Lily

Lily passed on Nov. 7th, 2010 and is already greatly missed. This wonderful dog was my first long term client and I feel as though she was my own. With the love, dedication, and hard work of her family, Lily overcame issues and adversities and became one of my biggest success stories to date. She was such a pleasure to walk with and care for. She walked so well that I occassionally had to look to see if there still was a dog attached to the leash:). Her family had to make a sudden selfless decision to take Lily out of her pain that came on literally within a couple of days. My prayers and thoughts go out to her family and all that knew and loved Lily. For all pet owners that have to go through this pain, here is a poem dedicated to you in Lily's honor. We all love you Lily!

Snuggles, a wonderful and gentle dog that lived a long and

happy life, is now waiting at the Rainbow Bridge to one day

reunite with her family.

Crystal was one of my favorites. She was a tough girl on the

outside, but in reality, was just a big softy. She fought until

the end with her breathing problems but is now free of her

suffering. Miss you Crystal!

Shamrock lived a long happy life! Despite the fact that she

was blind and deaf, she was quite the spunky character!

The love of her family was evident in the way she handled her

disabilities with so much trust and confidence and in her happy

spirit. You will be missed Shamrock!

Bella was a dog that no matter what your mood, she would be

sure she made you happy. You would never know she had open

heart surgery or that it was difficult for her to breath at times.

She always put everyone before herself greeting you with a

smile and a swift wag of her tail. It was her mission in life

to be sure her people were happy no matter how she felt.

Truly, one of the best dogs I have ever met. Love and miss

you deeply Bella.

Essex never realized how old he was;). After a very short walk

with his declining hind legs, he would grab his tug toys and want

to play; which made his owners decision very difficult. Then

one day after seeing all his favorite people, he almost spoke

the words letting them know, it was time.

Sundance was deemed 'dangerous' and his family had to move

from their home into an apartment to save him. After some

hard work, Sundance became a friendly happy dog again to

the point where he could go on hikes off leash and have

people in his home again:). The family was able to move

back into their house but shortly after, at 13yrs old, his

legs just gave up on him. Amazingly, he was still a very happy

guy! It was an honor to help rehabilitate this wonderful dog

and I will always be grateful for having known Sundance.

You will always be in my heart.

Hefty was one of the most gentle and sweet dogs I have met.

At the ripe age of 14+ yrs, his owner said good-bye to his literal

best friend. If there was ever a love between a dog and his owner,

this was that relationship; their love for each other was in abundance

and they did everything together. This gentle and kind dog will be

missed greatly.

Jif, who I affectionately called 'Jiffy-pop', lived a very long and

happy life! This dog did not have a care n the world....especially since

his buddy was a 100lb Giant Poodle:). Jif was always in a good mood

and his smile never dimmed. He was one of those dogs that just made

your day better. We will miss you Jiffy-pop!

Maggie the beautiful Greyhound! This dog truly had a gentle

spirit that you could feel; so gorgeous, so kind, so graceful,

and so loving. I was always happy when her owner went away

because I would get to spend time with Maggie:). Loved this

dog. She had the funniest ear expressions I had ever seen!

I always wanted laugh but she was so sweet I never wanted her

to see me laughing at her. When she moved away, I was sad.

Now, I am broken hearted. Love you so much Maggie girl!

Stella was my inspiration to do what I do. She was the

first dog I cared for and the first I trained besides my own dogs.

Stella was a typical Pitbull; crazy fun, very loyal, playful beyond

control, and sweet as could be. Her owner literally sacrificed to save

this little girl who was found on the streets in L.A at a ripe

age of barely 6 months old. She was up to be 'put down' so,

owner gave up her beach apartment to find one that was dog

friendly; she accomplished this in just a few days. We all

(the owner and our dogs) became great friends living in the

same building. Suddenly, Stella at 10yrs old developed brain

tumors and was not herself anymore. After a couple months of

heartbreaking efforts to save her, she was beyond help. I owe

a great amount of gratitude to Stella for encouraging me to do

more for dogs. I love you Stella...I wish I could have been

there to say good-bye.

Cody may have been all of only a few pounds, but he was

in charge:). The image of Cody that always comes to mind for

me is his little 2" legs running full speed to get to the treat jar

after being outside. He shared his life with a snuggle friend,

where I would find the two of them balled up together under

their blankets. My greeting at the door is not the same

anymore without hearing his very large bark as I would enter

house. Miss you little/big guy.

Sierra was just amazing. At 17yrs old (no that is not a typo) she

still greeted me with a wagging tail, could go up and down stairs,

and still went on casual walks. She was deaf but still responded

to hand signals. She passed in the way I think most dog owners

would pray for when the time comes; peacefully and without

suffering. Beautiful and inspiring to the end.

Tobias was one of the most spunky senior dogs I have ever

met. He greeted with a howl, then engaged in loving 'head

butts' and snuggles. When the leash came out, he was ready

to go! You would never guess he was an old man when he would

trot along happily and swiftly for his half hour walk. Suddenly, he

became ill and was gone within a couple days. We saw him walking

like a champ one day then was deathly ill the next. He had a

wonderful life after being rescued by his owner. His owner says

it is true what they say 'who rescued who?' as he also rescued

his owner from life changing events. Toby is missed deeply by

all who knew this great dog. Love you Toby!

Sadie the little lady was such a joy! Always happy, spunky, and

could walk forever....right up to her last day with her family. She

lived in a big beautiful home which suited this elegant little girl,

her personality, and dignity. She lived a wonderful long life and I

will miss walking into the quiet of her home to find her peacefully

sleeping then jumping up to greet me and running for the door for

some belly rubs before her favorite thing....a walk. Love you little

one.

