January

Sugar

Sugar, an adorable 8.5yo S/W OR came into the program over the 4th of July weekend, 2005 due to family changes. Sugar Babe was spayed and tested HW-; however, she had a staph infection on her legs, needed a dental for bad teeth and gums, and desperately needed to have her paws trimmed (as shown in the picture).  Sugar was definitely hypothyroid so she was on daily thyroid medication. This sweetie-pie was very lively and loved attention; she never met a stranger. She was super sweet, and loved to be brushed. Sugar was adopted by one of our HSS family members and is safely home now living in the Texas Hill Country.  Sugar had allergies to certain grasses and we heard that her foster mom had made sure that Sugar would never suffer again by making sure that Sugar had many beautiful pairs of doggies socks to wear on her paws whenever she stepped outside!

Sugar passed away quietly at home with her foster mom, who was devastated by her loss.  We all wish her peace and comfort, knowing that she gave Sugar a wonderfully loving and caring home for as long as she could be with her.

January

Jax (Jock)

Jax (Jock is Scottish for Jack!) was only 13 inches tall and underweight at only 12 pounds. He was found stray in Kingwood, probably having inadvertently escaped from his home or yard -- and then just lost his way.  His claws were very long, and he was sneezing and coughing a bit. He's an older boy, perhaps 10-11, very trusting: coming quickly to his Human to cuddle for comfort, which he so desperately needed when he came into our program. Jax needed to find a new forever home that would understand that he just wanted to be cuddled and cared for in his senior years. Once he knew he was safe, he rewarded his new family over and over again with his sweet, sheltie-brand of love!  Here are Jax's Mom's notes to us in memory of her sweet boy:

"....my little Jaxie passed away Thursday night. I miss him so much. I miss preparing his "German Shepherd plate" at meal time - the little guy could really pack it away! I miss the smell of his fur. I miss breaking up pieces of milk bone so he could chew them. I miss watching him enjoy rawhides- he did as good of a job with them as the girls do, in spite of having only a few teeth! I miss watching him chase Roxie around the house, barking, after she has egged him on. I miss finding him sleeping on the bath mat when I get out of the shower.  I miss him coming up to me and pushing his head under my arm for pets, or tapping my leg with his front paw for attention. I miss how he squirmed and squiggled with happiness when I got home from work. (I REALLY miss that). I miss looking at him numerous times every day and wanting to melt into the floor because he was so cute and good. I will miss taking him on trips.

Jaxie taught me about the term "heart dog" when my Charlie passed away. I thought you could only have one "heart dog", but Jaxie was as much of a "heart dog" as Charlie. Thank you for everything you do for the shelties and thank you so much for mine.

February

Margo

Margo came to HSS in the Fall 2004 from Austin; she was relinquished by a family who found her and after a while decided they could not keep her. She was about 5-6yo, and a complete doll who was very happy to be rescued; her foster mom says Margo walked right into her home and flipped over for a delicious belly rub. Unfortunately she was HW+ and had to go through the treatment, which she handled beautifully. She also has a limp; our doctor says at some point in her life she had a crushing foot injury, and may have some arthritis later, which Cosequin and weight loss were just the ticket and nothing stopped this girl from being delighted with all the love and attention she deserved. Margo was quickly adopted after her recovery enjoyed enjoying the love of her forever home.

Margo was recently diagnosed with kidney failure and passed quietly to join our other sheltie angels across the Rainbow Bridge. Her family misses her dearly.

March

Dakota2

Dakota2 came into the program in 2002, a beautiful, 6yo shaded S/W Male OR. He was very sweet and so relieved and happy to be in rescue. Dakota was wonderful with any other dogs and with cats and gentle with all humans, including children. Dakota was  joyously adopted and enjoyed his walks with mom, playing ball with dad, and cozying up with his new kitty pal. Dakota became one of the most popular dogs in the neighborhood because he was such a sweet gentleman. This prince among Shelties was treasured by his forever home, as he has always deserved to be. Mom and Dad joined HSS as volunteers for the program to help other rescued Shelties.

Dakota passed away on March 4 at age 12.  He had been having seizures and undergoing weekly blood tests to determine why he was having seizures.  The last test showed elevated liver enzymes.  Them the sweet boy had another seizure on March 4 and crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Dakota was loved so very much by all who knew him and we wish his family peace in the understanding that they will be together again one day.

