Xander

Xander
GSRNE #068
1992 – 10/05/2005  

After 6 very rewarding years, Saturday brought the final moments for our handsome sweet boy, still standing, with dignity. His hips and hind legs wouldn’t hold him up very well at all anymore, and he collapsed often, was getting stuck in his doorless crate (he loved that crate-his own personal wolf den-nice!!) quite a bit, and even the 3 steps out on the deck were getting to be a real problem. It wasn’t just the arthritis, but also spondolosis, the same ailment (with a worsening heart condition) that felled our last Shepherd, Casey-1986-99. Xander was partly blind and deaf, but you would hardly have known it. Our friend Alison, a vet, also suspected he may have been suffering from a tumor on his spinal column, as he had an odd way of dragging his right rear paw suddenly, and then recovering, but we never officially had it diagnosed. But it was definitely getting worse. He was just wearing down and out; so tired, so painful to watch. But 13 years is often more than we expect with these big fur balls, and it’s a blessing that he had some quality of life until very recently.

Thanks always for introducing us to this very special guy. He wasn’t necessarily a dog for everyone, but he certainly was for us.

Abby

Abby
GSRNE #080
8/08/1996 – 9/05/2008  

Sadly, my parents’ beloved white German Shepherd Abby passed away on Friday afternoon. Her 12th birthday would have been this coming October 8th. All of the Steins miss her very much. Thank you to German Shepard Rescue New England for all of the wonderful years we had with her.

Abby was a very special dog, she was always ready with a tail wag and a greeting. An ambassador for the household, always greeting people and wanting pats (as well as barking to say goodbye). She refused to walk in the rain unless she was wearing her yellow raincoat and you could always see her wagging her tail when passing people who admired it. Even the grumpiest of strangers at Fresh Pond and in the neighborhood couldn’t help but smile at the tail wagging white dog in the bright yellow rain-coat. She loved to play with toys and knew all of her toys by name including her “kosher” bone, her bear, her lamb and many others.

As a younger dog, Abby was always wanting more, however in her last years her inner sweetness shone very brightly.  She had a special sparkle in her eyes – which you could see most clearly when she was engaging in her favorite activities such as chasing snow balls, playing in the snow or in the ocean.  When her “dad” Maury was bedridden for six months, she spent hours every day on the bed with him, bringing comfort.

Abby had joined the Steins when she was 3 years young and was the longest lived GSD we have had, spending 9 years with us. Always a white dog- dirt just didn’t stick to her coat- in her last weeks Abby somehow became more white even luminous, perhaps her angel nature showing through.

When Abby received her companion dog title, Phyllis brought this cake with Abby’s picture on it to dog class. Apparently Abby’s brother Saber thought the cake was tasty too.  The writing on the cake reads “Abby-GS Rescue and CD” (companion dog). Saber was German Shepard Rescue New England dog number 08, Abby was GSRNE dog number 80 and Sammy is GSRNE 160.

Saber

Saber
GSRNE #008
1992? – 02/27/2003  

Saber was my very special boy- I loved him from the moment I first saw him in the window of his GSRNE foster home.  We had a wonderful, too short, six years together; he was about six when he came to live with us.  We could have called him Velcro, had we been naming him ourselves. When he first was adopted by us, he wouldn’t leave my side, even when I was in the bathtub!  He was FAT when we first got him (maybe thirty-five pounds over normal weight) and awkward as anything.  After a year or so, he was sleek and beautiful and always ready to please.  We were seldom separated; he stayed with my friend Sue a few times,  for special things like my daughter’s college graduation.  Otherwise, he came with us everywhere.

At Janice Ritter’s suggestion, we took him to obedience training at New England dog training club for a six week session.  Saber and I loved it, and we went almost every Thursday night for those six years.

We had told Janice we wanted a quiet dog who would be content with our inactive life style for 10 hours a day, and ready to run on the 11^th hour, and she found us Saber, who was the perfect match. 

He had many loves – travel in the car, coming on errands with me, walking down the aisles at Staples while I pushed the cart, playing with tennis balls, eating, obedience training, other dogs, special time on the bed with us at night, our daughter Ninian, riding in elevators, meeting my clients, having company when he could stay with us, night time treats, etc.  I was never sure how much he loved his adopted sister Abby (GSRNE# 80);  as she was the boss over him, little white tomboy that she is, and she certainly changed his life.  For one thing, she ran faster than he would left to his own devices, but he loped along after her.  She charged at squirrels, where Saber’s style would be to stalk them.  Abby put some pizzaz into his life; he was happily turning very sedate as he hit seven years old.  Her energy pulled him along with her.  (Abby was very sad when he died and took months to recover.)

