We rescued Bella when she was a three-year-old “mama dog” who had just given birth to four puppies.  Over the next fourteen years, Bella gave our family so much love, enjoyment, and comfort.  She looked forward to her walks, belly scratches, and us rubbing her ears.  Bella went absolutely crazy for any snack that consisted of salmon, lox, whitefish, or liverwurst.  When we did not think her heart could get any bigger, she welcomed our son (aka baby brother) into the family and quickly became his biggest fan.  She never missed story time or playtime with him on the carpet.  Bella will be missed so very much, but will forever be in our hearts.

On 10/31/25 we lost our baby, Astro, formerly known as Picasso. We adopted him as a puppy in 2012. He was a chewing machine, and even put a hole in our wall. He even got along with our cats, although he did like to eat their food. We moved to Florida and he didn’t mind that at all. Always liked to be the center of attention. He definitely had his crazy moments and preferred women over men. He could catch a treat on the fly. If there was a tree blowing, doorbell ringing or a biker nearby he had to protect us. He had multiple health issues which contributed to our decision to let him go. The hardest decision we ever made, but we did not want him in constant pain. His nickname was Cujo. He was unconditional love. We’ll miss him beyond words and one day, if we’re lucky enough, to meet again at the Rainbow Bridge.

Ellysa, I wrote this last nite and wanted to let you know about the wonderful puppy you fostered and then graciously let us adopt. Harper had a great life of over 13 years and on September. 27th, around 20 dogs attended his “Bark Mitzvah”. Officially we met you and your son on November 10 th and rescued Harper on the 17th. Officially we sent him to go to the dog park in the sky this morning at 8:35am. Thank you for making him perfect.

Amy & Rick Katz.

Stella was a constant in our family’s life through so much, getting to watch the kids go all the way from elementary school to graduating from college. She will best be remembered by us and everyone who knew her as the master escape artist, food enthusiast, no-BS matriarch of our house and neighborhood. We hope she is enjoying an endless amount of cheese slices on the other side of the rainbow bridge and we all look forward to reuniting with her again someday in the future.

Hi, I wanted to notify you of  Tucker’s passing on 5/16/2025. We were so fortunate to have adopted him from AFH and have over 12.5 years of joy, antics, and mutual unconditional love.  Tucker was experiencing some loss of mobility with his rear legs which we initially thought was arthritis, but in January of this year it was determined he had an inoperable spinal tumor and over the next months his ability to get around deteriorated.  With veterinary care and guidance we made the heart wrenching, but ultimately necessary decision for the vet to put Tucker to sleep in our home.   We loved him so much and miss him dearly.

Thank you for bringing him into our lives!

Lynn 

In May of This Year We Lost Our Beloved Dog Lucie – We Adopted Lucie in October of 2012. Over the Next Dozen Years She was a Huge Part of Our Family. She Enjoyed Our Yearly Camping Trips – She Loved Going In the Water and On the Water in the Boat ! She Travelled All Over the Region, from Assateague Island and the Atlantic Ocean, the Boardwalk of Ocean City, to the Mountains of Western Maryland and West Virginia. It’s a Void We Can’t Fill – She was Loved By All. She was Mommie’s Dog Through and Through, but with a Good Treat I Could Distract Her – At Least Temporarily! We Miss Her Dearly, and as We Embark on Our Summer Vacation to the Lake, She’s Truly Missed. It Won’t be the Same Without Watching Her Run to the Water ! Lucie Gave Us Countless Joy Over the Years – We Miss You !

I adopted Atticus ( was known as Rudy) from a Forever Home Rescue in July 2009 as a 4 month old puppy.  His foster mom was wonderful; she said he was the best puppy she ever fostered and her own dog would be heart broken when he was adopted.  He was playful, cuddly and smart.  Atticus won many contests at our local Bark in the Park including doggie musical chairs and best trick.  He could identify 10 different toys and put them in a basket.  We also had fun with Halloween celebrations where he won many different costume contests.  My favorite was Atticus as the UPS driver  and I was  the truck!  He comforted us during sad times and always made us smile.  As a puppy he chewed up several items, including a coffee table book of 97 Ways to Make your Dog Smile.  In 2021, we adopted another dog from a Forever Home (Amica known as Winnie) to keep him young.  He was angry at first since he had been the only dog for so long. After a few weeks I noticed Amica laying in the sun and Atticus using her butt as a pillow. She looked up to Atticus and treated him with respect.  He was healthy, agile and walked several miles a day with me until June 2024 when he started to lose his energy and his appetite was off.  He went to the vet and was diagnosed with a tumor.  He passed away on June 25, 2024.  Amica looked everywhere for him.  He was so well loved in the neighborhood that several neighbors shed tears when they heard he was no longer with us. We enjoyed every day of the 14 years and 11 months we had him.  My husband called him the Dog of Dogs and said no matter how many other dogs we ever own, he will always be the best. Our vet said we gave him a wonderful life, but really he made our lives wonderful.

Pamlea Tedeschi

Our hearts are broken. Our beloved,  sweet, beautiful black labrador retriever died yesterday at the advanced old age of 15. She never met a stranger – just loved everyone. She and I and my son grew old and gray together and had a wonderful life together. I can’t thank you enough for rescuing and fostering her until we met and fell in love with her at first sight. She is forever in our hearts.

Dorothy-Anne and Michael Johnson 

Sadly, we lost our beloved, goofy Ramsey at the end of March to a ruptured tumor. He would have been ten in August. In the five weeks leading up to that, we said goodbye to Ella, our soon-to-18yo boxer mix, and our daughter’s seven year old cat Lola to FiP. It was a devastating six weeks from which our family is only recently turning the corner on our grief. Ramsey and Ella were the anchors of our puppy fostering. Ella was the disciplinarian and Ramsey was the fun uncle who taught them how to play. Even Lola got into the act. 

– Holly

In December 2007, we visited some puppies at a foster home. They had been rescued from a kill shelter. We chose this sweet little puppy who had no problem coming right to us. Then, of course, we had to wait until he was old enough to take home. The foster family called him Max. We finally brought him home and try as we might, we could not find a name for him that suited him better. When we got the call that we could pick him up, we couldn’t wait, and without a puppy care arrangement, he got to go to “bring your puppy to work day.” A few years later, Max and our other dogs moved with us to Kathmandu, Nepal, for a couple of years and then to Kampala, Uganda, for 3 more years, then back to NoVa. Max weathered the travel necessities well, bouncing back after each landing. He was the sweetest companion. Max was 17 years and 3 months when we lost him. He lives on in our hearts. And we thank A Forever Home for bringing him into our lives.