March

Traci

Traci was an OR due to family circumstances that came into our program in August of 2007. She was only 2 years old and tiny at 12 inches, 16 pounds. Sadly, this much-too-young girl tested positive for Heartworm Disease and had to undergo the treatment. She did well during her treatment and was quickly adopted by a lovely family who adored her immediately.  But after only a short 6 months in her new forever home, we were truly shocked to receive the news that this sweet young girl was already on the Rainbow Bridge.

Traci's Mom emailed us..."It is with my deepest sadness to inform you that my little angel passed away tonight. Dr. Croft told me today that she was in kidney failure & kept her for the day giving her IV fluids. Dr. Rico tended to her also during the week &told me she had a heart murmur & fluid in her lungs. This is especially heartbreaking because Traci was only 3yrs old. When I adopted her I just knew she would be with me for many years. She was my little girl who I loved so much."

March

Penny2

One Monday morning in March, a little senior girl (in what seemed to be rough shape) came to us from MCAC. We arranged to pick her up as soon as she was available.

The little girl delivered to our clinic was frail and matted. While dropping her off, we named her Penny.  She was at least 10 years old, probably 12, was HW+, had a heart murmur, and an infected mass on her abdomen. She got a much-needed warm bath, making her feel better.  She followed her rescuer around the house faithfully that evening, grateful for attention and, particularly for "people food." :) Refusing dog food, she was able, in her gentle way, to communicate that what really wanted chicken and rice! So Penny got her chicken and rice, and fell asleep. She was thankful for the kindness of humans.  Sadly, Penny's lump was an ulcerated mammary tumor - cancer, and it had spread. Combine this with her heartworm positive status, her heart murmur, her age ... it was a miracle she was walking around. But walk she did, until she found safety. There was not going to be a cure, and our Vet didn't recommend trying to simply maintain her life.

Penny's doctor reminded me that sometimes, we need to allow the definition of success to include making sure that a dog doesn't die of infection and starvation on the side of the road. I really think Penny knew her life wasn't going to be one of restored vitality. It was why she was so grateful for the small pleasures. Friday afternoon, she strolled outdoors in a nearby field, feeling the warmth of the sun, and gently and happily shared lunch, eating it a small bite at a time, never snatching, but savoring every morsel and looking for the next one. When it was finished, she enjoyed being petted, though not insisting on more. And as she crossed over, she lay in the arms of one of our HSS coordinators, until her heart stopped, who said of Penny...

"She was a gentle soul. Someone must have loved her once. But more recently, somebody failed her terribly. I hope she knew she'd found love again, at the very end, and people to mourn her passing."

March

Kauze

KAUZE (formerly Buddy 2) came to HSS in the Summer of 2002. He was a very handsome 2yo S/W Male OR. His family was transferred out of the country and turned to us to help him find a new home.  He was joyfully adopted and renamed Kauze, which is Japanese for "like the wind," which his new mom thinks fits an agility dog just perfectly. 

Kauze's Mom sent us a lovely note:

"Kauze came to us in 2002 very shy and unsure of new people and surroundings. That quickly changed and he became a normal happy outgoing sheltie after a few months. Kauze was very skilled in both agility and obedience. In 2003 he was high in trial at the state 4-H dog show in pre-novice and 3rd in 2007 at the novice obedience level. Kauze was a great mentor to all 4-h'rs in Brazos county with dog projects. He was an awesome pet and my mom and I loved him very much, he will be deeply missed."

April

Missy May (CiCi)

We received this lovely tribute to one of our rescued shelties we had called Cici. It was so perfect that we decided to post it just as it came to us. It was immediately apparent to her new family that her name was actually Missy May and home she went!

