This is about our Gus-Gus…he (like so many others dogs and cats) was dumped on our property. He had terrible ear infections, his teeth were literally worn off (the doctor thinks from chewing on rocks or a chain), hot spots, was not fixed, and was underweight. This dog was amazing, he was determined to live with us…he literally sat in the horse pen and whined to let us know he was here and wanted us to see him. Of course, the minute we saw him, we loved him! We called him “Big Brown Dog” as we were trying not to get attached as we attempted to find him a new home. Little did we know Gus-Gus decided that we were his new family. Well, it didn’t take long for us to realize that too! He needed a name because we decided that we would be his new family and love him forever! Gus-Gus fit him so well, (just like the fat lovable mouse from Cinderella) only Gus-Gus wasn’t fat ….. yet! Three doctor visits later…he was fixed, had his ear infections and hot spots taken care of and also found two fox-tails deep in his ear canal. He arrived here at under 80 pounds…Today he weights 120 pounds and is so loving! We aren’t sure of his age, so we are enjoying every day with him. Between the three different doctors that attended to his health care, there have been three different guesses as to what Gus-Gus is…we think he is some kind of a Mastiff/Lab cross. He loves to “talk” and loves to have his tummy scratched. We have other dogs that keep him company and of course he has his cats, they all love him! When Gus-Gus “talks” I think he says “mom” …he looks right at me when he does it…well others might think I am silly…but Gus-Gus and I know what he is saying.

On April 8, 2010, I received an email from the supervisor of the Walton County Animal Shelter. They had just received a young terrier pup from a woman and her son. The pup was in need of care that the owner could not provide. A picture of the young dog, which showed the injury, was included with the email.
I happen to be the veterinarian for the county shelter. This pup had injuries beyond the scope of the county’s care. In spite of her injuries, the puppy was full of energy and personality. This was topped off with plenty of tail wags.
The pup’s jaw was broken on both sides. The right side was fractured just behind the lower canine tooth. The fracture of the left side was just in front of the lower large molar tooth. These injuries were devastating and way too severe for the county to provide the treatment and care needed to nurse this dog to an adoptable state; therefore, the fate of this canine was virtually sealed. There are too many great dogs awaiting adoption and we have to consider how to spread the small amount of money around to best serve those deserving dogs and get them good homes. The decision was made to humanely euthanize the young dog. She was put in a cage to await a fate she could not escape.
I went on about my morning duties which consisted of surgery, examining and treating animals in the shelter. As I went about my work, I walked by the room in which the little dog was placed in a cage. The pup was standing there, with her lower broken jaw hanging open, happily waging her tail as if she had just seen her long lost owner. I continued on to the surgery room to finish up for the day, but the sight of the puppy stayed in my head. I have been a practicing veterinarian for twenty-eight years and have seen countless numbers of great dogs. Every now and again, one individual just makes an impression on a person that cannot be forgotten. Seeing the happy pup in that cage was one of those rare times for me.
I arranged for the happy puppy to be brought to my clinic so that I could be in charge of her care and recovery. Surgery was scheduled the day she arrived. With the two fractures of the mandibles, surgical repair of the bones would be difficult, at best. The pup was anesthetized and the repair was started. After more than an hour long surgery, the bones were aligned. She awoke without complications. The next few days would be critical in the healing process; watered down food, no playing and much rest were the pup’s only requirement.
During the next couple of days, the little terrier was as happy as ever. Such a joyful little dog needed a name. I thought and thought of a fitting name. “Jaws” was the first name that came to mind. After a day or two the name just didn’t seem to fit. My wife came up with the name “Chuy”. This name fit the happy pup and she became Chuy from then on.
For the next two weeks, Chuy was doing fine and eating watered down canned dog food. After the two weeks, we noticed Chuy was pawing and rubbing at her jaw. I planned to sedate the still exuberant pup and examine the wires holding the mandibles together. I tranquilized Chuy and inspected both of the fracture sites. Much to my dismay, Chuy had dislodged the wires which held her bones together and her jaw was not healing. Now what could I do? I’m feeling depressed. This great little dog who I decided to help save from certain euthanasia may be facing that possibility again.
Meanwhile, Connie, my office manager had found a super nice family to adopt Chuy. We now had to tell the new adoptive family that a possible disastrous outcome was brewing. I was not ready to give up on this little girl. Having been a veterinarian for twenty-eight years, I know many specialists around the country. I got on the phone with a friend of mine who is a board certified veterinary dentist/oral surgeon. After discussion of Chuy’s case, we designed a new plan to stabilize the fractures to allow for proper healing.
I had all the necessary materials and the products needed to carry out the procedure so the oral surgery was placed on the schedule. Chuy was sedated and placed on the general gas anesthesia machine with all of the monitoring equipment necessary for surgery. After two hours of surgery both fractures were repaired and stabilized. A splint was made in Chuy’s mouth. It consisted of wires, stainless steel orthopedic pins and dental acrylic. Positioning of the splint was very good. Chuy awoke from anesthesia. Six to eight more weeks of recovery were needed. The new owners were notified and after a couple of weeks Chuy was introduced to her new home.
About four weeks into her recovery, Chuy was brought the clinic for an evaluation. Chuy(now Anna Beth) was anesthetized to radiograph the fracture sites to see how the healing process was going. The radiographs were great! Chuy was healing nicely. We adjusted her oral apparatus. The mouth appliance needed more acrylic to keep it secure for the next few weeks. Everything looked good. I hoped the great pup would continue to heal properly. There were still three or four more weeks to go before we would know for sure.
The big day came! Once again the friendly pup was put under anesthesia. Hopefully this will be the last time the pup faces anesthesia. We X-rayed the mandibles again. The radiographs appear normal and Anna Beth was doing fine. Great! A Success!
I think that Anna Beth (AKA Chuy) will live a long and happy life with her new parents. She still likes to come to see her guardian angels at the clinic and will forever be a welcome visitor.

