Bosco and his adopted sister Aspen (now 13yo) were taken in as a bonded pair of senior pups by their amazing mom. She welcomed them into her family and planned on ensuring that they lived out their lives in the comfort, peace, and security of her home. Aspen and Bosco were their mom's heart; she loved them beyond words. Knowing she would want them to have a place to grieve, rest, and find comfort and MAGSR's commitment to keeping family together, they were welcomed again back to a MAGSR foster home. Soon after, Bosco joined his mom and crossed the rainbow bridge to watch over Aspen as another angel. Despite both pups seeing so much loss and facing so many challenges in life, Bosco was one of the sweetest, friendliest, and loving dogs. He was very special and just an easy going guy who goes with the flow. He loves the fresh air and a cozy place to hang. He was cherished by everyone, and still is. 

I am very sad to share with you that my dear dog Dushko passed over the rainbow bridge suddenly on Wednesday. Dushko was a wonderful, sweet dog, very intelligent with great intuition. He was a great protector, emotional support dog and companion. He was well loved by many and adored by the doggy daycare staff and dogs where he would go weekly. I am grateful for all the unconditional love he gave me and all our walks and chill time in the house. I trust that he is in a lovely doggy heaven now with lots of yummy food, doggie friends, loving humans and lots of space to run free. 

Yesterday, I said goodbye to Hero. Things declined this week, assume the cancer was moving fast, and after consulting with my vet, I concluded that I just couldn’t push Hero to fight anymore – it was enough. I certainly didn’t know the dog that came into my life in 2016 (just temp fostering for the weekend lol), would fill the void the way he did a month after I lost my other GSD, and would be here with me 8 years later with a bond stronger than any other dog I’ve had. I almost lost him in 2018, 2019, and 2022 to ulcers, IBD, etc. but we overcame and got to the other side – Hero fought hard. I couldn’t have done it without the support and patience of my vet who has been with me through many dogs - but my sweet Hero, he touched us both I think in a way I don’t know how to explain .. there’s just something so strong when you fight so hard like with him, until something like this brings it all down. I avoided coming home yesterday as long as possible because I haven’t been dogless in over 20 years - coming home to an empty house with his things everywhere .. it just hits you hard. I absolutely will open my heart again to another dog, because I have a lot to give, but no one will ever take Hero’s place in my heart. He was my amazing miracle and something so precious that I never deserved. #lovehero #everydayisagift

We mourn the loss of our big man Jojo on July 13th of this year to a sudden condition we could not have seen coming.

Jojo entered our life on March 6th, 2022.  At 10 years old, we expected a mostly chill, sweet old man.  What we got was a sometimes chill, old goofball!  He was so sweet, fun, and silly, everyone who met him fell in love with him.  Well, everyone except some of the neighborhood dogs, who were obviously jealous of his magnificence.

We are devastated to say that we lost our boy, Tango (Oct 2020), yesterday to splenic hemangiosarcoma. The tumor filled his abdomen, was pushing against his lungs, and he started bleeding internally the night prior. To say he was a trooper is an understatement!

Even though he had hip and elbow dysplasia, that didn't stop him from enjoying his favorite activities of chasing the ball and going on long walks with his most favorite person in the whole wide world (me). And though he could barely ever leave my side (velcro dog doesn't even begin to describe it!), he loved our entire family fiercely. He lived a lifetime in the four short years that we had him. He was able to run loose on our 20 acre farm, exploring woods and cooling off in the creeks. He still could win an award for being the most talkative German Shepherd in history! I used to tell people that he had a bark quota that he had to meet daily. The house is now too quiet without him. Our hearts are shattered with how much we miss him.

I'm writing to let you know our sweet Kenley who we adopted February, 2016 has died. Kenley got sick very fast and we had her put to sleep Monday evening June 3.

She is our second MAGSR dog and she was sweet and goofy. She was always ready to let us know when someone was in our driveway she didn't think should be there, or our neighbors coming out their driveway, which I'm sure they "loved."

