Jan. 26, 2015  
I thought you would like to know that Kila, (renamed Lucy) a female German Shepherd, that I adopted from you on 07-13-2003 passed away today. I want you to know that she had a good life. We spent many years hiking all over Maryland. I moved to New Hampshire in 2010 and she spent her last years hiking several of the 4000 foot peaks with me and running through the pasture of a small farm I bought. You should also know that she saved my life. When I lived in Baltimore city, the bad guys broke into my house in the middle of the night and she fiercely drove them out of the house and
down the alley. She also fell in love with an adopted cat, River, in her last couple of years and they were best friends.
She was loved everyday. Such a good good dog.

Sincerely,
Odediah Skolnick

It is with great sorrow that we inform you that on June 26, 2014 Luna succumbed to an acute onset of immune mediated hemolytic anemia, a severe condition where her body no longer recognized red blood  cells as her own and developed antibodies to circulating red blood cells, leading to their destruction.

Luna came to us as a rescue from an animal hoarding case in West Virginia. The first few months of her life were spent in the bottom cage of a stack of four. She was malnourished, ridden with parasites, had a severe respiratory infection, and was covered in filth. Had there not been a hose available at the rest stop on I-66 where I picked her up, she may have wound up somewhere else. Still, despite this awful situation, she was a happy puppy about three months old with ears about two sizes too large and a tail that wagged so much, sometimes, it threw her off balance. She came to our home on March 27, 2009 as a foster, arriving on a night of a new moon. That lunar event, along with her black coat made the decision for her name. We finally got her coat cleaned after several good scrubbings (that black coat of her’s hid a lot of dirt!) and got her medical issues resolved. As do all puppies, she was growing like a weed. By the time I figured that she was ready to attend her first adoption day, she had already gained 15 pounds, and her adjustable puppy collar was at its adjustable limit. When I announced I was going to the adoption day, I was asked:  “Who are you taking?” My reply was “Luna.” Her new Mom then informed me that she had found her home and that no way was she going to any adoption day. So, Luna became a failed foster, but one for whom we never had a moment of regret.

She picked up on her training like a champ and with some help from Jake and Elwood, gained a respect for the pack and it’s dynamic. She enjoyed running like crazy! Her time off leash on vacation in Montana was where she was in her element. She could dash like a pronghorn (much to the surprise of the group antelope to which she gave chase) and was as graceful in her pursuit as any sight hound. She proved herself as a German Shepherd Dog and stood up to cattle, even though it was her first encounter with those big slow things. She even used that eye contact effect of real herding dogs to move them out of her way. By the time she was two years old, she was a lean, lanky sleek dog with a wonderful sense of attentiveness, although persons leaving and reentering a room sometimes set off a false alarm.  It must have been her way of announcing their re-arrival because she always acted as if she meant to do that… it was never a mistaken alert in her mind. Soon, she took her place as the Alpha Bitch in the pack, much to the chagrin of her older brother, Elwood. But for a few notable incidents, pack relations remained calm. She was a good big sister to Dylan and showed him the ropes and provided a play friend when Jake and Elwood had enough of the new youngster’s antics.

Luna was loving and was greatly loved. She was happy and playful and, as we are sure you all have experienced, she could lift our spirits, console us, and clown with us. She never did grow into those ears! She was amazing and wonderful, she seemed to be proud of her quirks, and that for us is what made her such a special gift. Our pack already notes her absence as they look for her in her typical spots. They have all gone to “her chair” and looked around but no one has yet taken her place there. No one ever will. We will think of her always and as we gaze at the moon we know that she is watching over us. We thank her for being a very special part of our lives.

We wish to thank the outstanding Veterinarians, technicians, and staff at Southpaws that cared so deeply for Luna and provided her and us with their compassion and expertise in treating her condition which is so little understood to the science and offers such grave prognosis.

We will meet you at the Rainbow Bridge baby girl.  With hearts that will always hold you close,

Valli and Shep

RIP 8/29/11 - 1/8/20
Max came into rescue from a NC shelter. It was thought he had hip dysplasia and could improve. Sadly, Max had Degenerative Myelopathy, for which there is no cure. He became a ward of the rescue and was cared for until it was time to let him cross the bridge. 

