners decided she wasn’t worthy of their family any longer when their neighbors cat got in the yard and she decided it shouldn’t be. Of course, we weren’t happy that happened, but it did. We all make mistakes… She was so frightened & lonely after her family dumped her and “no longer had time for her anyway with the kids ball games and all” that she became an instant “foster failure” and a permanent member of the Ripkowski family. Six years and many happy memories later, our sweet girl crossed over the rainbow bridge to be with her canine brother, Buddy Ray. When she became a part of our family, we promised her she would always be with us and we would always be with her. That promise was kept and she passed over the Rainbow Bridge with her head on her very own pillow, covered with her blanket, her mommy lying with her in her arms, her daddy with his arms around her and her 4 legged brother Skip lying with his paws over her licking her face at 9:30 PM, April 9, 2010.
Wait for us sweet angel girl, when God decides that enough puppies have fostered us, and our time on earth is done, we will all be together again, in Heaven….
Charles, Peggye, and Skipper Ripkowski
On May 6, 2010, Bosco will be euthanized for a variety of medical problems and just plain old age. We have watched him struggle for several months, and seen the quality of his life go down, and we just decided it had to be done to end his suffering. I honestly don't remember when we adopted Bosco, but it was a lot of years ago. We had just lost Fritz, who was our first rescue Boxer, to cancer, and our other LSBR dog, Ginger, was not coping with Fritz's loss very well. I have had a pair of Boxers almost all of my life - over 6 decades - and so we decided to replace Fritz, to provide Ginger with companionship. Bosco was unusual for us because he had not been abused that we know of. A guy got him for his girlfriend, and then they split up so he didn't want the dog, so he left it with his elderly parents (apparently older than we are!) and they couldn't cope with a rambunctious dog, so they got LSBR to help place him in a better home. And so he came to North Texas and has lived the life of a King ever since. Bosco was probably a California Surfer in a previous life - just a laid back, easy-going, friendly, loving dude. He didn't really care if he was the alpha dog or not - he was just happy to be loved, and loved he was. He was a big old boy, even for a Boxer, but never mean, never aggressive. Just a plain joy to be around. Ginger was replaced with another LSBR female, Allie, and quite frankly Allie is a Diva and I don't think she will miss Bosco for a minute. Now she will get all the attention, which is what she wants. So for the moment, we will give her that spotlight, but we will dearly miss our big ole chunk of chocolate, Bosco. And time will tell whether we get another male Boxer, but if we do, it WILL be from LSBR - you guys are the best!
Roger and Barbara Alexander Garland, Texas
Sebastian came into our lives has he was recovering from a rough beginning to life. He was also a little rough around the edges in the behavior category. With a little help from LSBR and Dean Miller we got him back on track. He became the dog every kid on our street wanted to see and every parent complemented. At the beginning we thought we were rescuing him but little did we know he was actually giving more than we could give back. Sebastian was truly a great dog, friend, and companion to all that has the pleasure of meeting him. We lost him last week after only 4 short years and we miss him dearly. Although we know he is resting peacefully we still think of him often and the corky little things he did. We miss them all. Thank you LSBR and Sebastian for all that you have done for us. Rest in peace Mr. B we love you very much.
-Jennifer and Adam Walker
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