Miya
GSRNE #179
2004 – 9/14/2019

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“She was my girl… I will keep her in my heart forever…”

It is with tremendous sadness that we share that Miya (GSRNE #179) peacefully crossed the Rainbow Bridge, just a few weeks shy of her 15th birthday. This sweet girl came to us when she was just 3 months old with her 4 litter mates from a very bad neglect situation in Maine.

A favorite of so many GSRNE volunteers, we all had a special relationship with Miya. We all knew her well because her mom, Jeannie, had hosted most GSRNE get-togethers and meetings at her home over the years. This bold and confident girl loved people, and would always happily greet us with her tail wagging and a tennis ball in her mouth, persuading all of us to play catch with her. She was always willing to chase the ball for any one of us.

If you happened to put your purse or bag down where she could get at it, this sassy girl would help herself to whatever was inside it. Often walking into the room with someone’s phone or wallet in her mouth, nothing was off limits with Miya. She was a real prankster and loved to steal anything she could–never destroying it, just carrying it about and moving it around. Now it just won’t seem the same when we visit, not to see Miya happily greeting us at the door.

Thank you Jeannie for sharing your wonderful girl with us all these years. She was a much-loved member of the GSRNE family and we will miss her. May fond memories of your beloved Miya warm your heart always.

Rest In Peace sweet, beautiful Miya. Your GSRNE family loves you!

Adopted: April 27, 2005

Biography:

Miya was born in a shelter as her mother was part of a GSD confiscation in a neglect case. She lived in the shelter for her first 3 months, then was transferred to another shelter who contacted GSRNE for help with her and her 4 siblings. Miya has found her forever home with Bruschi (also 2 yrs old) and me! Miya is still very active. Her nose is into every package or bag brought into the house. She’s a prankster and loves to steal anything she can. She takes “her people’s” objects, like the phone, the computer mouse, shoes, nail polish, make-up etc. She usually doesn’t destroy it, just moves it! Last spring she and brother Bruschi were enrolled in a tracking class. She had fun eating the hot dogs! She has become a seasoned traveler. Last year she made 5 trips to Pennsylvania. We stayed overnight at the Holiday Inn each way of the trip. It’s a long ride, but both dogs stretch out in the back of my SUV. I often hear “snoring” during the ride. She’s very affectionate and wags her tail at any person she sees. She is great with my 91 yr old Dad also! She’s doing much better on leash walks. She was very reactive to every noise, squirrel, and dog she saw or heard. Mostly, she will ignore them now.

She and Bruschi got a “doggie door” for Christmas! I can see the opening and I watch them use it when the weather is nice. (I keep it closed in rain as they want to bring all the mud into the house.) They love being able to go into my backyard at will. She is always willing to go out and chase the ball. She can catch, but prefers running along with Bruschi. Then she steals the ball from him so he will chase her!!

I’m looking forward to spending many more great years with Miya (and Bruschi) as they grow from the now” terrible two’s) into the stunning adults they will be! She is a wonderful little pipsqueak!

Lucy
GSRNE #145
Adopted in May 2003

Koa
GSRNE #166
Adopted on August 30, 2004  

Update on January 2007:

Koa and his family were being held after being confiscated for an abuse/neglect case and had spent most of his first 7 months in a shelter while awaiting judgment. Shortly after the shelter was awarded custody, they called GSRNE for help.

Koa and I met for the first time when I picked him up in Connecticut for German Shepherd Rescue of New England. He was a very insecure boy that did not ride well in the car as he had little if any experience with cars.

When Koa first came into GSRNE he hated being touched. He had never lived in a house. He suffered from separation anxiety and had panic attacks when you tried to touch his legs and paws. He had a lot to learn. I was lucky to visit him often his first three weeks with GSRNE as he adjusted to being a dog that lived indoors and was cared for with love and tenderness.

My beautiful Christy, GSRNE #115 (see Rainbow Bridge), had passed away a few months before I picked up Koa and I had no intention of fostering or adopting for a very long time. Fate had other plans. A foster home was desperately needed for Koa and there were none available. I was reluctant at first, because of my recent loss, but then I agreed to foster Koa and he came to live with me. We took things very slowly and he responded well, becoming a happy confident boy that loves people, dogs, and cats. Actually he loves everything! During this process I fell in love with this very special boy and asked to adopt him.

