Sad News

My beloved Prince crossed the Rainbow Bridge on September 9. I had the amazing fortune of adopting him (then "Oliver") from MAGSR ten years ago, almost to the day when he passed away.  I am deeply grateful to them from bringing him into our lives in 2008.  Prince was 11 years old and suffering from a variety of ailments, some of which were painful. He was suffering more than he was living, so we made the decision to use a very humane and gentle in-home euthanasia service.   My wife and I hugged my bestest buddy in his favorite spot at home as he drew his last breaths.   I will never forget my Big Puppy, the decade I had with him, nor any of his loves in life. He loved me fiercely and protectively, he loved my wife, my son and just about anyone who would give him a tummy rubby, a squeaky toy or a stick. He loved to give sloppy kisses, especially when he knew that something was wrong. He gave me and my wife big kisses as we wept over him on his last day. He could not stand for us to be sad.  Prince the Wonder Dog loved to sleep next to me, go running, exploring, chasing deer, walking through the West Virginia woods, digging up rocks and go swimming in the Cacapon River. Early in the morning was never too early for him, and when he would wake me up at 4:00 am with his big, brown eyes and a "CAN WE GO OUTSIDE NOW??" look, I could never say no. My children really don't remember a time when he was not part of our lives. You, Big Puppy, are no longer on watch as our instinctive guardian. You are now our guardian angel. It’s your time to rest, sweet boy. We love you beyond words and cannot adequately thank you for the immeasurable love you shown upon those who loved you.  We miss you so much.

We said goodbye to Ace yesterday but I guess the best way to say it is he said goodbye to us. He passed in my arms on the way to the emergency clinic and I know he wouldn't of wanted it any other way. I miss him dearly and always will. His unwavering devotion to me and love must be the true German shepherd spirit. He was constantly always watching me because he didn't want to miss a second of anything I was doing. He loved just being where I was, whether that was traveling, car rides, dog events, get together's or just hanging out, he was there and was there because he was so good with everything and everybody and truly loved it too. I dont think he ever met a person or dog that he didnt like or one that didnt cling to him or love him. Everyone he met was his friend and loved him also. I think in this life the only thing he loved more than me and my son was his love for Kongs and balls. Even with DM, that didnt stop him for wanting to spend endless hours of retrieving. He fought his DM like there was never anything wrong. He wasnt going to let that slow him down and he was still walking at 11 months after the diagnoses. There arent enough words to express how special he was but he was truly a special, special soul. We had an amazing run together and many adventures will be missed with out him. A sweet spirit has gone on to the rainbow bridge to greet all that comes next. He was my dog whisperer and devoted friend. Thank you for entrusting me with this amazing dog. I wish our time was longer but am so grateful for the time we had. 

Sad to say we had to put Sammie down today. She found love and trust again. She never left my side in the house. She was unable to walk anymore so we made the decision to help her over the rainbow bridge. We love(d) her very much. It was a wonderful 3 years with her. She loved McDonald’s and Rita’s vanilla custard. So that was her final meal

Dear MAGSR, we are writing to inform you of our precious girl's departing from us due to cancer. She left us on August 31, 2018. She was a true companion - faithful, devoted, protective, and loving. A wonderful friend and family member, everyone loved her and she loved everyone. She will be sorely missed but she will never be forgotten.  We wanted to send a donation in honor and memory of Ziba Lee.  Thank you for all you did for her and making it possible for us to love her forever. What an honor it has been to know her! What a part of our family she has been! Craig and Kathy Jo Louis (& Susan) – Ziba Lee's dad and mom and buddy
Tommy and Eddie (Ziba Lee's buddies - the Chihuahua boys)
& Elsa Pearl (Ziba Lee's buddy - the cat)

She had a slight foot drag when we adopted her. The foster said she had it when he got her. We had her genetic testing done and her bloodline showed a high potential for degenerative myopathy. With that being said, she lost function in that original leg in about 6 months. Then the other within the year. We used a doggie wheelchair as long as we could but the condition was so progressive it was hard to watch her be in pain. We did a few consults and were directed by each to provide palliative as long as she could tolerate, but inevitably we had too. She was without question a beautiful dog, I’m not sure if you remember but I fought hard to just meet her, fell instantly in love as she accepted us mutually as fast. She had a really broken past before us, including the “not to be around young kids” status. All that was proven to be wrong as she was most likely in the beginning stages and she was protecting her pain. She was absolutely a wonderful companion, it hurts to only have a had her for a short while, but I’m glad it was my family that was able to provide and care for her to the end.  We still love her. Jason R Turner