— Jack from Defuniak Springs, FL

About 2 1/2 years ago, Buddy adopted us. While only a common grey squirrel, Buddy was part of the family. My wife and I are both very allergic to cats and dogs, but we love animals. Buddy was ideal since we weren’t allergic to her. Sadly, buddy passed away a couple of months ago due to complications from her last of several pregancies. She had been sick for a week or so and very skittish. We tried to catch her so we could take her to the vet, but had no luck. The last time we saw her was a Sunday morning just before we were to leave for church. I called her and in a few minutes she came crawling around the corner of the house, barely able to lift her head. I gave her some water and tried to catch her, but she avoided me and climbed in a bush. She would let me scratch her back, but still wouldn’t let me get her out of the bush. Before we left for church, she was barely breathing and we never saw her again. She is really missed. Two of her last litter are still around but it’s not the same.

— Barry from Southlake, TX

Sadly, my wife and I had a very tough weekend. Friday night after being with my 91 year old mother as she passed away, we came home to see our 10 year old Bailey having terrible difficulty walking and appearing in some pain. We took her to the emergency hospital in the morning where they “observed” her and sent her home with some pain medication and a prescription for anxiety and told me that she will be fine. That night she seemed to have difficulty breathing and the pain didn’t seem to go away. Sunday morning we took her to another emergency hospital where a competent doctor diagnosed her as having a brain tumor. (Bailey had one eye removed earlier this year due to a tumor, but they thought they got all of it). The doctor told us that she could only help Bailey by reducing the pain but that she would quickly become unable to eat and her suffering would increase. We didn’t want her to suffer any further so my wife and I decided to let Bailey be put to sleep. Bailey died with my wife and me holding her with love while she licked my finger. She trusted me so much. The picture I have provided is of her giving me her full trust as we played in water of the Sacramento Delta.

— Peter from Burlingame, CA

It was August 2002 and we were just a month removed from putting down our 5 year old Sheltie, Callie. She had contracted a radical form of Lymphoma and we were devastated by the loss. I’ve never cried so hard in my life.

We had no immediate interest in acquiring another dog, but something kept drawing me to the Sheltie rescue web sites. A local rescue had acquired a male Sheltie who had been abandoned. For whatever reason we immediately expressed interest and went to see him. He was about 6 ½ years old and had been shaved – he looked pathetic. Despite that, we fell in love with him and eventually adopted him. We called him Dusty.

Even with some medical issues and an unknown past (we think he was abused), Dusty quickly became a beloved member of our family. His desire for affection and display of unconditional love were always evident. He wanted to be held like a lap dog even though he weighed 30 pounds. We sometimes felt sorry for him because he didn’t know how to play like other dogs. He seemed, however, content curled up in a corner or on someone’s lap.

Over the past couple of years, Dusty’s age started to catch up with him – he didn’t want to run around as much and his hearing and sight waned. We knew that we would have to say goodbye to another loved one sooner rather than later.

In June, 2010 I was packing my car to begin the relocation process from Florida to Texas. On a pass through the house, I noticed that Dusty was on the back patio performing what I thought was his ritual back scratching. When I came back through the living room, he was on his side twitching – something wasn’t right. I figured that Dusty had suffered some sort of seizure, losing control of his bodily functions.

I hosed him off, scooped him up and rushed him to the vet’s office where they confirmed my suspicions. When I looked in his eyes, he had a glazed over look, as if he didn’t know me. As hard as it was, I knew it was time.

My wife and I cried over losing our Dusty “Boy” but we knew that he had well cared for that he was no longer in pain. Will we get another dog, even after losing two? Absolutely! It’s just going to take a little longer this time.

Rescuing Sprite provided a form of healing for me. As I read through the book, especially Chapters 9 – 11, I found myself putting the text down in order to wipe my eyes. It hit really close to home. Thank you Mark for sharing your experience with us.

— Steve from Plano, TX

If you want to meet the prettiest Blue-Point Siamese cat ever, and the cutest Seal-Point Siamese cat ever – read on! It all started in January 2004 when we adopted a 4-year old blue-point Siamese female named Petunia. At the time, we were interested in getting a cat, and my wife’s family was very much into Siamese cats. Therefore, when someone made us aware of Petunia’s need for a new home, we said yes! Now she was the beloved kitten of a young woman that succumbed to cancer. From the loss of her owner to her fourth birthday, she was passed around from place to place. When she came to us, she was distrustful, spiteful and hissed like a mountain lion. We were initially doubtful that she would become a willing member of our family. The spine-tingling growl made us fearful of her. However, her deep blue eyes gave us a hint that she only wanted a home and loving owners. Within a couple days, she came around and learned to trust us. In the years, since she has become a sweet cat that follows us around like a shadow, and sleeps on my shoulder at night. She tolerates the kids and has no desire to entertain guests in our house. Actually, it is her house and she allows us to live there!

When we were planning our move from a condominium to a single-family home, we determined that Petunia needed a playmate. We found a nice lady in Maryland that bred Siamese cats. She had a new seal-point kitten that had a great personality and wanted a good home. We adopted this new kitten, and since Petunia is named after a flower, we decided to name him Dandilion. We call him Dandi! He is a real neat cat that has always known love. He plays with the kids and greets all of our guests. Moreover, he has become a wonderful companion to Petunia. Petunia and Dandi are inseparable and spend the early evenings chasing each other around the house. To hear them run through the house at full speed is like hearing a herd of elephants. At the end of their raucousness, Petunia curls up on my shoulder and Dandi slithers in between my wife and I for a night’s rest.

— Gerald of Potomac Falls, VA