In Loving Memory

Unlike most of the sun filled days at the Rainbow Bridge, this particular day dawned cold and gray, damp as a swamp and as dismal as any day could be imagined. All of the recent arrivals had no idea what to think, as they had never ever experienced a day like this before. But ... the animals who had been waiting for their beloved people, knew exactly what was going on and started to gather at the pathway leading to The Bridge ... to watch.
It wasn't long before an elderly animal came into view, his head hung low, so very low, and his tail dragging. The other animals, the ones who had been there for a while, knew what his story was right away, for they had seen this happen far, far, too often. He approached slowly, very slowly, and was obviously in great emotional pain, but with no sign of injury or illness.
Unlike all of the other animals waiting at The Bridge, this animal had not been restored to youth and made healthy and vigorous again. As he walked toward The Bridge, he watched all of the other animals watching him. He knew he was out of place here and the sooner he could cross over, the happier he would be. But, it was not to be. As he approached The Bridge, his way was barred by the appearance of an angel who sadly apologized to him, and then told him that he would not be able to pass. Only those animals who were with their people could pass over to the Rainbow Bridge.
With no place else to turn to, the elderly animal turned toward the fields before The Bridge and saw a group of other animals like himself, also elderly and infirm. They weren't playing, but rather simply lying on the green grass, forlornly staring out at the pathway leading to The Bridge. And so, he took his place among them, watching the pathway and waited.
One of the newest arrivals at The Bridge didn't understand what he had just witnessed and asked one of the animals that had been there for a while to explain it to him. "You see, that poor animal over there, with the others, they are rescues. He was turned in to rescue just as you see him now, an older animal with his fur graying and his eyes clouding. Sadly, he never made it out of rescue and passed on with only the love of his rescuer to comfort him as he left his earthly existence. Because he had no family to give his love to, he has no one to escort him across The Bridge." The first animal thought about this for a minute and then asked, "So what will happen now?"
As he was about to receive his answer, suddenly, the clouds parted swiftly, and the gloom lifted with a mighty wind. Approaching The Bridge could be seen a single person and among the older animals, the whole group was suddenly bathed in a golden light and they were all once again, young and healthy, just as they were in the prime of their life.
"Watch, and see," said the second animal. A second group of animals from those also waiting came to the pathway and bowed their heads ever so low as the person neared closer. At each bowed head, the person offered a pat on their head or a scratch behind the ears. One by one, the newly restored animals fell into line and followed him toward The Bridge. And then, one by one, they all crossed The Bridge together.
"What just happened?" asked the first animal.
"That was a rescuer. The animals you saw bowing to the rescuer in respect were those who found new homes because of all their work. They will all cross over to The Bridge, when their new families arrive. Those you saw restored were those who never found homes. When a rescuer arrives, they are allowed to perform one, final act of rescue. They are allowed to escort all those poor animals that they couldn't place on earth across The Rainbow Bridge."
"I think I like rescuers," said the first animal.
"So does GOD," was the reply from the second animal, "so does GOD."

Author unknown...

Not too long after I got involved in rescue, there was an older female GSD in one of our local shelters. She was terrified, and the saddest thing (at that point) that I'd ever seen. I pulled her, and they took her back for a heartworm test. She was high antigen positive, and I asked them to release her to me without sedating her to spay. They would not, and due to the advanced stage of the heartworm infestation, she died under anesthesia.
It really hit me hard, and I was extremely upset. A very dear friend sent the above to me, and it was a measure of comfort. I like to think that another rescuer has gone before me, and escorted that very sweet girl accross the bridge. Had the shelter been more flexible, she might be alive today. Her name was Shawna, and this is the only picture I have of her...

This page is dedicated to the dogs we weren't able to save. Those we tried to help, but were beyond help. Please say a prayer for them. They deserved better than what life dealt them...

Simba was rescued in October 2004. He had an upper respiratory infection, lungworms, giardia, hookworms and heartworms when we brought him in. Despite the best efforts of our vet, the little guy never rebounded. He stopped eating and began losing weight rapidly. Despite all our attempts, nothing helped, and he continued to deteriorate. When it was determined that he was suffering, we made the decision to send him to the bridge.

Jessie was rescued in October 2004. She had a severe case of sarcoptic mange along with secondary skin infections, and due to the fact that she was heartworm positive, we couldn't treat her with the preferred method of Ivermectin. So it was weekly baths/dips and oral medication for 6 weeks. She was kept in isolation to prevent spreading this contagious type of mange to the other resident dogs. Once she was healed and slowly introduced to the other dogs, it became apparent that she had aggression issues with some of them. One day she attacked and injured one of our other fosters, then turned on my 6 year old. Fortunately she was able to get behind a door and away from her. A trip to the vet revealed a chemical imbalance in her brain that made her a danger to herself as well as others, so we had no choice but to release her from her demons.

Rocky was rescued in January 2005. He was lethargic at the shelter, but was scheduled to be neutered anyway. During the night before surgery, Rocky died in his cage at the shelter and was found by the staff the next morning. He never made it out of the shelter. We were told he died from an upper respiratory infection.

Jag was rescued in May 2005. He was heartworm positive, but in good health otherwise. We began his treatment, and 5 days after the second injection, pulmonary embolism occurred. This is when the dying worms clog the blood vessels going to the lungs. Despite our vet's best efforts, Jag went to the bridge as a result of this.
Heartworm disease, left untreated, is ALWAYS fatal. The treatment is very harsh and painful for the dog, and as in Jag's case, not always successful. It is also 100% preventable with monthly medication. The cost for this medication is approximately $40 every 6 months.

Bella was rescued in May 2005. We didn't have any empty foster space, so she went into boarding until a spot opened up for her. Approximately a week later, I got a phone call saying she had become sick. All the clinical symptoms pointed to distemper. She was moved to isolation a the clinic, and started on a very aggressive treatment. For the next week, she continued to deteriorate. She did not respond to any method of treatment used. When she began having the telling neurolgical symptoms, the decision was made to send her to the bridge and end her suffering.

Hope was rescued in July 2005. We removed her from a neglectful situation. She had been used as a 'breeding dog,' kept outside in a dirt pen with only a piece of wood propped against a fence for shelter, and forced to have pups every time she came into heat. She was extremely run down, and tested high antigen heartworm positive. Hope was in no condition to immediately begin HW treatment, so she was put on a high protein diet to build her up first. Before she was stable enough to begin treatment, She developed congestive heart failure. Her heart and lungs were just too damaged to save her, so we sent her to the bridge to end her suffering.

Simba was rescued in September 2005. He was a victim of hurricane Katrina, and his owners surrendered him. He was in terrible medical condition, and couldn't even stand on his own when we took him in. What his owners didn't tell us is that he had been severely abused. We discovered this while bathing him. We found scars all over his body. I suspected from the beginning that something wasn't really 'right' with him, but I hoped I was wrong. As he began to heal and feel better, he began acting aggressively towards just about everyone but me, and would sometimes tolerate my husband. One afternoon, with no provacation, he attacked my husband and severly injured his arm and hand. A trip to the vet revealed a condition that is caused from a head injury. It causes 'blackouts' that the dog has no recollection of later. Simba was 90 pounds and still very thin, but also very strong. My vet said the stronger he got, the worse the condition would get, and he would eventually seriously injure me or someone else, or worse. So we were forced to make the decision to humanely send him to the bridge and release him from the demons that chased him.

Every dog on this page deserved a better life than they had. No matter how hard we try, we cannot save them all. But at least they all went to the bridge knowing they were loved, even if it was only for a short time. May they all know the peace at the bridge that was denied them during their worldly existance.

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