Max passed away Monday, April 16th 2012.  He was 13 years old.  I adopted him when he was 1 from a shelter in Gainesville, FL.  He stuck his head out of the kennel he was in and I immediately knew I wanted to take him home.  He slept on the foot of my bed every single night.  He loved to walk, ride in my truck, and play with his friends at the dog park.  We moved to Wisconsin in 2006 where he spent the rest of his life.  Both knee ligaments were replaced 4 years ago. He loved to play in the snow but didn’t care much for water. In his senior years he enjoyed laying in the yard, helping in the garden, and looking for squirrels in the trees. Max wasn’t eating much and having trouble walking his last few days.  We went to the vet and it was a tumor.  He was in some discomfort and the vet said it was going to get worse.  Judging by his blood test he only had a few days left.  I would not allow him to live with any pain and decided it was time to let him go. I laid on the floor next to him at the vets office and he died in my arms. I love him so much and miss him greatly.  He is my best friend and the best dog a man could ask for.  I feel truly blessed to have been a part of his life.  Thank you Mark Levin for all you do for shelter pets.  Thank you for having a place where we can come and share a bit about our story together, and thank you for giving us a place to read about the stories of others.  Goodbye Maxie boy, daddy loves you, and someday we will be together again.

— Max from Maupun, WI

O’le was a helper cat that looked as if he had lived a thousand years.  Old and arthritic, he would care for other cats and kittens. O’le would wash them and train them to be good cats. He was a nondescript gray cat with a bit of yellow on the belly.  Torn ears and scares on his face.

He was named O’le by a very old lady who lived in a manufactured home in a trailer park in the farmland outside Hillsboro.  They were a pair.  Margaret was raised in a cave/sod home in the side of a mountain in a very cold Canadian countryside.  O’le would come up the ramped to her front door every day.  He had done that for years and she did not know where he came from or where he went after eating.  She fed him until he came to me because Margaret was too ill and fell a lot.

At my home, he put the other cats in their place, but also cared for others that were sick.  O’le would wash kittens and big cats alike.

It was his intense green eyes that made you think he had been around before man and he must know everything.  He trained other cats to be helpers and they have continued to this day even though he has been gone almost 10 years.

St. O’le still lives in our hearts.

— Glacier & Ron from Sheridan, OR

Our dog Jesse died yesterday just four months shy of his fourteenth birthday.He was a 120 pound lab/catahula mix. We got him as a puppy from a farmer in Minnesota whose herding dog had had a litter of twelve. Jess  had a wonderful life, running on eighty acres, swimming in  Minnesota lakes, keeping us company while we tapped trees for maple syrup, chasing deer and anything else that ran from him.  We endured run ins with skunks, several vet visits for minor injuries, and  the ailments that come with old age. In town, he was the love of our neighborhood, the gentle giant as everyone called him.  When his death was imminient, neighbors came by and brought him special treats.  Everyone seemed to have their own knowledge of what my dog loved. Apparently, he had his own fan club going on as he sat on his throne (aka dog pillow) in the opened garage and received visitors everyday. He is the third dog I have had and all have lived past twelve years of age.  I know that my grief will past and another dog will someday come into our home. But for right now, my heart is broken.

— Polly from Fargo, ND

Dogs are the best!  I like my dogs more then some people I have met in my lifetime.  This past Saturday (4/15/12), we added to our 4-legged companion rescue/adoptions with a 4 month old Chesapeake Bay/lab mix we named Sport.  He joins his older “brother”, Cody, another rescue we adopted from our local no kill  shelter, Calvert Animal Welfare League and all volunteer non-profit rescue and adoption group in southern Maryland.  Cody was horribly physically abused and we have nurtured him back to a happy dog.  We thought he would like a dog companion, even though he has 3 cat friends, one we found at 4 weeks old on a highway ramp that had been thrown out of a car.  Sport is a vivacious, confident and gorgeous boy.  He loves all his new furry companions.  He is very busy these days with so many new smells to sniff and he likes cats too.  We’ve only had him 4 days, and we only saw his picture on Petfinders, but we know he is going to be another phenomenal furry friend.  I can not emphasize enough how important it is to adopt and to support your local animal rescue.  Rescues make the best companions.  They greatly appreciate the second chance of a loving, good family.

— Vikki from Friendship, MD

Scarlett is a gorgeous bluetick coonhound. She was stuck, very scared, in a high-kill shelter in South Carolina. Lucky Dog Animal Rescue brought Scarlett to the DC area and she quickly entered into an adoptive home. The adopters found masses on her body. A trip to the vet revealed probable cancer and the masses were removed.

A very generous second adopter stepped into the picture and brought Scarlett to her home despite the very real risk that she was dying. Despite the discovery of late stage cancer, they agreed to keep and LOVE Scarlett as she lives through her remaining time — thought to be not very long.

Scarlett is still hanging in there, but she has had to change homes yet AGAIN. Despite working with numerous canine behaviorists and trying everything under the sun, Scarlett has been unable to overcome her fear of men (and her primary caregiver in her adoptive family had been a man.) Who knows what this poor girl has been through, but we are trying our best to make her remaining time comfortable (both physically and psychologically/emotionally.) Scarlett is now in a female only foster home, where she can relax and not face the constant stress of being afraid all the time.

Lucky Dog is so thankful for the adopter’s (and now new foster’s) offer of a respite home for Scarlett. What they are doing is truly a gift to Scarlett.

— Vicki from Rockville, MD

I want to tell you about “Bear”
Bear was born in October 2006. He was a a beautiful puppy. Pure white and big. By the time he was 4 weeks old, I knew he was a special dog. He was already playing with my other dogs, and was very obedient. By the time he was a year old, he was a big beautiful teddy bear!
He would watch over everyone and my other dogs as well. He was the most loving and caring dog I have ever seen. He grew to be a giant 160lb. family member. On the night of Aug. 21, 2010, I noticed that he seemed tired. I knew he had just come in from playing, so it was not unusual for him to lay down and rest. I got up in the middle of the night to check on him and seemed to be resting by the sofa. He normally would sleep on our sofa. That was “his bed”. I got up at 5 am to feed him, and he has passed away. The vet did an autopsy, and concluded that he had a stroke. This has left a void in me that I have not come to terms with. Even today, and everyday I am at his graveside talking to him. Although I have my other loving dogs, he will always be in my heart till the day I pass on, and I am certain when I am at the Lord\’s gate, Bear will be there to greet me. Thank you for taking time to read my story.

— Frank from Hedgeville, WV