She loved her dad and always had to know where he was or was outside with him. She loved food and was the best sous chef and loved sleeping on the sofa or the bed at night.

She had some health issues but weathered them like a trooper. Then Monday morning she was fine but by 3pm she wasn't. We took her to the vet who thought she had a tumor that ruptured and was bleeding internally.

Not wanting her to suffer we made the decision to have her put to sleep.

We had 8 wonderful years with her. We'll miss the beautiful face and brown eyes.

Thank you for allowing us to adopt this wonderful girl that we're going to miss so very much.

Lindsay Bowman

In 2015, MAGSR gave us the privilege of bringing home a beautiful 3-year-old GSD, then named Asia, who we promptly renamed Clara.  Clara had been surrendered by a farm family who could not manage her activity level or prey drive.  We can confirm: whether squirrel, deer, chipmunk or fox - if it moved, she wanted to chase it (fortunately she showed no interest in chasing people!)  We were able to re-direct her energy and enthusiasm to the Jolly ball "court" (our yard) where you could find us chasing the Jolly 12 months of the year, rain or shine.  She loved long walks and hikes where she would inhale the scents of the woods and fields. Her toy box constantly needed replenishing as she tore through squeaky toys and balls. 

Clara had the responsibility of training our GSD Cooper, one year younger and adopted from VGSR.  She patiently educated him, and he adored her to no end.  She also herded us - into the kitchen to cook dinner, outside for an evening walk, into the car for a ride.  In the pecking order of our family, she was number one. 

Her end came suddenly at age 12, when she fell ill overnight. We learned she had a large tumor on her spleen that was bleeding.  We did not hesitate, and were able to send her over the rainbow bridge peacefully within two hours of her diagnosis.  We miss her terribly.  

Hello,

It's with a heavy heart that I write to inform you that Groot fka Herb adopted in 2016 has passed. We made the difficult decision on May 2nd to ease his suffering from lumbosacral disease as he had stopped eating and could no longer walk without assistance. 

Groot was our first dog with MAGSR and he inspired us to volunteer and find our second family with the rescue. He attended many events and was an excellent ambassador for MAGSR. He was a good foster brother and eventually a great packmate to our 2nd MAGSR pup, Luna. Groot loved going to work with his dad at the College Park Airport to help fix PG Counties helicopters, chase the groundhogs and sometimes the geese from the field, and didn't ever let us forget his 8:30pm Greenie toothbrush.

With a little healing time, we will honor his memory by helping another dog find a home through fostering and eventually adopting again. 

Thank you for allowing us the years of joy we had with him, 

Megan and Paul Tarrant

Good afternoon,

I’m heartbroken to report that my baby Chopper passed away yesterday. I have attached some photos of our beautiful life together. Thank you for providing me and my family with a friend and companion that we will love and cherish forever.

Respectfully,

Lakisha M. King- Jones

One of the hardest things we ever do as human beings is say goodbye to our pets. Unfortunately, recently my wife and I had to say goodbye to our buddy boy Remington aka: Remy, Socrates, Mister Majestic, Bud Bud and Big Boy. Remy developed Liver cancer and unfortunately had to be euthanized at 10 ½ years old.

Remy was truly a special dog. At one point he was a MAGSR fund raiser poster boy due to a tragic beginning of his life. At eight weeks old he had a compound fracture in his hind leg and was set to be euthanized, but by the grace of God, MAGSR was willing to step up and fundraise for an operation that saved both his leg and his life.

Remy was a wonderful member of our pack, as he loved everyone and everything. He always wanted to be by my or my wife’s side. He was extremely loyal and a great listener obeying his commands with no exceptions. At 100 pounds he cut an imposing figure and hearty resounding bark which made him a great protector of the house without even trying. I can’t say enough about this wonderful boy except that everyone should have at least one Remington in their life. We miss him dearly and will always have a smile on our face when think of him.

We are eternally grateful to MAGSR for entrusting us with his care.