He was devoted to me in a way I never had before in all my dogs, constantly at my side or at least checking to see where I was when he was running ahead, when he could still run.  He was pretty terrific in the obedience ring, and earned a number of ribbons to show for it.  He had both his CD and his CGC but had to quit going for his next title when his arthritis got too bad to jump.  My favorite show was a German Shepherd show in Central New England in a beautiful country setting, where all the shepherds were lined up in a down stay, and one by one, they got up and broke it, all ten or so of them, until Saber was the only one left in the down stay.  For this, he got his big blue ribbon.

A wonderful, much beloved dog, my “love-bug.”

Lacy

Lacy
One of GSRNE’s wonderful foster dogs died of bloat before adoption
1996? – 9/21/2004  

I have some very sad news about our Lacy. We lost her to bloat this week. Lacy’s Foster Mom came home from work only to find that Lacy had died during the day. Bloat strikes quickly and mercilessly. There is no chance of saving the dog unless you are right there when the symptoms appear. Without immediate intervention and surgery, bloated dogs just don’t make it. Often times, the dogs are gone before you can even get them to the emergency vet. So many  people will be disappointed that Lacy’s shining spirit has moved on. But she will leave a beautiful glow of memory in our hearts. We love you, Lacy.

We are shedding many tears and grieving for Lacy. It has been devastating for all of us who knew Lacy, but none so much as her Foster Moms. Our foster families fall in love with their rescue dogs as if they were their own. We know our foster parents are true heros to be willing to sacrifice time and energy, and to change their normal routines all to freely give care, love and structure to needy dogs. They do all this hoping that there will be a happy (albeit bittersweet) day when their foster dog will go to their well-matched adoptive family- those special people who spark that magic connection with the rescue dog.

Foster families all know that they risk heartache when they take an unknown German Shepherd Dog into their homes. But it is so very hard on the rare occasion when that heartache hits. Our only comfort is that Lacy did not die alone and unwanted in a shelter.

Abandoned, she was picked up as a stray and spent over 4 months in the scary shelter. Every month that went by caused Lacy to get more and more frantic. She started barking for attention whenever someone would see her or pass her kennel. Nobody wanted to adopt an older German Shepherd who barked at you when you approached her cage. The shelter contacted GSRNE because they were running out of room and knew that Lacy had to go, one way or the other.

When we evaluated Lacy, she was a dream girl, a sweet, sweet dog who just needed to be in a better environment. Our evaluator saw her with mobs of kids, even being gentle with one who threw her arms around Lacy and hugged her. In spite our already having a number of older dogs and dogs with health problems in foster care, we could not see letting such a lovely girl be euthanized because she was unwanted. We were lucky to have just the right foster home complete with a new set of kitties who shared mutual adoration with Lacy.

Within days of Lacy moving into her new foster home, all the barky, unsettled behavior disappeared and her true self started to appear. Lacy’s Foster Moms really saw her blossom, relaxing into an affectionate, happy girl.

We just posted our Lacy girl with the big brown eyes for adoption last weekend. We’ve already had six families inquire about adopting her. So many people will be disappointed that Lacy’s shining spirit has moved on. But she will leave a beautiful glow of memory in our hearts. All of us at GSRNE send our deepest sympathy to Bobbi and Becky, Lacy’s Foster Moms, and to those of you who already fell in love with Lacy through her pictures and hoped to share the rest of her life with your family.

Victoria

GSRNE Foster Home Coordinator

I Loved You Best

Copyright © Jim Willis 2002,
http://www.crean.com/jimwillis/
all rights reserved

So this is where we part, My Friend,
and you’ll run on, around the bend,
gone from sight, but not from mind,
new pleasures there you’ll surely find.

I will go on, I’ll find the strength,
life measures quality, not its length.
One long embrace before you leave,
share one last look, before I grieve.

There are others, that much is true,
but they be they, and they aren’t you.
And I, fair, impartial, or so I thought,
will remember well all you’ve taught.

Your place I’ll hold, you will be missed,
the fur I stroked, the nose I kissed.
And as you journey to your final rest,
take with you this…I loved you best.

(used with permission of the author)

Gunner

Gunner
GSRNE #095
1991? – July 22, 2002  

From Marie: Gunner was my foster dog for 4 months until he was adopted by Sue and Jim, who fell in love with him immediately upon meeting him!  Gunner came to GSRNE from a shelter, where he had landed because his owners’ neighbors all had Golden Retrievers, and these owners decided that they wanted a Golden too.  So Gunner was taken to a shelter, left to an uncertain fate, because he wasn’t a Golden Retriever.  Lucky for him, GSRNE was able to take him!

