Sad News

My husband and I lost our dog, Patton, on February 5th. Patton was adopted after Travis (my husband) found his pregnant mom wandering in the streets of Baltimore about 14 years ago. He brought her to MAGSR where she had her puppies, one of which was Patton. You guys were so beyond kind to let Travis have the pick of the litter and he chose our wonderful boy (though I am sure they were all amazing!). It has been a huge loss for us and we are struggling everyday without him. But, without the life-saving help MAGSR provided, we wouldn't have had a life that was blessed with him in it.   Thank you so much, Carolyn & Travis

It is with enormous sadness that we are letting you know about the passing of our beloved dog Argo, fka Jenner. We met Argo at MAGSR in 2014, and instantly fell in love with him. He was approximately five years old at the time. Our boy incarnated all the wonderful qualities for which German Shepherds are known, he was a strong, loving, loyal, devoted, intelligent, friendly, sweet and sometimes silly companion. He was great with people, dogs, cats, he adored children and he loved greeting everyone at the door, his tail was always wagging. He had a huge appetite for food, for cuddles, and for life in general. He loved treats, and just seeing the treat cabinet being opened would turn him into a puppy. Then, he would stare at treats without blinking, still as a statue, the only movement visible on his face would be a thin stream of drool from the corner of his mouth, his focus was incredible. He loved playing with us, while making funny noises.  He loved rolling on the grass on a sunny day, playing with his MAGSR brother, Lupo (fka Santino), fetching the ball, and chasing deer in our backyard, while accompanying his excitement with a funny sound that we called “the German Shepherd cry”. For a period we moved to California, and he loved to run free on dog beaches. Then we moved back to Maryland, and he loved snowy days, diving in the snow and eating it. Then we had children, and he welcomed them as he had always known them. He became a loving, sweet, patient, furry big brother to them. He was perfectly content in any surroundings, a happy, easy-going, gentle giant. He loved to find treats hidden around the house, and he loved to enjoy them while being praised for being an incredibly good boy. We had him for seven wonderful, fun, love-filled years. Unfortunately in November 2020, our vet found a mass in his abdomen, and after his spleen was removed, he was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma. Although during the next two months, despite being very ill, he was doing well and enjoyed every day with excitement, on February 5th, he developed bloat, and because of his age, and the aggressive cancer, we had to make the painful decision of having him euthanized. He had an enormous presence, was a huge part of our family and our home is just not the same without him. We miss him every moment of the day, he was constantly by our side and shared every moment with us. Every little thing we do now reminds us of our sweet Argo. We hope that during these years we made him as happy as he made us, he was the perfect dog, and we loved him, still love him and will always love him so much. He will always be our four-legged child, our Argo, our good boy.   Thank you MAGSR for rescuing our wonderful Argo and for letting us be his family, we are very grateful for this, and for all that you do for these amazing dogs.   Romina and Sean

With heavy hearts we are notifying MAGSR that Ike (aka Patriot) has crossed the rainbow bridge on Jan 21,2021. We were so blessed to have Ike joined our family on 9/25/2011. He has been our best friend and family member for the 9-1/2 years. He loved us and we loved him so much. Ike was our first German shepherd and the best companion ever.

Hello MAGSR – It is with a very heavy heart and tear filled eyes that I inform you of the passing of my rescue baby, Maddie. I visited your kennel on May 24th 2014. Maddie was the first dog brought out to me and we hit it off immediately. We threw ball and she brought it back to me as if we were doing it for years. I took her home. She has literally been at my side for almost 7 years, a true ROCKSTAR. A few months ago I thought she was having hip trouble so I took her to the vet. Nothing seemed unusual so we had blood work done and results were not good. The vet said he never saw bloodwork so out of kilter on a living dog.  We went to Metro Vet in Norristown for X-Rays and Ultrasound. She had cancer. Masses on her spleen and an enlarged liver. She made almost two more months with the help of steroids and anti-biotics. I had to let her go last night. She was having trouble getting up and walking up a step into the house. Thank you MAGSR for uniting us and giving both of us so much joy. I will see you at the rainbow bridge my Sweet Pea. I love you. Jeff Passe

We are writing to let you know that our precious, sweet Pete passed away Tuesday, December 22nd.  Pete was known as "Chase" during the (very) short time he was with you.  We adopted him on August 29, 2010 when he was an 8-10 week old pup.  Puppy days are hard, but boy was he worth every second.  He evolved into such an amazing dog.  He always knew what we needed or what was expected of him before we even said anything.  If he didn't know exactly what you were saying to him, you could see in his eyes that he wanted so badly to.  Pete went everywhere with us.  Massachusetts to visit family?  He was in.  The beach?  The mountains?  Tree farm to tag a Christmas tree?  Wherever we were going, he was in.  He was the absolute perfect dog for our family, and an amazing dog for our boys to have grown up with. Unfortunately, he fell very suddenly ill in August, at which time we found out he had hemangiosarcoma.  He underwent an emergency splenectomy, followed by metronomic chemotherapy and a regimen of other medications and supplements recommended by his oncologist.  We had three amazing months with him, but then he fell ill again the day after Thanksgiving, and we learned the cancer had spread to his liver and possibly his heart.  The emergency vet said he wouldn't make it through that weekend.  Well, they didn't know our Pete.  He made it through not only that weekend, but a couple more.  Eventually, though, it became too much for him, and we had to make the awful decision to end his suffering.  I'm sure in time there will be other dogs here at Casa Zanelli, but there will certainly never be another Pete.  He was truly our heart dog, and we miss him terribly.