It has been almost three years now and Koa is a very different dog. As I write this I realize just how far he has come. He loves hugs, kisses, belly rubs and leaning on his mom. He can now stay at home alone with no panic or anxiety. He loves riding in the car, swimming at the beach, and playing in his pool. We walk almost every day and the best part for Koa is when we meet up with other people. He is thoroughly convinced that everyone loves him. I love watching how people respond to him. His enthusiasm is infectious and people just melt around him. He is a goofy, happy boy that loves to play.

Thanks GSRNE!

Koa and Laurie

Jada
GSRNE #165
11/23/2003 – 3/04/2016

We are sad to report that Jada has passed away.  Her mom got a call from her petsitter one day– Jada would not get up. Mom rushed home and got her to the vet, and they found that Jada had cancer. There was nothing that could be done for her, and they had to let her go.

“On Angels wings she was taken
But in our hearts she’ll stay
And in gods light she will rest
Until we meet again someday”

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We adopted Jada (formerly Grace) in July 2004. We already had two male German Shepherds (Bosco & Kaz) that we had gotten when they were 7 weeks old. I had been a regular visitor of the GSRNE website and as soon as we saw her, my husband and I knew we wanted her. After reading her story, we knew that she had some issues, but were confident that ours was the right home for her. Since we had two well-behaved, loving and confident Shepherds already, we knew Jada could take positive cues from them.

As her story stated, she was definitely shy-fearful. After bringing her home we made a conscious effort to introduce her to new people. We also brought her to obedience class where she did very well. She was already very smart and knew her commands well, but the socialization did her a world of good. She still continues to attend class on a regular basis. While she may never completely overcome her shy-fearfulness, she is much improved and has gained much more confidence. She has become so much more relaxed when we meet other people. Jada also was not a fan of other dogs that she would encounter. While she still isn’t a big fan of small dogs, she is doing much better with larger ones, even letting a neighbor’s dog play in the yard with her, Bosco & Kaz.

She certainly does love to play! She enjoys fetching balls in the yard and chasing squirrels that will occasionally come through. She also enjoys playing tug-of-war with Kaz with whatever toy they may have. Of course since Kaz has about 23lbs on her, he can usually slide her across the kitchen floor quite easily. She also loves to “hang out” with Bosco when it’s bedtime and we usually awaken to the two of them sprawled out on the bed in the morning. She also loves to follow us around wherever we go, whether it be into the kitchen for a snack or to the basement to do laundry. Sometimes I think we should have called her “shadow”. We love her tremendously and she has been a wonderful addition to our family.

Sierra (was Yetta)
GSRNE #060
Adopted in June 1999

Sierra was found on the streets of Boston when she was only a few months old. After using up her time at the shelter, GSRNE stepped in and saved her. She came to live with us and sister-dogs Parlay, Cindi and Jasmine in 1999 when she was about 6 months old. She was “adopted” by Cindi when we brought her home, who thought we’d gotten her specifically to be “her puppy”. She is best friends with Jasmine, and they love to do things together even sleeping together in the same bed. Sadly, both Parlay and Cindi have now gone to the Bridge, and are missed by all of us.

Sierra was a Delta Society Pet Partner when young, but as she grew older she became more aloof and wasn’t enjoying it anymore, so we retired her. She has done some obedience work in the past and has earned her CGC. She is now doing agility. She loves it and can’t wait to get to work.

Sierra has turned into an excellent agility dog. She loves racing over/ through each obstacle, and then looks at me as if to say: “That was fun, Mom, which one do we do next?” She hates the neighbor’s cat, who teases her unmercifully, and adores chasing squirrels and chipmunks in the back yard. She is full of life and is interested in everything! She is an absolute joy.

Six years have passed, and she is very much a loved and loving member of the family.

Sugar
GSRNE #156
8/2/2001 – 4/17/2015 

We’ve all heard of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but what do you call a Labrador retriever in German shepherd’s clothing? We call her Sugar! That’s the name she came with and it fits her so very well. She is as sweet as sugar and has never met anyone that she didn’t like.