Sincerely,
Adam & Lisa Fedder

We had seven wonderful years with Koda (Formerly known as Pepper).  She was bonded with Barbara, Sheba (our cat) Bronco (our male GSD) and me.  We lost Bronco 1-1/2 years ago and we adopted Sunny (also a MAGSD grad).  She quietly but firmly showed Sunny the ropes.  She stayed so fit that we lost track of her age. 

Three weeks ago she started having problems with incontinence.  It was then that I realized that Koda was 11 years old.  The regular vet put her on Proin time release.  It initially worked immediately.  We took her to Dr. Kocen, a holistic vet,  to add herbal remedies.  Things were looking up but she began rejecting her meals.  After about 4 days of barely eating, I fingered the sides of her belly and she let out a cry of pain.  I immediately took her to Southpaws Medical Emergency.  A few hours later the Vet called and told me that she had a massive growth in her stomach and was bleeding internally. 

So that night Barbara and I went to Southpaws and she greeted us with love and enthusiasm.  She was almost purring as we stroked her head and back for almost an hour.  She closed her eyes as she went to sleep and we bid her farewell. 

Tom & Barbara Walczykowski

Gypsy was adopted in Aug, 2017. She went to wait at the bridge on 12/12/23 as a result of lung cancer.  She was only 9 years old.  Rescued her when she was 3.5, 6 yrs ago.  

Best gal ever.

Jim and Barb Ferguson

Kia joined our family on April 15, 2018.  From the moment Mommy saw her picture on the MAGSR website, she knew that Kia was meant to be a member of our family.  She was believed to be around 7 years old already when we adopted her, but as she was picked up as a stray there was not any information on her background.  She was a beautiful and well behaved dog, very mild mannered for a GSD and just the perfect match for our young children at the time.   We weren't sure how long we may have with her, adopting a dog already 7 years old... but with young children we weren't able to take on a dog that might be too much for us and them.  Kia blessed us with 5 and half amazing years, more than we anticipated!!  She was close to 13 by the time she passed.  She was the sweetest and most loving dog.  She was also the softest, most fluffy (and twice as hairy as a normal GSD we think!), and quite large dog.  We called her our big Bear, because she looked like a black bear.   Her favorite things were Daddy (#1 to everything), treat time, walking to the bus stop, sleeping on her bed, and chewing on her large bone.  Her presence around our home is dearly missed, but we know it was her time.  She was struggling with bad hip dysplasia and hind leg issues, so by the end it was very painful for her to move around on her own.  But she was so brave through it all. 

She passed on October 30th peacefully at home, on her bed, right after getting her favorite treats, with Daddy and Mommy right by her side.  She deserved only the best. 

Sweet Howie was picked up as a stray and brought to a local shelter. Cute as pie this little guy was lucky to have been found by the right people. Upon arrival at the shelter, staff members knew something was not right with Howie. They immediately began pooling resources to determine how they could help. Tests were administered and it was determined that Howie is positive for parvo. Although they knew Howie deserved every chance to survive, the shelter could not provide the 24 hour care needed to help Howie move forward. So, an emergency plea went out. When we learned that Howie needed immediate support, we began working with our team to help him move forward. 

Howie is still so very young. In order to survive, he will need to fight and fight hard. He does not yet know it, but MAGSR will fight right alongside him.

Parvo is a highly contagious virus; it is particularly challenging for puppies to survive. Although there is no cure, with 24/7 monitoring and supportive care, he has a chance at survival. As we move Howie forward, our vetting partners will be working with Howie to keep him hydrated, control his GI upset, and prevent secondary infections, while also keeping him monitored and warm. Parvo care is very expensive. We need the GSD community's help in order to provide Howie with every chance at survival. Please consider donating to Howie's care now so that this special boy has every opportunity to fight. Howie is in the fight for his life. Will you help him by being his hero? 

Tragically, sweet Howie was no longer able to fight and passed away in the middle of the night. May he fly high with the MAGSR dogs who have left before him.