We adopted Tara (fka Savannah) from MAGSR in September of 2009 and lost her this January 2022. She was the most amazing dog and I miss her every day.
We learned so many things together. She must have known over 100 different tricks, from basic manners, to agility, to nose work, and all the stupid pet tricks in between. She passed all three Odor Recognition Tests for nose work showing she knew to search for birch, anise, and clove scents. She absolutely loved to search. And when she earned her NW1 title in 2013, the judge gave her the special “Harry Award” to “the most outstanding rescue dog that demonstrates extraordinary ability and spirit in nose work.” She was absolutely the most outstanding rescue dog.
She was my constant companion for over 12 years. We hiked, ran, and walked 1000s of miles together. And that’s not an exaggeration. On average, she ran 30 miles a week through her prime. Her longest training run was 20 miles and her longest race was the toughest 10 mile trail run I’ve ever done. She was the best trail dog; no matter how far we went or how lost I was, she always knew her way back to where we started. There was nothing she loved more than running along the trails with me. She made me feel safe and rarely let me out of her sight.
She took every change in our lives in stride. She moved with us across the country to Kansas for vet school, then back to Virginia again. She traveled all over the country with us. She hiked the mountains of Colorado, the plains of Kansas, and the New Mexican desert. She swam in the Atlantic Ocean, explored the Virginia forests, and romped in the snow in the West Virginia mountains.
She stuck to me like glue when each of our boys were born. She refused to leave my side for anything. And she was amazing with the boys as babies, then as they grew into toddlers and big kids. I could not have asked for her to be more patient and tolerant of them.
She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in September 2021, twelve years after coming home to us. She was already suffering from early changes of degenerative myelopathy as well. Radiation bought us four more wonderful pain-free months with her before bloat took her suddenly in January. She was loved so very much and is missed so very greatly.
Thank you for bringing her into our lives.

It is with extreme sadness that I tell you our beautiful girl, Sandy, passed over the Rainbow Bridge today. We adopted Sandy (aka Vanna per MAGSR) in December 2013. Sandy developed lymphoma and was diagnosed in October 2021. The doctor only gave her a few months to live. Luckily for us, she exceeded that estimate. We started chemo for our beautiful dog. The lymphoma went into remission. We were told the cancer was not curable. The cancer stayed in remission until the end of March 2022. We did absolutely everything to try to save Sandy. She was loved so so much and I and my husband are devastated by her passing. The house seems empty without her. We got Sandy special prescribed medication, chemo, learned how to infuse her with saline with electrolytes to help her physically, took her to the hospital when things weren't good, made scrambled eggs, and broiled chicken for her because she would not eat dog food any more. We stayed up nights with her to comfort her when she wasn't feeling well and let her out numerous times during the sleepless nights so she could go to the bathroom. All of that was done out of real love for our girl Sandy. We miss her so much already.

During her life with us, we took her and our other two dogs, Truffles and Duchess, on vacations to the beach. We walked in the park near our house. She had a nice fenced in backyard to run around in. She got the best dog food, and best medical care that we could get. She got nylon bones to chew on, soft dog beds to sleep on, a warm house to stay in. We gave her the best we could afford. She would sleep in our bed if she felt like it and she was welcome to do so. But most of all she got our loving attention.