Tanner.....my little Tan-Tan. All of his 8lbs was full of feistiness

and fun! He was 'the man' with his big Black Lab girlfriend he lived

with; he was madly in love with her:). It is hard to believe that

someone just did not want this dog any longer. Luckily, a wonderful

lady stepped up and said 'I can give this dog love'....and she did for

all the remaining years of his life:). Suddenly, cancer took him over.

He was not in pain and just slowly became tired. My heart is in pain,

I loved this little guy so much. I will miss him and all of his silly

antics.

Tucker was one of my first clients...I watched him grow old. As

his picture shows, he was a goofy, happy, make you smile kind of dog.

I would always look forward to his family going away so I could spend

time with him. Even though he was getting older, he still loved his

toys and walks. He was a Golden who had the gift that Goldens were

meant to have; 'the soft mouth'. You could give him anything and he

would gently carry and never destroy whatever you gave him. I loved

him dearly and will miss my Tuck-Tuck.

Banjo was a dog that had a sad/horrific beginning to his life. I met

him when he was just 7months old. He was so terrified of people

that my first time with him alone, I sat, with a piece of bologna in

my outstretched hand, in front of his crate for 1.5hrs waiting for

him to come out. Once he did, our bond could not be broken.

This once patchy furred, terrified, skittish, and sick dog was guided

by an amazing owner to become a beautiful loving dog. I will always

love you and be grateful for all you taught me.

Chester...a gentleman amongst dogs. Always kind, always calm, and

always happy. He lived to the ripe old age of 16yrs but his eyes, ears,

and breathing said it's time. He had said goodbye to most of his

original family of 7 animals and seemed to be the one to 'keep it

together' for everyone. He will be missed and is leaving a big hole

in his home. Love you pretty boy!

Fresca...has now joined the rest of her pack and is frolicking once again

with Chester and Ellie. Fresca suited her name; bubbly, fuzzy, and a

big gulp of refreshing! Full of life and personality, she always stole the

show (and the bed) in her happy home. After losing her big boy

Chester, I truly believe she died of a broken heart shortly after he

passed. They are all happy together now. I miss my 'clan' of furry

critters. Love you all!

Cierra...a.k.a Smiley:) This big girl greeted with a smile every time she

saw us. She knew nothing but happy, happy, happy; always smiling and

wagging her tail (which sometimes was painful! LOL) She was a great

protector and surrogate mom to her housemate Willow (a.k.a Wiggles)

and seemed to never have a bad day. Suddenly, she had that bad day...

when, out of nowhere, her leg swelled 3x its size and cancer took her

away. Love you so much Cierra....the house is just not the same without

you.

Tequila...the belly rub queen! Sweet is not a great enough word to

describe Tequila. Another always happy, waggy tailed, beautiful Lab.

Even when this dog was not feeling well, she never would disappoint

her humans; she just carried on living in the moment and would never

miss an opportunity to roll over and get a belly rub:). This is another

household that just is not the same without seeing her pretty face at

the door. Miss you my Tequila!

Murphy...Smurphy. Murphy was the definition of the family dog.

Always there to greet, always at your feet, always just made you feel

better. He walked around like Eeyore with a toy in his mouth like the

perfect Golden; treating every toy as though it was an egg. I will miss

the gentle paw letting me know you needed a pet or a scratch. I had

the joy of watching you grow...you had a good life. Love you my Murph

Smurph!

Sasha was a big love of a girl. So sweet, so laid back, and would saunter

through the neighborhood, sniffing and taking it all in, without a care in

the world. We would sometimes come in to hear the song of her baby

wolf like howls...which was funny coming out of this big girl. Her owners

did everything to help their beautiful girl as she started to feel her age

and gave her a wonderful life. We will miss you bunny soft girl.. days

are not the same without walking you.

The Rainbow Bridge

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,

Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.

Where the friends of man and woman do run,

When their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,

Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.

On this golden land, they wait and they play,

Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,

For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.

Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,

Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.

They romp through the grass, without even a care,

Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.

All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,

Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.

For just at that instant, their eyes have met;

Together again, both person and pet.

So they run to each other, these friends from long past,

The time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart,

Has turned into joy once more in each heart.

They embrace with a love that will last forever,

And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.

Snuggles June 19, 2011

Lily Nov. 7, 2010

Crystal August, 2011.

Shamrock January 2012

Bella April 2012

Essex August 2012

Sundance April 2013

Hefty July 2013

Jif October 2013

Ellie March 2014

Ellie was one of the kindest, gentlest dogs I have ever met. She was a little lady. After being saved by her 'mommy', she lived a wonderful life with 2 other dogs, 3 cats, and a flowery big yard to romp in. She was happy:). She will be greatly missed...as she was the bed warmer and greeter of the house;). Love you Ellie!

Blue was just simply a wonderful guy! His appearance may have been imposing, but this dog was such a sweet, gentle, and gorgeous dog whose demeanor was calm and laid back. So laid back, that this big strong dog actually walked on a Flexi-Leash.....never seen a Pit Bull walk on a Flexi. He was rescued and had a happy life with his owners; who had to suddenly let him go to unforeseen cancer. Will miss you my big guy!

Blue July 2014

Daria November 2014

Daria...I cannot say enough what a wonderful girl she was; kind, gentle, loving, and everything a Lab should be. She lived a long good life with her loving family and her little kitty Mooshu. I had been caring for her for years and watched her grow old. Amazingly, just when you thought she was slowing, she found the fountain of youth:). I received the sad news just before I was scheduled to care for her for Thanksgiving. I am filled with sorrow and choke up whenever I think of her. I can only take comfort in knowing she lived a very good life....she was 13. Love you Daria!