Missy May's Forever Mom sent us this note about this special girl:

"In Sept 2004, a small sheltie was found on Lake Travis in a cove out in the middle of nowhere. The boater that found her brought her to PAWS in Lago Vista. HSS was notified and agreed to pick her up in a couple of days. Since the sheltie was in heat, she was taken to a foster home of two wonderful ladies, who had about 7 other dogs (some fosters and some of their own). A good friend was on vacation and just happened to call these ladies. When they mentioned they were fostering a sweet sheltie girl, she immediately called me with the news. We had 2 shelties at that time and we were not looking for a 3rd. I thought about it and finally broke down and called the next afternoon. The ladies invited me to come over and meet this sweet girl. Well, needless to say, it was love at first sight......even though Missy did not look very pretty then. But I immediately fell in love with her face and her disposition. She was not at all phased by running around the yard with all the other dogs....she acted like she'd been there forever. My good friend was immediately dubbed Missy's "godmother" since she had brought us together.

Missy finally came home after taking a detour to Houston to get spayed. On her first visit to our vet, my vet decided that she felt something on the floor of her rectum that was not normal. It was soon determined that Missy had terminal cancer and because of the location of the cancer (between the wall of the bladder and colon), she could not be operated on and radiation would do more damage than good. We were told she had one year to live. It broke our hearts to hear that we would only have this wonderful sweet girl, who was appx 8 yrs old, for one year. But we decided there was a special reason she had come into our home and hearts. In Aug, 2005, while vacationing in Colorado, we took Missy to an oncologist at the Veterinary Referral Center of Colorado. She verified the diagnosis and said Missy was a good candidate for Piroxicam. However, even with the Piroxicam, she felt Missy probably only had a year to live. Missy passed her first year milestone and I kept telling my husband that I would be so happy if Missy could be with us for 2 years....but I knew that would probably not happen.

In the meantime, Missy developed other health problems...a heart murmur, bladder and kidney stones, a tumor on her rectum, and gall bladder sludge. If you ever met Missy, you would have never guessed that she had all these health issues. She had turned into a gorgeous dog with a really beautiful healthy coat. And she was such a happy little girl. Even with the new health issues, Missy passed her second year milestone.

In March 2007, my husband (a non-smoker) was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. We went through a very difficult month of endless tests, emergency trips to the hospital, and chemo and radiation treatments. Tom spent alot of time in bed because he was just exhausted and in much pain. Missy was always in bed with him providing him with much comfort and love. Tom and Missy now had something else in common besides their heart problems, they both had cancer.

In March 2008, Missy's heart murmur got a little worse...........but she also got very nauseated. She quit eating and couldn't keep any liquids down. She deteriorated a little each day and I knew my happy little girl was not going to bounce back. Missy's godmother drove us to the vet and Missy was finally at peace. Missy had fulfilled her mission at our home. She was there to provide much comfort to Tom when he needed it the most. And after Tom passed away, she was there to comfort me and help me get through the first year of my terrible loss. Missy passed away on April 3rd, a week short of Tom's one year anniversary. She was in our home for 3 1/2 years and far exceeded everyone's expectations of how long she would live. She brought alot of happiness to us and she was so special because we knew she was only here for a short visit. But she knew that her job was done and she needed to get back to her dad. It gave me much comfort to know that Tom was waiting to help his little Missy cross the Rainbow Bridge. She was his favorite dog...so I know how happy they are to be together again.

Even though I have 2 other shelties, my house seems very quiet tonight. And that's so weird because Missy was the quiet one. I never realized that such a small dog could have such a BIG presence and leave such an impression on my heart."

April

Kirby

Kirby came into our program in the Spring of 2005, an OR from family who could no longer care for her. Lovely Kirby was around 7yo, and was adopted by one of our volunteer families who, being committed to helping older Shelties, moved quickly to give a home to her. They felt so blessed to have her in their family. Kirby's foster mom had nick-named her "Kirby-do", but her family began calling her "Helper-do" because no matter what you were doing, she was there to help you!

Kirby's Dad wrote to us about her:

|April

Kelsey

Kelsey came into our program in the Winter of 2005. This lovely 6yo Tri girl was an OR due to family illness. She was a wonderful girl: a very happy, outgoing Sheltie with lots of energy. She gave kisses very freely--ALL the time. Kelsey got exactly the home she needed: with a loving mom, dad, and human sister; and she was adopted along with Prince, another HSS rescued sheltie.

Kelsey's mom wrote to us...

