RIP 1/1/13 - 9/16/20
Dakota came from a shelter into foster care 6/11/18. She had Lyme disease, heartworms and other issues and passed before she could find her forever home.

Some couples just stand out like George and Gracie, Lucy and Ricky, and  Sonny and Cher.  These names just roll off our tongues and have become  inseparable in our memories.  That's exactly how it is with Max and Darlin.
This loving pair of neglected German Shepherds entered our lives,  ironically, on Mother's Day 2009.  Little did we know at that time, just how  much these two rescues would win our hearts and enhance our lives.   Like most couples, Max and Darlin' were best buddies.  Darlin feared the vet  and the groomer so Max had to accompany and comfort her on all her visits.  Without him by her side no one could work on her, just ask the groomer at  Pet Smart!  Although both dogs feared thunderstorms, Darlin's fears  increased after Max passed.  Lights scared her; in fact, she would cower if  my husband used a flashlight on her nightly walk, and she refused to walk on  our solar lit front walk.

Darlin's quirks were easy to overlook because she got along with animals and  humans.  Friends brought their pets to our home and deer, rabbits and  turkeys ran free in our yard.  Apparently Darlin either enjoyed their  company or thought they weren't worth the chase.  Even our family cats  adored her.  Moe would arch his back so he could rub underneath her neck,  and Wally would sleep next to her.  She was tolerant of the cats but would  nuzzle next to us and pushed our hands to pet her if she thought they were  getting too much attention.  Darlin' never barked, except at the doorbell  when she would bump the door until I greeted our guests and then she would  wag her tail and wait to be petted.

Darlin was a gentle giant.  Little children could push her out of the way  and older kids could hug her.  Our grandkids loved to give her treats so she  associated kids with treats and would often drool on them in anticipation of  getting a biscuit.  Treats were important to Darlin. She was so smart and  knew many words such as eat, ride, sit, stay, pee, but treat was her  favorite word. As soon as someone mentioned it, Darlin bounded to the  cabinet where they were stored.

She also liked to spit, especially if we tried to give her a carrot as a  treat and she was a sneaky spitter. We found countless pills under the  fridge but she did allow us to brush her teeth and administer eye drops.  Darlin was our companion. Every supper we took out three plates, two for us  and one for her. We swear she could count!  (Told you she was smart.)  She  hated our leaving her and blocked the door so we couldn't leave. Only  classical music calmed her in our absence. We, however, took some of her  with us everywhere we went. She was a super shedder so we basically gave up  wearing dark clothes and lint rollers became an accessory. We spent endless  hours vacuuming refrigerator coils and dirt and grass from her daily romps  in the field. She was certainly worth the effort.

This April, Darlin lost interest in food and appeared listless and tired.  The diagnosis evolved from a slight liver problem to Irritable Bowel  Syndrome to tumors on her spleen and heart. By August, she was becoming weak  and had difficulty standing.  Darlin crossed the Rainbow Bridge on August  15, 2018. Although we are devastated by her passing, we are grateful for the times  she shared our lives. We are confident that she is reunited with her beloved  Max. Once again and forever, it is Max and Darlin!

Older and disabled dogs like Max and Darlin have been given a chance to find  permanent, loving homes from monies provided by the Ginger Fund. This fund  was established to honor my sister, Sheila Grimes, who repeatedly rescued  older and disabled dogs. Ginger was her special shepherd rescue. Sheila  recognized, and now we do too, that these grateful dogs have lots of  unconditional love to give to their owners.  We believe our souls will meet  again and Darlin will nevermore fear our absence.

Sharon Bowen

4/24/19 RIP

Diesel was an owner surrender, looking for a new home. He was heartworm positive and arthritic, but a spry 11+ year old senior. He loved riding in the car, toys, being brushed and lots of attention. This gentle good boy never found a new home, but he had lots of love in foster care before his medical issues got the best of him. 

RIP Dominic 2/7/09 - 2/28/19

Dominic came into foster care from a shelter and passed peacefully in his sleep.

With profound sadness we bid farewell to our sweet Duchess on Friday.  Duchess came to us as a foster nearly 4 years ago (some of the Springfield adoption event folks might remember her).  We had the very good fortune of being adopted by Duchess, who was a spritely 11-12 years old at the time.  We could go on and on about our loving, gentle, regal girl.  We are immensely thankful for every moment we had.

Duchess was awesome.

-Jacqie Todt & Nic DiPalma