I am so sad to say that our beautiful Chancellor E. DeFeo passed away yesterday at home. He was taken from us way too soon and unexpectedly. He wasn’t feeling well the past three weeks and after two rounds of bloodwork and multiple xrays and other tests, we had him scheduled for an ultrasound for this coming Monday. But he collapsed at home and died in our arms, we still do not know exactly what was wrong but the veterinarian assumed a tumor of some sort. We are devastated. We adopted him July 2010 from you. Thank you for all that you do and for allowing us the joy of having Chancellor for these past 9 years.

Dear All:

It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that we had to let our beautiful Dini (FKA Neecy) go on June 6, 2019. We adopted her September 6, 2006 and she came home with us on the 12th. She was challenging, smart and a wonderful companion. At over 14 years of age, DM and seizures diminished her quality of life and robbed her of her mobility. Of course, we are heartbroken, but satisfied that we gave her the best possible life and let her go with dignity and in her own home: happy, secure and enjoying her favorite treat of ice cream. She was a good girl.

Greg Root and Carol Siegel.

We are heartbroken to inform you that Lily was diagnosed with metastatic and untreatable cancer in March. With medication we were able to have her with us -  and her frail elderly yellow lab companion -  still energetic and happy for 5 weeks or so. We then had to let her go in late April so that she would not suffer. She was only 8 having been born 10/10/10

On March 30th, we lost our sweet girl to cancer. For 9 happy years, she was an important part of our family in ways we could have never imagined when we adopted her. We adopted Sadee after a scary incident with another dog that left our son injured. Due to her kind nature and the way she lovingly protected him, she helped him regain confidence and see dogs for the complicated, wonderful creatures that they are. When I gave birth our daughter about 2 years after Sadee joined our family, she further cemented her "awesome big sister" status by loving on the new baby in the same way that she loved our son. Sadee was a best friend to both of our children- always happy to run around the yard playing with them, and standing watch outside of their bedroom doors if they were asleep. She also became my favorite running partner in the whole world. When I could barely get myself out of bed in the pre-dawn hours, the insistence of her wet nose nudging me until I laced up my shoes would remind me that it was worth getting up early- as a run would reveal foxes to chase, exercise to be had and a sunrise somewhere towards the end. One of my favorite things about our runs was when we would pass another neighborhood exerciser. Sadee drew comments from everyone on her majestic beauty and excellent leash manners! I beamed with pride telling them she was adopted. In this way, I think Sadee was a great ambassador for other shelter dogs. After a long, thankless day at work for my husband or I, Sadee's unwavering and extreme excitement as we walked through the front door could remind us in an instant that things weren't so bad. She was there for us until the end. She fought hard, with characteristic German Shepherd stubbornness against an increasingly sick, hurting body. We can only help she felt how much we loved her. It will take time, but when our hearts are healed, we hope to adopt another dog from MAGSR.

Indy fka Enzo adopted fall of 2012 was freed from his lymphoma today. We had Indy for over seven years, he was the sweetest dog I’ve ever had. He will be most remembered for his puppy like nature and wary but sweet demeanor.  His brother Duke (fka Luxor also a MAGSR pup), and the rest of the family will miss him dearly! Until we meet again Indy dog! 

When we adopted Kenya in January we knew she only had a little time left. 

We said goodbye to our lovely lady in the afternoon on Saturday, January 26th. She took one final ride in the car where she looked out her windows and watched the world go by. An hour later we covered her lovely fur in tears as we said our final goodbyes and told her to wait for us at the bridge. Although Kenya had only been formally adopted for a couple of weeks, she joined our family two years before when we opened our door to her and never looked back. Kenya was our feisty, loyal, playful guardian. She loved ear scratches, squeaky toys, and her walks; however, what she loved most was her human daddy. We think about our lady every day and are sure she is dictating a state of calm over the bridge. We love you Kenya. 

Sincerely, 

Will, Kate, Bear & Ally 

Hi MAGSR

I wanted to let you know that Maya crossed over the Rainbow Bridge today.  She was a wonderful and loving companion and I will miss her very much.  I can not thanks MAGSR enough for bringing her into my life.

Best,

Sue Underwald 

Our beloved dog, Jambalaya (fka Phaedra), passed away last week.  We adopted her from MAGSR in April, 2008.  Jambalaya shared many fun adventures with us.  She lived and played all over the country, from the California redwoods, the bayous of Louisiana, the hill country in southern Texas, and of course, to the mid-Atlantic region.  Jambalaya was truly the most empathetic dog I have ever met.  She was a steady companion and friend of our children when a parent had to be deployed overseas.  We used to joke that she acted more like a cat than a dog in that she was always looking for the closest sunbeam for a nap.  She lived for snuggles.

Over the past nine months, Jambalaya made many visits to the vet for various issues.  Finally, despite being tempted with steaks, Jambalaya refused almost all food and lost much of her body weight.  She was ready to cross the Rainbow Bridge.  We said our good-byes on December 12.  She was such a sweet girl.

.

Ranger, also known as OG, Rangeroo, Range, Rangey, Bubby, Bubba, The Squirrel Hunter, G’boy, Sweet Boy, and Riley’s big brother and BFF has moved on from his earthly body.