While Gunner was with me, he was the “perfect” dog!  He slipped right into the daily routine that I shared with my dog and he got along with my two cats wonderfully.  He looked forward to our evening walks and enjoyed playing with his toys.   Fostering him was the easiest 4 months of fostering that I’ve ever had.  He had his own “dog bed” to sleep on and once we settled down for the night, he always went right over to it.  He looked so comfortable on it! 

It was hard to see him leave my home, but Sue and Jim gave Gunner a wonderful life where he was loved in the way he always should have been.  I’m glad that I was able to take him into my home… and into my heart, even if it was only for a short time.

Sue and Jim just called to tell me that Gunner past away of a heart attack.  While it was difficult to hear this news because I cared for Gunner so much, I’m so thankful that GSRNE rescued this big boy and asked me to foster him.  And I’m so glad that he was adopted by a couple who adored him and valued him for the wonderful dog he was.

Bonnie

Bonnie
GSRNE #97
1996? – 7/27/2002  

It is with the heaviest of hearts and the greatest sadness that we must tell you that Bonnie has gone to the Bridge.

We all have had dogs whom we’ve loved dearly and then lost. You love some in one way, and others in other ways, each one worming his or her special way into your heart for different reasons. You love them, care for them, worry about them, enjoy their company, and eventually sadly, you bury them.

While we love them all, once in awhile you get to meet and maybe even live with a dog that is about is perfect as they come. These are dogs who somehow touch everybody who meets them, dogs who are polite, nice, friendly, charming, and disarming no matter what has happened to them previously, no matter how awful the human race has kicked them around.

These rare canine eternal optimists greet each day with quiet courage and confident enthusiasm, whether that day includes unconditional love, good food, adequate shelter, and play and companionship, or the day is only filled with the hum of biting insects or chilling frostbite while the dog is abandoned in a pen alone, forgotten outside, or allowed to suffer with a physical illness for over a year with no medical attention. These optimist dogs from these sad, unreal types of situations somehow remain giving,  trusting animals with humans, in spite of how they are treated. Who knows why.

These special dogs somehow take this neglect and hardship all in stride and don’t become withdrawn or bitter as most dogs and certainly most humans would become in like circumstances. Instead, these special dogs reflect back only the good parts of what we humans broadcast to dogs. These special dogs only reflect back love, friendship, trust, kindness, compassion. If only we could all be this way.

When these types of dogs who have been poorly treated in life move into a rescue situation where they are finally loved, fed, sheltered, receive veterinary care for their illnesses, and are valued, they are just thrilled that that day, somebody cared. These dogs don’t carry grudges. Instead, these amazing dogs give back something intangible, but wonderful to you and your family, and give of themselves to strangers too, just because that is their nature.

Bonnie was such a dog.

Bonnie, a beautiful female German Shepherd Dog, endured years of extreme neglect for the majority of her life before landing in some wonderful foster homes with GSRNE. She was suffering from a long-term, undiagnosed illness when we took her in this spring, with symptoms that could make anybody grouchy or withdrawn. But this magnificent, gentle dog just took the good from each day and seemed to ignore the bad. Despite being abandoned by humans for most of her life, she gave every human she met a chance to shine in her presence.

As we worked to diagnose and treat her illness, she patiently endured it all, magically making friends and fans in every veterinary clinic she attended, never getting upset with anybody even when her tests or procedures were not comfortable for her. To ask for more attention, she’d sometimes pick up her food dish and run around with it, endearing her to even the toughest of souls. She could even squeak a squeaky toy with dignity, which is something few dogs can really pull off well!

Bonnie just lived each day looking at things with the glass half full, even after we had to do emergency back surgery on her and she endured some complications from her illness that made her uncomfortable. She didn’t complain and never got angry at anybody, nor did she withdraw from life. All creatures, human and otherwise, seemed to sense that this dog wasn’t an ordinary creature. There was something more to this dog. Wherever she went, whatever she was doing, when around people and even other dogs, she gave, and gave, and gave of herself selflessly.

Until there just was nothing left to give.

Bonnie was recovering from her back surgery, done at Tufts Veterinary School Hospital almost 6 weeks ago. She was walking and even trotting around, and was excited to eat, go outside, and to settle in around her foster people or greet new friends she met along the way. She was healing as the vets at Tufts thought she would – it was tough surgery, and her 2nd issue, megacolon, was not easy to deal with for her, but Bonnie just didn’t let on that anything bothered her. We and her vets truly all expected  great results for Bonnie over the next 8 weeks of recuperation.

