Denise (VGSR's Volunteer Coordinator), Sean, and Brianna Rogstad's German Shepherd Dog, Brandy, went to the Rainbow Bridge on November 12th, '01, when her hips finally failed her. She's happy and hopefully is playing up there with all the other dogs, and not in pain at all. Our deepest condolences to Denise and her family.

VGSR's very deepest sympathies go to Carolina Valenzuela, Breeze's foster mother, on her passing to the Rainbow Bridge on August 7th, '03, due to a massive intestinal blockage. Carolina writes, "Although I only had you for a day, you really touched my heart, Breeze. You were a very special girl who deserved so much better in life. You will be greatly and deeply missed by your two sisters and your friends. I'm sorry I couldn't make you better. I know though that where you are right now, there is no suffering. Rest in peace, little angel."

Our hearts go out to Lea Spickler, our President, on the loss of Cannon, her foster dog, in August, '02. Lea writes: "On a sad note, we lost poor dear Cannon. I am sorry for the delay in getting this information to you, but it was very difficult for me to write about. He was such a sweet, sweet boy and a total gentleman right up to the end. His lungs were surrounded by an infection and his poor, tired, skinny body just gave out. He had a fever of 104 - 105 that we just couldn't break. On his last night we kept covering him with refrigerated towels to try and bring down his temperature. Dr. Browning taught me how to give injections so that he could get the antibiotics around the clock. He was so weak that we had to carry him outside for potty breaks. In spite of his weakened state, he did not ever have a single accident in the house. He could no longer walk and his breathing was very labored and we could not break the fever, so Dr. Browning made the difficult decision to end his misery. It was an absolutely heart-breaking experience to watch him fade away. But at least he did not die alone, afraid and in pain the animal shelter. I am glad that we gave him every chance." Sleep in peace, Cannon. You are loved and missed.

VGSR sends deepest condolences to Karen and Jim Bruns, and to Susan Lynch and Fran Swift, all VGSR Volunteers, on the loss of Carson on 11/11/08. Jim writes, "We are sorry to announce that Dear Carson has gone on to the Rainbow Bridge. He passed away during the early hours of November 11, 2008. He left peacefully in his sleep, lying on his new blue blanket with his stuffed toy by his side. Carson came to us from a local shelter as part of a cruelty - neglect case. He had been tied out in a field for years and his weight was down and he suffered from significant medical issues. For the last ten days of his life in our rescue he finally found love and attention that Susan Lynch and Francis Swift and Karen and Jim Bruns gave him. He was one of the sweetest little shepherds we have ever met. Every day that he was with us he became more affectionate and more trusting. He was a testament to the German Shepherd Spirit of coming through hard times with trust, dignity and love. We only wish he had been able to enjoy the good life for longer. "

Jim Bruns

VGSR sends deepest condolences to the Chipman family regarding the loss of Casey, one of our original adoptees. The Chipmans write, "Hi Maryanne: Well, I was hope this would be a different e-mail and I was accepting for the reunion, but sadly we lost Casey on Thursday evening, August 14, 2008. He very suddenly had a gastric torsion - I was aware of bloat and recognized it immediately and rushed to the vet, but it was too bad and we had no choice but to euthanize him. It is quite likely he had some type of mass as something was noted in the x-ray and the vet told us that can sometimes be the cause. He was around 10 I think and had been amazingly fit - loved to race up and down the fence line chasing the horses. Luckily, he was active and happy until then. What a shock to lose an apparently healthy animal in a couple of hours, but I know it happens and with people also. We miss him terribly. This is definitely the bad part of having a pet. I think he was about the 4th dog you adopted out - maybe you could let his fosterer know. My son had taken Casey to a reunion a couple of years ago and the fosterer remembered him and was happy to see him."

The Chipman Family

We rescued both Casper and Amber from you.

Casper did pass away on Sept 30th of last year.

