I have several stories…..
My husband gave me Rescuing Sprite for Christmas last year (07).   I wasn\’t ready to read it, but just finished it within the past hour.   We currently have four (4) dogs, all rescued.  Dixson is sitting next to me while I\’m typing this.   Maggie & Kaley are in the bedroom with Bill.  Moe is on one of 3 dog beds in our kitchen.   We call her our \”watch dog\”.

I\’ll begin with the Sashas.  When I met Bill, I had a rescued golden named Sasha.   He had a German Shepard named Sasha.   We gave them our last names and always called them:  Sasha Wright or Sasha Morrison.  This was our second marriage for each of us and neither of us had children.  The Sashas were our family.   Shortly into our relationship one of the women I worked with offered  a golden retriever puppy.   Within a few weeks, she asked me to take \”Pebbles\”.   Pebbles was only 3 months old.  As we had an acre plus fenced in, I said yes.   We change dher name to Gilda.   Gilda was so gentle, sweet and loving.  Unfortunately when she was two she developed a skin infection.  Our vet was unable to determine the cause.   We visited a dermatoglist vet in Maple Glen but he too wasn\’t able to cure it.  He recommended we take Gilda to U of PA.   We did and met with a specialist each month.  After a year, the infection cleared up, but Gilda had lots of scars and bald spots.   She still was our \”princess\” (her nickname).   She lived healthy and happy (she didn\’t know she was missing hair) until she was  15 when we noticed a growth on her neck.    Dr. Charlie thought he could remove it without any problems. Because of her age, I was concerned.

Not being a writer, I don\’t know when to interject and mention….I got a call a year or so after Gilda joined the Sashas that someone from Glenside needed to find a home for their golden.  They didn\’t know he liked water and had trouble keeping him out of their pool (duh).   I said I would meet with him but how could I say no…so Brutus joined our family.   By now Sasha Wright was starting to fail  She was 12 or 13.  I know I kept her alive for me.   I vowed never to do that again.   It was the first time we had to make the decision. Since then we\’ve done it 7 times.   The only time we didn\’t was with Trilby.  She got so sick so suddenly. We took her to the vet as she wasn\’t eating or drinking.  They put her on IV and were keeping her overnight. We went to visit her that evening.  The next morning Bill called me at work.   The results of the tests revealed she had cancer and it was too gone.  She was less than 3 years old.   I left work and we stayed with her for a little while before Dr. Charlie put her to slelep.

Not too long after that Bill and I were on a vacation and the dogs were being taken care of at home by my stepmother.  One day, all dogs came running in but Sasha Morrison.   My stepmother went outside to find she had died.   No old told us until we returned from our trip.  We have mixed feelings to this day about that decision.

At this point we had lost Sasha Wright, Sasha Morrison and Trilby.
We volunteered for the SPCA Cider Sale at Peddler Village and frequently brought treats for the shelter.  One Christmas we brought a large bag of treats to the shelter .  We looked around and there was one dog who was in office.  We were told she was there since Sept and no one would adopt her as she was old.  We looked at each other…said yes and adopted her.  We thought about naming
her \”Holly\” as it was Christmas.  She was a mix about 35 pounds.  We picked out a green collar and leash.  On the ride home, she was sitting up in the car enjoying the ride.  She was so happy.   When we got home , we decided to call her Molly.
She fit right in with our group.

We made an investment and built a home on the Outer Banks.   We now could take our dogs on vacation with us before  and after the rental season.  We never \”kenneled\” our dogs as someone stay at our home when we went away.  So, why not allow the renters to bring their dog(s) with them on vacation.

We have so many fond memories of our OBX weeks with the dogs.   That could be another book.

While working at a large corporation, they were planning a party for me.   Food was a big part of the celebration but so were gifts.  When asked what I wanted…I replied:  \”what I want, you can\’t afford to buy; so ask people to bring in dog and cat food; old towels, etc for the SPCA\”.   This was July 1993.  The party was a huge success with so many donations for the Bucks County SPCA.   After bringing the things to the shelter, I walked around.  I saw this old dog with very little hair and no energy but a twinke in her eyes.   I asked if I could take her home and let her live her golden years with us.  They said no.   I called every day until they said yes.   I went down on A Friday afernoon, called a groomer explaining I just wanted her bathed, she had very little hair but wanted to ensure nothing infested our other dogs/home.   I named her Sadie, my little old lady.  She lived with us for 4 1/2 years.  And within two months, all her hair greew back.  It appears she was a stray and who knows what she was eating in the heat of the summer.   Recently the SPCA was asking for stories on Senior Adoptions and they ran the story of Sadie.

I feel like I\’m rambling along.  I\’ve stopped crying about Sprite but dredged up many memories (good & bad) of our family.

Having lost eight (8) dogs, I fully understand your sorrow but remember you gave them a great life.   I will tell you about Starr, Maggie, Dixson and Kaley another day.

I know my dogs are painf ree and having a wonderful life over the Rainbow Bridge.   One day I will hopefully see them agian.

Linda from PA