Sandy came to us with a broken heart. She had been passed around from house to house and was sure we would get rid of her too for the longest time. We used to look at her and tell her that she was stuck with us. Lol. But, she didn't believe us. She had a wonderful personality. We had another German Shepherd who had DM. Sandy was the most compassionate dog I have ever seen. The dog with DM was lying on a dog pillow. Sandy went up and lied down beside her and put her paw on the other dogs arm and she did this numerous times. It was like, I'm here to support and comfort you. It was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. A real heart of gold. She liked to comfort other sick or injured dogs. She had her quirks. Don't we all. She liked absolutely clean sheets with no creases in them. Would not sleep on anything else. She liked absolutely clean water with no other dog drinking in the same water. Kind of hard to do with 3 dogs. But, we changed the water many times a day. She didn't like going out in the rain. She would give me a look like why are you making it rain? She didn't like stepping in puddles or mud. She would try to walk around both. We found some of these things very amusing and made us love her more. It was Sandy. She would stand at the bottom of the stairs and howl a welcome while wagging her tail. It made you feel very welcomed and loved. We would take her for a walk. She was slow leaving the house and walking away from it. But, on the back home, she was like a horse racing back to it's barn. Sandy would start really pulling on the leash to get us to move faster so she could get back to comfort of her home. Home was a word she loved. And she loved her home and she loved us. We were greeted very enthusiastically whenever we came home.

One more story about Sandy to show what an amazing dog she was. I have so many wonderful stories and times with Sandy.  The day before she passed away, it was early in the morning. My husband was getting ready for work. I was still asleep. This was after Sandy had not eaten for a week because the cancer medication she was given destroyed her stomach and she would not eat at all no matter how much we begged her to eat. Therefore, she had gotten very physically weak. We live in a colonial house where you have to climb a lot of stairs to get to our bedrooms. We had helped Sandy up and down those stairs because she wanted to be near us at night. All our dogs have full run of the house and they decide where they want to sleep at night. So, suddenly that morning I was awaken by Sandy in my room trying to wake me up to take her downstairs so she could go to the bathroom outside. The reason this was so amazing is because she had been downstairs and in her weaken condition she climbed each stair by herself. She literally put herself in jeopardy by climbing the stairs by herself. It probably took every ounce of strength she had left in her body. My husband was in the shower and I was still asleep. It was so important to her to get me and ask me to take her outside so she could go to the bathroom. She was so amazing that even in her weaken state she was not going to go to the bathroom in the house. That tells you just how amazing Sandy was. Incredible dog. I miss her so much. My husband and I have been crying since yesterday when we had to let her go and free her from her pain. We truly miss the warmth of her love.

So, Sandy passing away today is a big loss for us. I can't say it enough, we already miss her so much. Sandy was very loved. All she wanted was to be loved and to find a permanent home. She got her dream because she had both with us. There is definitely a feeling like I'm missing a part of myself. We will remember our beautiful compassionate fun loving Sandy for the rest of our lives. She made our life so much better. 

Leo and Mary Maksymchock

Thanks to MAGSR we were blessed to have Alpine in our life since we adopted him in September 2012.  We were lucky to have such a wonderful GSD for almost 10 years, but at the age of 13 years, his health declined and he crossed the rainbow bridge on 3/31/2022.  

Alpine was an incredible GSD and an important member of our family.  He enjoyed doing tricks, taking walks, playing with his squeaky toys and most of all, just hanging out with us, taking in the love and affection we showered on him.  He was a gentle giant who loved his family and was loved by all who met him. 

We love him and miss him.  Thank you MAGSR for bringing the blessing of Alpine into our lives for almost 10 years. 

I wanted to inform you Falcon crossed the rainbow bridge last night.  She had a mass on her spleen. Had stopped eating and taking medication. She had bad arthritis that gave her a limp, therefore one of her nicknames was limpy Mclimps, but it didn't stop her from playing with her fur sister. She had a full life since I adopted her in 2009.  She had helped foster many rescue dogs and had two fur siblings who are still with us.  She welcomed two human children over the years and many cousins. She was an extremely smart, stubborn and mischievous girl and very loving to everyone.  She loved running in the ocean, hiking and visiting new places.  She was definitely the attention hog and loved to meet new people. She also loved to dig holes! We are heartbroken   She is gone, but happy she isn't in pain any longer. She was definitely a once in a lifetime dog. 

My husband and I adopted Benny on a cold, snowy day in Pennsylvania in Jan 2010. He lovingly welcomed our son home 7 months later. Since then and for 12 years, Benny has been family. We are so heartbroken. 