Kathy and Jim Robinson

VGSR sends deepest condolences to Barbi Dodge on the loss of Chanel, her foster dog, on January 22nd, '04. Barbi writes, "It's with a heavy heart that I write to you, as a very difficult decision was made today to end the suffering of yet another VGSR dog. Dear Chanel was euthanized this morning due to an extremely poor prognosis regarding hip problems. Poor Chanel probably suffered some severe trauma early in her life, which left her with only partial mobility and use of one of her rear legs. Perhaps this could've been repaired by surgery, but upon x-rays of her rear hips, the doctor at my practice didn't give her much of a "chance" at a good life. Plus she also had a malformation in one of her forelimbs (an old fracture?). Chances are that even after surgery to fix the one hip, she probably would've been a gimpy, painful girl for the rest of her life, as even her "good" hip (which she would need to rely on after surgery) was pretty dysplastic. Added to all this, on her x-ray was found a bee-bee pellet. All this together leads me to the assumption that Chanel had probably not led a very good life in her 2 +/- years on this earth. Despite all this Chanel was a very loving dog, wanting nothing more than a human to pay her some sort of attention - often leaning against Mike or me, or flipping over for a belly rub. Chanel also never "let on" that she was in any sort of discomfort - which is why I had her for two weeks prior to her spay appointment today. If she had given any indication that she was in pain, she would've been at the vet on day one. Chanel run and played with her foster siblings like nobody's business, however she HAD to be in some sort of discomfort - and I've found that our GSD's are often very stoic creatures - not letting us know there's a problem, if possible. I take comfort knowing that despite the hard life she has lead, that she knew warmth, security, love, and lots of good food during the two weeks I had her. I sometimes wonder if perhaps somehow she found her way to us, knowing that by finding us, she'd find people that would have the courage to end her painful existence? Don't feel sorry for Chanel or me. Take reassurance that she's in a better place now, free of pain. Take pride in the fact that we are volunteers within a wonderful group that would put our feelings aside and do what is right by the dogs in our care. If you must feel sorry for someone, feel sorry for the sorry SOB's that would allow Chanel and dogs like her to suffer. They clearly do not understand the precious bond between humans and their canine companions. Shame on them."

VGSR sends deepest condolences to long-time VGSR volunteer Risa Lapidow and her husband, Jeff Brown, on the loss of Cheerio on December 30, '08. Risa writes, "It is with deep sadness that I inform everyone of the departure of Cloverly Glen’s Cheerio, CGC, for the Rainbow Bridge on Tuesday, December 30, 2008. He was 11.5 years old, and had lived with me and Jeff since he was approximately one year old. He had the dubious honor of being German Shepherd Rescue of Maryland’s first official rescue (even though I had known him since the day he was born) and he wore tag #1 with pride. Cheerio is survived by his humans, Risa Lapidow and Jeff Brown; his sister Piper; and full brother Logan (beloved companion of Karen McCray). Some of the rescue veterans may recall that Cheerio is the dog for whom “Cheerio Syndrome” is named. That is what we called the condition of a dog who makes himself so obnoxious in his adoptive home(s) that he is returned to his foster parents several times, until they get the message and decide to keep him.

Cheerio did not have the show career for which he was bred. He never got the CD title, in spite of much training and practice. He did not become a working dog, as he bit Sgt. Chung during his evaluation. All he ever wanted to do was to be my companion and he did that magnificently well.

I miss him terribly. It comforts me to know that he will be reunited with his predecessors Byte, Knibble, and Miles, as well as many foster siblings, and that he will have Elaine Estep, Sheila Grimes, and Joe Dodge to watch over him.

The only thing wrong with dogs is that they don’t live long enough. "

b’shalom,

-Risa

My gentle giant Chewy (VGRS 2532) died peacefully in his sleep last week.  He was undergoing treatment

for advanced lymphoma and the stress of the chemo treatment was too much for his weakened system to handle.

The canine oncologist who was leading his treatment team had warned that this was a possibility, but we had to

fight the good fight and do whatever we could in spite of this risk. His last days were good; on Tuesday we were

out playing soccer and tracking squirrels in the woods, on Wednesday he was gone. I am thankful that he was

never in great distress or pain and I take comfort in knowing that God has welcomed a good shepherd into his

fold.

He was a blessing in my life, and I thank VGRS for giving me the opportunity to be his companion and friend.

Sue Hurwitz

I've changed my ways a little; I cannot now
Run with you in the evenings along the shore,
Except in a kind of dream;  And you,
If you dream a moment, you may see me there.

You were never masters, but friends.
I was your friend. I loved you well, and was loved.
Deep love endures to the end and far past the end.
If this is my end, I am not lonely.
I am not afraid. I am still yours.

From “The House Dog’s Grave” by Robinson Jeffers, 1941

VGSR extends sincere, heartfelt sympathies to Steven and Susan Landers on the loss of Christie, their Shepherd girl, on July 11, 2006. Christie had undergone multiple surgeries over the last month to repair her arthritic hips but drug-resistant infections from the surgeries were more than her systems could withstand, and that sweet girl went to the Rainbow Bridge on Tuesday evening.