"We received some bad news about Kelsey.  She had been diagnosed with Lymphoma. We were hoping with Prednisone and chemo therapy, she would have a chance of a longer life.  Unfortunately, Kelsey became worse. The doctors at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists did everything they could for her.  Kelsey developed more complications from the cancer and we had to make the difficult decision to end her suffering and help her to cross peacefully.  We wished we could have had more time with "little sweetie", but we have to cherish the good times we gave her and she gave us.  Prince, our other HSS sheltie is doing well, but he will surely miss his 'little sister' --  as will we."

 

April

Joey (Joel)

Joel came to HSS in the summer of 2002, a 3-4yo SW boy found running in Clear Lake where he had been seen by residents for several weeks. His kind rescuer was finally able to catch him and immediately called us. Joel was severely matted and was very underweight from not eating regularly for weeks. He also tested HW+ and had to go through treatments, but he weathered them fine. We had to shave him because the mats were so bad, but his coat came back in beautifully. He had a lovely face and sweet manner. While he was in foster care, his foster mom told us how funny and adorable Joel was and that whenever anyone sneezed, he would rush over from wherever he wass to put his paws on the person's lap and look into your eyes as if to say, "God bless you!" Joel was happily adopted by his wonderful family and renamed "Joey".  He and his sheltie sibling, HSS's Gaelen posed together for their Christmas photographs every year.

Sadly, we heard from Joey's Mom this month that Joey had been diagnosed with bone cancer and it had spread rapidly. They did their very best to keep Joey comfortable, but it was soon time to allow him to peacefully cross the bridge to be with the family's other sheltie-angels, Codi and Lenny.  This is an excerpt from her note:

"Joey was my buddy...never a bad menacing act ever came from him. He would 'tolerate' other dogs that would come up to him, but his place would always be at my side or at my feet. His fur...oh bless his heart, but his fur was horrible. I always called him nappy head in jest. We'd look forward to the spring shave where he would look like a naked pig dog (his skin was always so pink). But he loved it because he was cool and clean. He would act like a puppy at that time and run in the back yard just to run.

His original snaggletooth grin was no longer there. We had "orthodontia" work to make his smile pretty and bright, though a bit hillbilly-esque with some missing teeth. It didn't stop him from enjoying his favorite chicken and rice or veggies on dry food. He was sure to clean his bowl for fear of the big nasty dog Gaelen that would hurry to eat hers so she could circle around the other's food just in case there was any left.

Joey was put to rest Saturday at 2:30 PM in my arms just as he came to me just a few years ago out of heartworm treatment. It was very peaceful and I saw his relief in his eyes when he kissed me goodbye. He's with Codi and Lenny now...and is always near my heart."

Joey's Mom sent us a kind donation to HSS in his memory.

April

Hazel (Levi)

Levi, renamed Hazel by her foster mom, was a Sheltie/Corgi mix found wandering down a busy road in SW Houston. She was 8-10 years old, only 12 inches tall, and 21 pounds of sweetness.  Levi was HW+, not spayed and had a very nasty mammary tumor which ulcerated. Blood work, x-rays and an ultrasound revealed that despite having the tumor and heartworms, the rest of Levi's organs looked good, so we resolved to do whatever we could for this little girl. Levi's tumor was removed and she was spayed. She sailed through heartworm treatment without a hitch, but the cancer we removed in the mammary tumor several months before had seeded itself elsewhere, had grown, and was now ravaging her system.  Hazel's foster mom held this sweet little girl in her arms as her doctor eased her pain and helped her to the Rainbow Bridge. 

Our coordinator, Connie, was also there at the clinic and she wrote a few words about that day for us...

"When I carried Hazel to Marge and placed her in her arms, there was no fear, just a trust that the gentle care she'd come to know in the last seven months was going to continue. And so it was, even though it did not include the long and healthy life we'd hoped for her. In those seven months, Hazel learned that she was not a throwaway, that she had value, and that people cared about her.  If we took the time to listen, Hazel was happy to teach the value of slowing down and stopping to smell the roses. I guess when you do that, even seven months is enough time.  Our profound gratitude goes out to the Mahoneys and the Waltons for all the attentive, loving care they gave Levi/Hazel in the last months."  

And Marge wrote to us all about Hazel:

"She was an adorable, courageous girl. We are better for having watched her live with determination and dignity. We got a lot of cuddling done in the past few months. That's one of the best memories which will stay with me."