Benny has been the pillar of strength and health until last year when he was diagnosed with kidney disease and then degenerative myelopathy.  With a special diet and exercise, he's had a wonderful year. Covid gifted us all the benefit of lots of time together. He kept an eye on each of us even at home... always knowing what was going on and where we all were.

Benny was fiercely loyal and protective, but so loving, too. We really, really miss you, big boy.  Thank you MAGSR for all that you do and for sharing beautiful Benny with us.

Our beloved Juliet passed away on the 16th of January. She had been battling several health issues. After so many trips to the vet and specialists her body couldn’t take anymore. We’re devastated, and the house feels empty without her around.

We adopted Juliet along with her brother Romeo in February of 2018. Juliet always led the way on all of our adventures. She was the first to jump in the car, and the first to find the mud on our hikes. She had the sweetest disposition, and weathered every storm in life with the same wagging tail and bright eyes. She could play rough with her bigger brother, and sprint so fast after her favorite toy. We feel fortunate that we could spend all day every day with her these last couple years. We will always treasure the special moments with her in our hearts, and she will live forever in our memories.

Thank you for bringing her into our lives.

Good evening all, sadly writing to inform you of Atlas’s passing. We adopted Atlas in January of 2007 at the age of two, yes 2007! He has been an absolute model of perfect health up until last year when old age caught up with him. He was truly a kind soul filled with love and affection for everyone he met. We tried our best to spoil him in every way possible and treat him with the love he showed us. Our hearts are broken but we know we have given him the best life possible. Thank you for introducing us to him so many years, we are blessed. 

Dear MAGSR

I wanted to write and let you know of Kobe’s passing on December 23, 2021 due to a brain tumor.    When we adopted Kobe from MAGSR, his name was Kent, but we renamed him on our first day home seven years ago.  Kobe lit up our lives and completed our family.  He was the picture of health and full of energy up until about a week and a half before his death when he started showing symptoms of vestibular disease.  Both his vet, and then the neurology specialist we took Kobe to see, treated him with antibiotics for a middle ear infection, but Kobe’s decline was so rapid and so extreme that we took him to emergency critical care.  An MRI revealed the aggressive brain tumor which took him from us later that night.

Kobe was the mayor of our neighborhood.  My family and I enjoyed long walks with Kobe, and he easily trekked 3-4 miles each day, between the walks my husband, my two boys and I took with him separately.  Young children would come running to him as we passed their houses, yelling, “Kobe, it’s Kobe!”  They would hug him and kiss him, and he was the gentlest giant with everyone who touched him.  Kobe loved to play with other dogs too, and other dog owners would drop by so their furry friends could play inside our fence with him.

We are heartbroken to have lost Kobe, and I will be forever grateful to the kind and loving people at MAGSR who introduced Kobe to our family in November, 2014.  I have attached a picture from last winter of our beautiful boy.

Thank you, MAGSR, for the wonderful and very important work you do.

The Harper Family

Dear MAGSR,

We wanted to let you know that our beloved Bailey (MAGSR tag 5277) died after eating some dark false mussels.  We did not know that these mussels are highly toxic to dogs, causing acute liver failure.  We recently brought a boat into our yard, which had tiny mussels stuck to the bottom, and apparently Bailey crawled under the boat and scraped off and ate a large section of mussels.  We pieced together what happened only once he got sick and we found the tiny shells in his poop.  He spent two days in intensive care at Catonsville ER, and the vets did everything they could to save him, but the damage to his liver was too severe.  He was only 6 years old, still full of joy and ball-chasing energy, and we are completely crushed by his death.

We hope that you will help to raise awareness of the danger that these mussels pose to dogs.  (Ask potential adopters about boats?)  We never would have brought a boat into our yard if we had known.  The boat is now gone, and thankfully our other MAGSR dog (Sweet Pea - adopted in 2013?) did not eat any mussels.  She is grieving for her partner but is otherwise in great shape.