Good Morning, I am writing to simply let you know that our wonderful rescue, Jackie Carmichael, has passed away. We adopted Jackie in February 2011 and unfortunately 4 months ago she was diagnosed with cancer and just passed away this past Saturday. I did want to let you know to have some closure with the organization. However, we have another wonderful rescue from MAGSR, Titan, and we plan to give him the best life possible. We have had 2 great dogs from you all and I thank the heavens daily for them both and realize how privileged I am to have had Jackie and now Titan in our lives. Thank you,
Lisa Carmichael

I am very sad to report that we had to say good bye to Angie, our wonderful MAGSR dog, on July 5. We adopted Angie in May of 2006. Our hearts are broken and we will always miss her.

Thank you for bringing her into MAGSR and into our hearts.

Anne Witty and Les Doerfler

On Saturday, May 19th we said goodbye to Zeus, known as Abbott when we adopted him on 9/26/09.  He was a wonderful dog who always wanted to be with his family.  He was always up to do something! Loved walks in the woods, playing ball or frisbee, and his favorite game of hide and seek in the house. The last 9 years were not long enough but, DM took him before his time. We miss him dearly.  Thank you for letting him be part of our family.

Athena was adopted March 2011. These last 7 years weren't long enough. She was the most wonderful girl. I miss her so much already.  Thank you for all you do for lost and lonely shepherds.    Sincerely yours, Michelle Zimmerman 

In March 2009 we adopted Thor and had 9 wonderful years together.  He was a special dog and I can’t put into words how much he was loved.   On Wednesday, April 11th, he passed away in his sleep at home. Our hearts are shattered and we miss him so much.  We are grateful to have had him as a part of our family and have so many fond memories.   Thank you for sharing Thor with us. 
The Widdoes family

It is with deep regret to inform you of Chip's passing.Chip came to MAGSR after his family had to give him up. The elderly husband passed and the wife could not provide for him by herself. He was then locked away in a room by himself in the their home. The caretaker would come by, open the door to throw food in and quickly shut the door. Once the wife went into a nursing home, Chip was surrendered to the shelter. When I was asked to see him at the shelter, I found him lying in his own feces and urine, overweight and clearly saddened by the life altering events which had occurred. He was extremely arthritic and greatly in need of some tlc. When I walked him out to my truck to get in, I was amazed when he made the decision to jump up onto the backseat of my F150! I immediately knew he was ready to move on with life.
Soon after coming to our house, the first order of business was to reduce his weight so that he could walk without so much difficulty. Soon thereafter, we had a couple struggles with pack hierarchy. But we were not giving up as we knew this is where he needed to be. Now that he was on good nutrition, joint supplements and NSAIDs he began to emulate Laci's ball drive. He loved to play ball. He was obviously struggling with limited mobility and a some rear limb incoordination. But he loved playing ball anyway and he loved being part of the pack. We saw it as a rebirth of sorts. He either discovered something that he had never experienced before or he rediscovered something that he experienced earlier in life. Either way, he was living a fulfilling life in his new "home". He was feisty and was clearly highest in the canine pack. We nicknamed him "The General". He was large and in charge. He loved lying in the yard when we were outside, especially on days that were not terribly hot. He also love lying on the deck on cool nights. In the Fall of 2017 he began showing signs of DM. In the matter of a couple weeks, he went from being able to walk on his own to being completely down on his back end. He rebounded once and was able to walk again. As excited as we were for his ability to walk again, that only lasted a couple days and he was back down. If you know anything about DM, it has a tendency to progress, sometimes regress but ultimately progresses again. Chip became incredibly frustrated. Because we had been through DM with dogs in the past, we outfitted him with the Help Em Harness. We also tried Biko Bands which assist the rear legs with pulling them forward during walks. But the window of opportunity for using Biko Bands was somewhat limited. We then bought him a brand new cart from Bestfriend Mobility. He wasn't crazy about the cart no matter how much we tried to get him used to it. He's just one of those dogs who does not love a cart. Through everything, he tolerated all the harnesses, bands and cart. But the harness provided the most assistance in daily life for him. His frustration passed and being down became his norm. We quickly incorporated his lack of mobility into our lives and we made sure that he had as much, if not more time with us and mental stimulation as our mobile dogs. Just within the past week or two, he started showing signs of front leg incoordination. He would sometimes stumble when walking him outside to go potty. We knew that this was not a good sign. Reason being that DM starts with the back legs and as the disease progresses, it will affect the front legs, esophagus and ultimately the brain stem and other organs. He was now showing signs of being neurologically challenged in the front. He then developed a cough which ultimately turned into aspiration pneumonia because his esophagus was not functioning as it should. When his breathing started to become labored, we knew we were at then end and to let him go on was not humane nor much in the way of quality of life. He peacefully passed in our arms surrounded by those who loved him. Caring for a dog with DM requires a lot of physicality and patience. But that extra time spent in caring for a needy dog creates a deeper bond. Chippy, like all dogs, was very special and we love him dearly. Monty & Sheri