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have to write this. About a year ago after a MRI scan Sylvan was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy, I started taking Sylvan to physical therapy to try and mitigate DM from getting worse. Sadly, over time she started to lose the mobility in her rear legs and was unable to walk fully, could still stand up and move her front legs while dragging the rear legs, but slowly she started to lose function in her front legs. Until a few months ago she was developing a UTI, treated with Antibiotics only to return much worse with blood during bathroom runs. On 14 Dec 2020 I made the final trip to Anna Arundel Vet and had Sylvan put down as her degenerative myelopathy had progressed to a point she couldn't continue. I provided as much care and comfort to ease her suffering as I held her paw and head in my hands wishing that she would never have to face this hardship again.   James Stanley

It is with profound sadness, we announce the passing of our beloved Mina. We adopted her (after fostering her for two days) in April of 2010. We knew after two days that we couldn’t part with her. She gave us 10 amazing years, which we will cherish forever. Thank you MAGSR for having given us this amazing sweet dog. Until we meet again Mina. 

It is with deep regret to report the passing of MAGSR alum, Jack. Jack came to MAGSR from a local shelter. While in his former home, he kept getting loose and ending up in doggie jail. But the last time he did this, his people said they no longer wanted him and told the shelter to keep him. Their loss! Upon meeting him for evaluation and soon thereafter, we fell in love with him and once again failed fostering. We never had any issues with him being a flight risk. He never gave a resident dog or foster any problem, whatsoever. He was confident and loyal yet friendly and even keeled. He was a wonderful ambassador for GSDs at the house and in public places. Everyone just loved him; it was impossible not to. We adored him and he will always have a special place in our hearts. Our home just isn't the same without him. He was 13 years old. Here's one of our Favorite pictures of Jack!  We Love you buddy
Monty and Sheri

This past Friday, our beloved Simba crossed the rainbow bridge.  e adopted him from MAGSR in November 2011 and the nine years that followed with Simba were wonderful ones. I always said he drew the Lucky Dog card, as he spent many summers on the beaches of Greece with us where he is pictured below. He swam and fetched stones and was my constant companion abroad and in Washington, DC.  I’ve owned other dogs, but there was never a dog quite like Simba.
Thank you for your organization which reaches out to help this outstanding bred. Simba, RIP

Hello, my name is Kate Wood and I called about a week ago about my boy Apollo. We adopted Apollo December 11,  2010. We lost him on November 21 2020.  He had degenerative Myelopathy and could no longer walk.     Adopting him was one of the best things my family did.  He was a big boy and very intimidating. He was so good though. He loved my grandchildren, all 5 of them.  He would let them lay with him, play ball and play doctor (he was the patient) or anything else they wanted to with him.  I will miss my boy with all my heart, that is still breaking. Thank you MAGSR for allowing my to have one of your angels. 

I'm sorry to pass along sad news. Charlie (formally known as Bennie) died today from complications with cancer. He owned me for 8 good years and I thank you all for giving him to me all those years ago.
  Dr. Naomi Abrams

We adopted a wonderful mixed German Shepherd from your organization in 2008 (approx) when we lived in Dayton, MD.  Her name was Gianna. Sadly, Gianna passed away on November 11, 2020. She was a great dog and a faithful companion to us and to her dog friend, Even Steven.     Bill & Liz Foster

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Packie (formally Zach) and Shelby who we adopted in 2013 from MAGSR.  Brother and sister who have never been separated one single day in their lives.  On October 1st Shelby passed away due to Heart Failure and severe Osteoarthritis and muscle wasting and today, October 12th Packie passed due to bone cancer and I’m sure a broken heart. These two shared a love that I never even saw with humans. They never left each other.  We feared Packie would go shortly after Shelby and we were right. These are the saddest days of our lives but we are so grateful for the 7 years we had with them.  They were both 12 and they lived an amazing life with us. As five time adopters with the MAGSR, please know we are forever grateful for all that you do. 

We adopted a cute and adorable puppy from MAGSR almost 12 years ago.    Max passed away this morning from complications from surgery at Colorado State University Vet Hospital.  Thank you for rescuing this wonderful guy so he could be our forever guy.  We have loved him deeply & he will always be our hearts. 

It is with great sadness that I inform you that "Jaxson aka Ozzie" whom I adopted in 2018 was peacefully laid to rest on October 5th. Last month APAW Veterinary Hospital diagnosed him with lymphoma and within 3 weeks his health declined. He had an old soul and a wonderful spirit, and he was my gentle giant, my companion and my protector. His pawprints will forever be in my heart! I enjoyed having him by my side for 2-1/2 years. Thanks MAGSR you for your support. Julia S. Banks