Our handsome shep-mix Ranger was a WV stray at some point in his first year of life. MAGSR (Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue) in PA helped him find his forever home with us in October of 2007.

He was one of a kind. When we first brought him home he was a little aloof, sure he’d be out on his own again soon. He quickly warmed up and was a loyal and loving pet to our family for more than 11 years.

No squirrel was safe on our property (we lost count after the first 3 dozen kills), and he once took down a raccoon a third his weight. (Thankfully, it was not rabid.) Door-to-door solicitors quickly got the message that they were unwelcome since Ranger could spin up a ferocious and extended barking fit at a moment’s notice. Best guard dog ever.

Vicious-sounding bark aside, our sweet Ranger was gentle and loving to people and dogs of all sorts. He brought our family tons of love and joy. We are so grateful for his friendship and will miss him terribly.

Ranger Moore
3/1/2007 (est.) — 12/5/2018

Rest In Peace, Sweet Boy! 

It is with a heavy heart I report that Rocket was put to sleep today. 

It was discovered that he had a growth in the abdominal area -  blood work showed anemia and high white blood count.  Also liver enzymes were slightly elevated.  We treated him with broad-spectrum antibiotics which gave him some relief from what appeared to be infection associated with this growth.  He also had an alarming amount of blood in his urine.   The vet agreed that treatment was not necessarily called for in a dog this age.  We kept him comfortable and happy but eventually, he refused food and water and quickly became emaciated.  We are sorry he had to go.

Sincerely, 

Trina Madani on behalf of the Madani family

Archer's family let us know that he was sadly laid to rest in October 2018.

It is with a very heavy heart that we must report the loss of our Snoopy.

We adopted Snoopy on March 1, 2003. He would’ve been 16 this Halloween. His MAGSR tag is #774. We loaded up in the car and drove north of Baltimore to see him and he was going to be perfect for us. He was a few months old then, and would go on to live a long life. When he was young, we had a few issues with him that almost ended up with us returning him.

After speaking with MAGSR volunteers at the time, we decided that we would take him to see Wesley for training. This was the best decision ever. After a few lessons from Wesley, Snoopy was a totally different dog. Wesley showed us that he was just trying to be dominant over the smallest person in the family and we could correct that problem. From that day on, my youngest daughter Melanie was the dog trainer. While we were at the training sessions, some of Wesley’s staff said they knew him, and said he was actually born right there in that building. They even showed us the stall where he was born and told us he was actually born on Halloween night.

He went on to rule over the 4 other dogs (dachshund) that we got after him. They would get in his face and bark at him, but he just ignored them. He loved to bark and chase squirrels. When we moved a few years ago, all of the dogs had a much larger area to patrol for squirrels, snakes, rabbits, etc.

A couple years ago we noticed he was moving slower, and his eyesight was starting to go and he was getting dog Dementia. He had arthritis, but not the usual hip issues shepherds have. The vet put him on medicine and he went on like normal. About a year ago, he really started slowing down and then his hearing started to go also. We consulted with the vet numerous times and were monitoring things closely. This past month, he was taking a turn for the worse and on Wednesday October 3rd, we made the decision to end his pain that was starting to show more and affecting his ability to stand and walk.

He will be missed by all of his pack of dogs and humans; we will forever love and miss you Snoopy.

Everett Hovencamp

Little Miss Luna was put to rest this evening with her wonderful adopters. They rushed her to the vet yesterday after what seemed like strokes. They determined she may have swelling in the brain. I received and email from her adopter this evening

It is sad and unfortunate that due to the prognosis, we have decided to lay Luna to rest.

After further speaking w/ both neurologists as well as the ER doctor that cared for her, it seemed like the best alternative for her. The ER vet came upstairs to the Neurologist's office to remove her IV and was in tears about the situation. Seeing such a sweet young girl go through what we experienced last night was tough on everybody. Luna touched not only our hearts, but all hearts for who she met. Our house speaks of Luna. Her toys scattered around the house. Her bed besides our couch for our evening TV / Nap time. The lost sounds of her prancing around the house. I know this may be odd or weird for a lot of people, but this was her home, even for the short time she was with us. She was instantly a part of the family. The cats had even warmed up to her and had all 5 of us sleeping in the same room.

So I hope this goes without saying, this decision was not done lightly. Also please know that her last moments were with me. Laying together at the doctors office. The nurses (vet techs) saw our bond. The doctors cried for us.

While we are not discouraged about adopting another German Shepherd, we are going to take the time and let this sad situation heal in our hearts and in our minds. As we discussed, we are not looking for any preferential treatment when the comes to adopt another. You guys have your mission to help those animals in need, and I refuse to take away from that. So I hope this message finds you well and know that our sweet little girl is not longer hurting, confused, or going through life disorientated. She's in heaven w/ God. Before she left this earth, I asked her to look up our previous dogs and prayed for our past dogs to look after this little girl.

I know this is emotional - but 1) wanted to let you know the truth as well as 2) show how much she meant to us in our short time together. I can only hope that we gave her as much joy as she did us.

Have a great evening, and when the time comes, we'll be in contact regarding the rescue of another German Shepherd.

Thanks,
Robert Adkins

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.