  I am saddened to report that Jasmine (you knew her as Slider) had to be put down this morning.  She had been battling cancer for some time.  The complications became too great. She had a very tough start in life.  Jazz joined our family in September of 2009.  She was with us only 8 years, but lived a full life in that time. She had a loving home, many adventures, and a cat that claimed her for his own.  She is greatly missed.

We wanted to let you all know that yesterday, we made the tough decision to let Kaz go. We adopted him in May of 2017 and we were lucky enough to be a part of his life for 7 wonderful months. He was the kindest, sweetest dog who was simply happy just being with us. Even in his last days, he still had such a wonderful spirit, and despite his limitations, did everything he could to keep up with his brother (our 3 year old shepherd).  It was the hardest decision we had to make, but we are incredibly lucky that he chose us to spoil him in his final years. Thanks again to MAGSR for bringing Kaz into our lives. Cody and Elizabeth Fenstermacher

We are regretfully letting you know that our Diago crossed the bridge last night. We adopted him 10 years ago last week from MAGSR. He was known as Shamus. He dedicated his life as a search and rescue k9 saving lost and missing persons. He was diagnosed with Cancer just before Thanksgiving and was given 2 to 6 weeks to live. Our hearts are so broken as he gave us so much love that we so desperately needed. He rescued us. R.I.P. Diago and Thank you for you service.  John Aiken and Tammy Mankey

Penny passed away on October 23, 2017. This is very difficult to write, so please bear with me.

I loved Penny with all my heart. She settled in immediately, and got along wonderfully with my 2 cats. She had regular vet visits, was caught up with all vaccinations. Had daily heart worm preventative. She stayed in her crate when I was at work for the first 2 months (total: 6-8 hrs/day when I was out.) By June she was out in the house 100% of the time, though she usually slept in her crate at nite  (located in my bedroom, w/ crate door open)— it was comfortable because there was a luxurious pillow bed in there. I had a trainer come to the house, and he was very helpful (though she was really well behaved, especially around people.)

Penny got at least 2 long walks each day, rain, snow, or shine. She loved rides in the car, and I could take her for visits at friends’ or my grown children’s’ homes. We’d occasionally drive over to places like Lake Montebello so she could have a change of scenery on her walks. Penny wore bandanas/collars for every holiday & season. I teach music lessons in my home, and she loved greeting my students & walking them to the door afterwards. She also loved to hang in my fenced backyard, with or without me.

The only issues thru-out were occasional bouts of severe diarrhea, which started a month after I got her. My vet placed her on prescription dog food (ID Science Diet). My previous shepherd (also from MAGSR) who I had for 10 years, was on the same food. Penny would be fine for a month or two— then suddenly have an “attack” of diarrhea in the house. It would come on very suddenly---she didn't have time to ask to go out. I usually took her to the vet ASAP; he’d give a shot to stop it, then she’d be on medication for 10 days. They attributed it to having a sensitive GI system. I never gave her people food—just an occasional dog biscuit.

Oct 21st 2017 she became very very sick and had to go to the emergency ER she deteriorated very quickly. While I couldn't think of getting another dog--now it's been well over a year--- I still miss the companionship.