Max and Darlin, two dogs from the German Shepherd Rescue, entered our lives on Mother's Day, 2009.  It was certainly love at first sight when Max, a seven year old, 90 pound, loveable big bear became part of our family which consisted of two humans, one deaf and near blind chow, 8 cats, birds, fish and ducks.  Even though Max's size was intimidating, his personality was friendly, protective and loyal.  He loved kids, even babies, slept with our cat, Wally, and his presence comforted Darlin on their trips to the vet and to be groomed.  Max possessed the uncanny gift of sensing our “animal cautious friends” and went out of his way to hang out by them or rub against them so that even the most wary guests would end up petting him.

While Max was not perfect, he had some endearing idiosyncrasies.  We complained that he was always underfoot until we realized that Max worried when my husband or I was out of his sight, and if we worked on different floors, Max paced back and forth until his pack was reunited.  Max loved us so much that he would block our door so we couldn't leave the house!  Another quirk in Max's physiology and personality manifested as a result of digestive exclamations.   When we adopted Max, he suffered some stomach problems so our vet prescribed medicine.  We later realized that one side effect of this drug caused horrendous gas which would either wake him up or clear out a room.  Once relieved, we swear that Max actually smiled!  Finally, believe it or not, this hulking dog feared the dark and thunderstorms, so my husband and I spent many a sleepless night comforting Max until the storm subsided.  We wish we had him back to cradle and love.

On August 3^rd we took Max for his annual checkup.  He was given a clean bill of health but one week later experienced difficulty getting up and then labored breathing.  This stoic dog appeared to be in pain.  A subsequent vet visit and MRI revealed Max had lung cancer, and that fateful day we decided to let Max cross the Rainbow Bridge. 

Max, like so many older German Shepherds, benefitted from The Ginger Fund which provides monies to help "throw away dogs" find loving, permanent homes.  This fund was established in memory of my sister, Sheila Grimes, who rescued numerous older or disabled dogs.  Ginger was her special dog.  My sister knew these grateful dogs would return their owners’ love and attention tenfold, and Max was no exception.  We will always cherish our time with Max and are honored to have been part of his pack.  It has been said that Heaven is where you will greet all the dogs/pets you ever loved.  We are confident that Max is waiting at the door, ready to block it so we can never leave him again.   

Sharon Bowen

In memory of my beloved Mr. Modi

Mr. Modi came into my consciousness in February, ‘15, just over two weeks after Arko left for the Rainbow Bridge. Andrea, his foster, needed a temporary stand-in, so I volunteered to care for Modi. He arrived at my house on Sunday afternoon along with his food and toys. As soon as Andrea left, Modi went to any corner of the house opposite where I was. He wouldn’t come to me for a walk or even for yummy beef liver treats. Even getting Andrea to call to him from my cell phone didn’t convince him to come. I finally resorted to trickery and nabbed him before he could slip away again. From that moment forward, he was on a 20’ leash that was attached to a fixed object or my belt. By Tuesday he was following me around everywhere and the leash was not attached to anything other than his collar. Wednesday, I took the leash off him in the house. I went down to the basement to work on a computer. Twenty minutes later I heard feet coming down the stairs. Modi came over to where I was sitting and looked at me rather tentatively. I reached out and gave him a head-rub, and he lay down beside me. When I had completed the work, I stood up and gave him “The Look”. He took off running around the basement and ran back to me, through my legs, barking at me. This went on for a good ten minutes. He stayed right with me when we went back upstairs. Thursday night Andrea called asking me to not feed him on Friday before she picked him up because he sometimes had accidents in her truck. Friday morning I gave him a good brushing which he seemed to like. When I was done, I gave him “The Look” again. He took off running around the house, zipping between my legs and barking at me. Just as before, this went on for several minutes. When Andrea arrived to pick him up, he jumped right into her truck and they went home.

I had volunteered to foster another Shepherd that was in Roanoke, but that dog was seriously ill and was in the care of a local vet. Eventually, that dog was adopted while still in Roanoke.