Our very deepest sympathies go to Kim Richardson, Chuck's foster mom, on his trip to the Rainbow Bridge on Friday, February 28th, 2003. Chuck was a very sweet little guy, only six weeks old, who had a very severe intestinal problem. Despite the best efforts of Dr. Matt, Dr. Schneider and Dr. Brown, and emergency surgery, the very painful decision was made to send little Chuck to the Rainbow Bridge. Dr. Browning did all he could to save Chuck's life including two emergency operations and a plasma transfusion from his own dog. Little Chuck had a bad reaction to the plasma transfusion and the difficult decision was made to end his suffering. Thank you, Dr. Browning, for all you did for little Chuck. And thank you Kim for showing little Chuck love and caring for the last few days of his short life. Good Luck Sweet Little Chuck. We will all miss you.

VGSR extends sincere, heartfelt sympathies to Brent Jacques on the loss of Claus, one of his fosters, on April 15th, '04. Brent writes, "I wanted to let everyone know that one of my foster dogs, Claus, died this afternoon. Many of you knew Claus from adoption outings, so I wanted to let you know. It was a relatively short and peaceful end, thankfully. Claus was a senior dog that came to us when his owner became very ill. He was one of her favorites and one of the last that she parted with in the final stages of her illness. If you got to know Claus at all, you will understand why.

I suppose we all deal with fostering differently, but I try to keep some emotional distance beween me and the fosters. It's the only way I operate, otherwise I wouldn't be able to let them go. Claus was an exception. Indeed, he was an exceptional dog in many ways. He nuzzled his way into my life and my heart. He was a big, stoic guy, who lived with arthritis for many years, but never complained and still did his best to get around and even managed to play.

I will miss his big, lion-like paws, the happy noises he made when he was excited, and that beautiful, noble nose that always found its way into the palm of my hand whenever we walked.

Please give a senior dog an extra hug and a kiss today in memory of Claus."

Brent Jacques

We of VGSR are deeply saddened that Lea Spickler's (VGSR's President) dear little Coach, her 3 month old GSD foster puppy with a severe seizure disorder, went to the Rainbow Bridge at 7:15 on Monday night, December 3, 2001. During his stay here, he did have one good day where we actually got to see his sweet puppy personality and watched him run, jump, play and cock his head from side to side when someone talked to him. But except for that one day, he was like a little zombie in a puppy suit. We could not get his seizures under control, at all, even at the highest medication levels. On his last day, he was seizing almost non-stop all afternoon. He had done the same thing a good portion of the night before, too. So now the little fellow is romping around up at the Bridge, free of seizures and fear, just being a puppy like he should have been in the first place.

VGSR extends sincere, heartfelt sympathies to Bob Collins on the loss of Cocoa on September 9th, 2007. Bob writes, "This is a very difficult message to write. Cocoa did not respond as we had hoped to his treatment. He stopped eating completely on Friday and showed signs of renal shock on Saturday night. I took him to the Emergency Veterinary Hospital on Route 17 at 11:00 PM Saturday night. He could barely walk by that time, was starting to shiver (first stage of convulsions) and would not lay down because he could not get comfortable. We finally saw the Vet at 2:20 AM Sunday. She ran the blood work and it showed him in the final stages of renal failure. She offered to hydrate with fluids but his levels were so high that this would only prolong the pain. I had him put to sleep as he lay with his head on my lay at 2:58 AM Sunday September 9, 2007. This was the toughest thing that I have ever had to do because he was such a sweet guy and clearly deserved a better life than he had. I only wish that I could have had him when he was younger so that he might have had a better life. I wish I had better news. Maya is depressed because she apparently knows something is wrong and she doesn't want to eat right now. She and I will be going to Corolla next week so maybe we both can recover and heal. Thank you for allowing me to have Cocoa for the time that I did. He was incredibly sweet, friendly and loving. The good news is that over the Labor Day holiday, I spent a lot of time with both of them (walks, playing and just being together). Even on Friday, Cocoa was playing with me. I will miss him very, very badly. I will need to find another companion for Maya. I do not want her to be without a buddy to be with when I am at work."

Bob Collins

VGSR sends deepest sympathies to Al and Lois Reese on the loss of Copie. Al writes, "On August 15, 2008 our black Lab mix, Copie made the trip over the Rainbow Bridge. Copie himself served as a bridge for us between the crossing of our 14-year-old GSD, Gretel, and the arrival our new VGSR adopted "Abby." Copie is missed by us and our friends at Camp Care-a-Lot who cared so much for him, and have been very generous to us. Camp Care-a-Lot is well named and was instrumental in helping us find VGSR. "

Al & Lois Reese