Here’s a link to a Maryland DNR health alert about the mussels: https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/Documents/Dog-Health-Alert.pdf

It’s unclear exactly what in the mussels is so toxic to dogs.  The ER vet asked to have a necropsy done on Bailey, with the hope of shedding some light on the problem, so we donated his body to DNR and the veterinary pathology group at Johns Hopkins. 

Best wishes,
Bailey’s mom and dad

Lexi crossed the rainbow bridge on Wednesday. I'm heartbroken because she was my best friend, but I wanted to write a note in her honor and just let you know of her passing. Lexi was my instant soul mate, and after a bit of a rough start with the dog we already had at the time, she settled in with her brother and they truly loved each other. While she wasn't fond of many other dogs, she had so many human best friends, and I loved walking her down the street because people always stopped in awe of how beautiful and wolf-like she was. She was also silly and very smart (much smarter than her brother). I would laugh when she wanted a toy that he had, so she pretended to be interested in another one just to trick him into dropping what he had to go for it, while she got the original.

I'm enclosing some of my favorite photos of her and her brother Titan (both gone within 6 months of each other from cancer). I’m a photographer and she even got to model in a few photo shoots (she always snuck in). I am so grateful for the time I got to spend with Lexi in her senior years.

I can't imagine my house without a dog in it and may be interested in fostering soon, something I've done in the past.

Warmly,

Nikki

Hollie passed away unexpectedly early this morning from a probable ruptured hemangiosarcoma. She was such a wonderful dog and companion since the day we welcomed her into our family.

Thank you to Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue and Nicole Cox for bringing her into our hearts six years ago. She'll be there forever.

I am sad to be writing this email to you today.  Camden fell ill this week and passed away on Sunday morning.  I wanted to thank Ed for introducing Camden to me on an early Sunday morning.  He started out as a foster and then became our pup with the help of Candi.  Camden loved Candi when at the kennel.  Once Camden recovered from Heartworm treatments he settled into our family.  I honestly do not know what we did to deserve such a wonderful dog.  Camden was patient with foster dogs (most of them) and with the craziness in our household.  The past two years have been challenging with losing parents and grandparents.  I feel that he helped our family survive through this difficult and challenging time.  Losing a dog is very hard but the time with them will always be cherished.  I will miss our early morning walks, him going to work with mommy in the office, spending time walking the yard, and waiting for the kids to finish swim team practice.

I attached a photo of Camden at the beach and this is how I will remember him. Watching the ghost crabs and the sunrise at the beach.  Reminding me that tomorrow is going to be a great day and to take advantage of the time we have with family and fur companions.

On October 31, 2010, my wife and I were adopted by Ty when he was about 3. He passed this week.  He has truly been my best friend these past 11 years and he was very much loved, and he loved us very much.  He was a caretaker and protector for our 7 year old daughter from the moment she came home, the 3 cats who departed before him, and his favorite cat, who is moping around just a little this week, missing him like all of us are.

I just wanted to let you all know since I’m sure someone is still there who might remember this remarkable dog.  Because of Ty, we continue to support your work through donations and Amazon. I hope one day we don’t need you all anymore.

It saddens my heart to inform you of the loss f our beloved Fritz (f/k/a Ranger) on Monday, September 13.  From the first day he came into our lies in Sept. 2010, he formed a bond with me only a dog owner can understand.  He remained that way until the end.  Through all of these years, there are too many memories to list.  Since my retirement a couple of years ago, our bond has gotten even closer spending almost every part of the day together along with our other MAGSR dog Heidi.  Starting everyday off with breakfast outside on he patio.  Coffee and your dogs, what better way to start your day.  Your loss will be felt for a long time but I know I’ll see you across he Bridge.  Until then, good bye my friend.

Jay S. Thomas