I had expressed a desire to adopt Modi, and Andrea thought it would work well. In March, ‘15, Andrea and I agreed to meet at the Super Pet Expo to do the paperwork and rehome Modi to me. I slipped in very quietly behind where the VGSR group was sitting and sat on the floor beside Modi. He looked over at me and leaned into me. I think he knew why I was there. Andrea realized that I was there and saw that I already had my collar and leash on Modi. We went out to her truck to finalize the adoption. Modi pulled harder on leash than two of my former 100# GSDs did together. I think he wanted to go home.

Mr. Modi quickly integrated himself into his new home and became the resident guardian, scaring away all the bogeymen he heard outside at night. He soon relaxed and learned that not all sounds outside were considered threats. Modi also became my greeter, either welcoming known friends or asserting himself at the door to let unknowns know that he would tolerate no nonsense here. He was the most protective of all my Shepherds, by far. He even became very protective of the walkers that took him out for walks while I was at work. Even through that protectiveness, he was so very sweet-natured and loving. He took to his training very well, even learning to not pull so hard on leash. Modi loved to run, and could run like the wind. He would even race around the first floor of my house, barking at me happily as he zipped between my legs.

Despite his near 100% record with his house-training, Modi nonetheless still had a really tough time with car rides, frequently relieving himself in the car. I got a session for him with a well-known and highly respected communicator. He told her that he wasn’t afraid of the car, and knew at a conscious level that he would always be coming home with me every time we went out. He still held a very deeply-held fear of being taken somewhere and dumped again. That fear caused his involuntary accidents in the car. To his perception, he had been “thrown away” four times in rapid succession, and was utterly terrified of being thrown away again. He never got over that fear, even though he always knew that he would come home with me when we went places together.

Late in ‘17, I noticed that he was starting to drag his rear toes when we went for our regular walks. A visit with his regular vet revealed that he had some spinal arthritis. Despite getting his meds regularly, the degradation continued, and his rear end stability continued to decline. He began to need “Dad’s Taxi” to help him go upstairs to bed at night. Morning trips down the stairs became a challenge. In April ‘18, Dr. Erwin, his holistic vet suggested getting him a “Help ‘Em Up” harness. That worked out well, and I could use the rear handle to carry his increasingly immobile rear end when we went out for walks and up and down the stairs. She also suggested getting a DNA analysis kit from OFA to determine if he had degenerative myelopathy (DM). The results from the DNA analysis showed that he did indeed have DM. DM is a slow-moving, yet fatal disease for which there is no known cure. Massage and laser treatments by Dr. Erwin and Kasey Braun helped him and made him more comfortable, but nothing stopped the progression of the DM.

In late October ‘18, I got Modi another session with his communicator. It was revealed that Mr. Modi was not in any pain whatsoever, much to my relief, but he did experience discomfort in that he couldn't get around as well as he wanted to. He also felt very embarrassed and humiliated when he had an accident in the house. He knew that I understood that it was not his fault and that he was not breaking training. Modi also wanted me to know that he didn't want it to get to the point that he was unable to get out of his own wastes. He also knew that what I did for him is always done for his highest good and that I didn't want him to suffer any more. He didn't want to leave me to go to spirit world, but he was at ease with the transition. He knew that I'd be OK when he did make his transition. I'll eventually find peace in the knowledge that he's still loved, and no longer in a debilitated state. He also knew that I'd requested that his predecessors come back to escort him to spirit world so that he'd not be afraid. The communicator has told me that my crew of best friends was on tap to come back for him at at the time of his transition, and that she would be there energetically to assist as needed. Modi was fully aware that when he did make his transition, I was not throwing him away another time, but that I was making this very painful decision from a base of a very deep love for him and in gratitude for his having allowed me to be his guardian in this life.

On the evening of November 19th, ‘18, Dr. Erwin and her husband came to the house to administer the necessary medications to make his transition painless. Modi knew them both and welcomed them in. Modi lay in the middle as we sat on the floor, soaking in the love he was getting from all of us, and truly enjoying the beef liver treats he received. My beloved Modi’s ever-so-sweet spirit left the bounds of his earthly body so peacefully and made his transition to the Rainbow Bridge where he was welcomed in by those wonderful beings that had been part of my life in the past. Modi’s communicator was with him as he transitioned to ease things along. Although my heart is just totally broken, I find peace in that Modi is restored to health and vigor on the other side, and that he’s resting peacefully on the other side, surrounded by love and many other beings of light.

Willy Williams