And then out of the blue recently, she bloated. Bloat, for those of you who don’t know, is a terrible illness that hits German Shepherd Dogs and some other long- or deep-bodied breeds. The stomach and intestines fill up with air that cannot escape, causing incredible pain because of the distention and pressure in the gut inside those organs, and the pressure on other organs. Sometimes the stomach flips over on itself, called “torsion,” and blood and oxygen supplies to the major organs is cut off. Extreme pain, distension, pressure, and distress results, and if there is no intervention in time, eventually, a slow death happens. Bloat is something that just  happens sometimes – nobody knows for sure why. But for an animal already compromised physically, bloat can be especially devastating.

Bonnie’s foster mom was only away from Bonnie’s side for about half an hour that evening, but bloat can hit that quickly. When her foster mom saw Bonnie’s classic symptoms occurring out of the blue around 11:15 pm that evening, she knew what was happening. And she knew that there was no time to falter or try to wait to see what happened. She and her sister and a friend got Bonnie into the car and raced to an emergency veterinary clinic. In the car, they called me at home to ask what our next steps would be. With a panicked feeling, I told them that yes, go to the emergency clinic and ask that the attending emergency vets speak to our Tufts vets after stabilizing Bonnie, so that we’d have all the information we needed. Half an hour later, the emergency clinic vets had seen Bonnie and taken xrays, and had spoken to the vets at Tufts, too.

Meanwhile, the GSRNE Board conferred quickly – the money didn’t matter, we knew that somehow, German Shepherd Dog lovers would help us with that. The
question was: What was best for Bonnie? Could she endure another major surgery, given she was already compromised physically? She was lying there in excruciating pain, suffering beyond what any creature should have to suffer. Could we ask her to go under the knife again, this time slashing open her belly, hoping her internal organs weren’t too badly damaged, forcing her body to try to heal a 2nd time while she was already compromised from previous surgery? Could she survive this? Should she have to endure this? We had to decide on options quickly while the vets conferred.

Then as the GSRNE representative, I spoke to the attending vets who looked at Bonnie. Xrays at the clinic showed that Bonnie had indeed torsioned, and needed major emergency surgery to save her life. Her prognosis was guarded, borderline at best. I had remained hopeful up until that point, but the picture did  not sound good for her.

As the vets paused to get my answer on how we wanted to proceed, I wondered once more if we could ask Bonnie to try to pull through another major surgery, plus deal with her current surgical healing issues with those complications as well,  when the odds were strong that she’d suffer through the surgery and the post-op  period, before slipping away slowly. Her body just seemed to be telling us that she  couldn’t do it anymore – she just had nothing left to give. She had selflessly given herself away.

A life filled with physical neglect and ignored physical ailments had taken its toll on her body, and while we and many veterinarians and techs and friends had tried everything to save this extraordinary dog, I knew what the answer had to be.

I felt hot tears burning my eyes and making little trails down my face as I made the call: we would let her go. Bonnie would suffer no more. Around 11:45 pm, Bonnie’s brave foster mom cradled Bonnie’s anguished, exhausted face, told her how so many people loved her, kissed her, and the vet let Bonnie drift off to a painless, permanent sleep. One final sigh proved that Bonnie had escaped her worldly pain. No matter how awful most of her life had been, at least she left this world while surrounded by people who cared deeply about her, who had been touched by her special nature. She left us knowing she was loved.

Bonnie was a dignitary among German Shepherd Dogs, and among dogs in
general. I think everybody who met her, felt that – it was as if she had a life force that attracted everybody, calmed people. Every single person who met her from the time we first heard about her, fell in love with her. How anybody ignored her aura for the first 6 years of her life is beyond me. She caused more smiles and good feelings than any animal I know. If there are angel wings for dogs, Bonnie is wearing one of the most beautiful pair now.

GSRNE volunteers and friends went to extraordinary lengths to help Bonnie – her foster parents, her many vets, her vet techs and vet hospital caretakers, the fabulous people who donated so generously to her cause because somehow they, too, knew she was special, the people who emailed and inquired about her condition from time to time, worrying about her, and the people who asked about adopting her. Everybody recognized that there was something different about this dog that needed to be cherished.

But now she’s gone. If GSRNE people and friends gave one thing to Bonnie, the dog who gave to everybody else, it was the feeling that she was loved and wanted and admired, every day she was with our foster homes or with other GSRNE people. As she always should have been. It’s important that finally in her life, a group of people gave something positive back to her, reflected back what humanity can be, instead of what it had been.

Bonnie was a creature like few people will ever meet again – she was as perfect as they come. Bless you all for offering all the help you could for her.

The world will miss her.

-Janice Ritter

Please see page two for more about Bonnie’s history