Sugar came to live with us when she was 15 months old, a few days before Thanksgiving in 2003, which was very appropriate. With Sugar at our house, we had much to be thankful for. She was totally accepting of us from the start, embracing our home and extended family as well as all the grandchildren. She also came with a few infirmities.

At 8 months of age, while running loose in her neighborhood, she was hit by a car and suffered a broken left hip and cracked pelvis. The only saving grace was that she was turned over to the Animal Control Officer by her owners as an alternative to euthanasia. She received much-needed surgery and was left to recuperate in a local kennel. After spending several months in different kennels, she eventually came to the attention of GSRNE who evaluated her and found her to be a happy-go-lucky, eager to please adolescent who loved life and everything in it! She went to live in Penny & Stephen Cooper’s wonderful foster home and thrived on their devoted attention and care. At 15 months of age, it was now our turn to welcome her into her forever home.

Sugar has lived up to her name in many ways. Even though a year later, she had to endure another surgery and long months of physical therapy and chiropractic care, the ordeal has never quenched her sweet nature or her indomitable and loving spirit.

At home Sugar is crazy about her large plastic ball that she maneuvers with the dexterity of a soccer player. One of our sons enjoys coming over with his son to have a brisk game of soccer with her, much to her everlasting delight! In the morning, if she is outside by herself, she will scratch at the door, but not to come in. She will stand and wait, with a quizzical look on her face, asking for her big red ball. Unfortunately we have lost a few wooden picket fences and lattice work to her eager play drive. If the ball rolls up against them, and we’re not there to stop her, she dismantles the lattice into pieces or takes off the pickets one by one in her excitement.

She also enjoys trying to launch a surprise attack on squirrels. Every morning, as she is let out onto the deck and yard, she sprints out the door just in time to see a wily squirrel disappearing up a tree. Sometimes I will find her sitting on the deck in the rain, patiently waiting for that squirrel to reappear.

Sugar has brought so much to our lives; she is our fourth shepherd out of six dogs. Each one has been a love affair and has stolen our hearts. We would like to thank GSRNE so very much for taking the time and expertise to find us our forever match.

Gail & Ken Van Hoesen

UPDATE

It is with a broken heart that I let you know that our beloved Sugar, GSRNE #156, went to Heaven last Friday. I had to make the awful decision not to prolong her life any longer as she could hardly get up off her bed many times and her quality of life was not acceptable, even though she remained stoic with her injury, had a good appetite and hopped around a little when I went out with her to play “soccer” with her favorite large, hard plastic ball. It had been 16 months since she injured the discs in her back in an accident during a car ride. She held her own for a little while but then began the long dark slide to infirmity. Once a week, all during that time, I took her to laser therapy, chiropractic and acupuncture (alternating), and they were able to provide some level of comfort but not enough to stay the inevitable. She remained a loving, happy and all-round sweetheart of a dog until and through the end. Even the vet said she was the sweetest shepherd she had the privilege of treating. We were honored to share our lives with her and thank GSRNE so much for trusting us with her. She would have been 14 years old on August 2.

gail & ken

Sterling
GSRNE #157
? – 8/29/2015

Rest in peace, dear Sterling. You attended so many GSRNE events with your mom, dad, and faithful GSD sister Luna, who was waiting for you at the Bridge. You will be missed by all who had the pleasure of meeting you.

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Sterling, pictured on the right, is just a wonderful puppy and we love having him and his big sister Luna. 
They get along great and are always together.
Sterling is now almost done with basic obedience with just one day left and then he will graduate and we will go on to Intermediate classes. We have been working with him along with working with Luna, who is all done with the obedience classes. Because of this, Sterling is ahead of his class and the instructor sometimes has Sterling and I demonstrate a command. He is very smart and catches on to things very quickly! He is very good when company comes, he will greet them then lay down beside his Daddy or me for the remainder of their visit. He loves to go for rides, and he and Luna will get into the back seat and lay down or sit. We would like to thank his foster parents, Joe and Deb for the great job they did with him during time that they had Sterling. He is just a great little boy 62 lbs now. We can’t wait to show him off at one of the GSRNE upcoming events!