It’s with the deepest pain imaginable that I notify you of the passing of my only son, best friend and companion. There are no words to express my sadness and desolation, I miss him every second 24/7. I adopted Nugget from AFH March 8, 2010. He was the Alfa of the twelve puppies named after the California Gold Rush litter fostered by Marilyn Christensen. 

Thanks again for allowing me to take care of wonderful Nugget!!! 😭

We adopted Caroline (kept her original name) from AFH in February 2012 when she was 10 weeks old.  Our daughter Tara (7 at that time) picked her out of the litter and just fell in love.  Caroline quickly had us all wrapped around her paw and quickly became the ruler of the house.  Shortly after we adopted her our daughter became ill, for which we later found out she had brain cancer.  Caroline knew that Tara needed her and would be right there with her when she wasn’t feeling well.  She let Tara use her as her pillow and stayed by her side throughout it all.  We later added another dog to our family and Caroline quickly took over the mother role and showed Annie the ropes on how to do things.  Shortly before Caroline turned 10 (11/20/2011)  her back hips gave out and she was no longer able to move on her own.  So with heavy hearts we had to let her cross the rainbow bridge on 11/22/2021.  We miss her so very much but know she is no longer in pain.  Thank you to AFH for bringing Caroline into our family.

Sadly, just shy of a year after the passing of our wonderful girl Ava, we said a tearful goodbye to her sweet brother, Moe, and welcomed him to the Rainbow Bridge. Moe has been a wonderful goofball of a dog, and became a large and strong boy we could cuddle with when we needed it. He grew tall enough to almost look us in the eye in his prime and on his hind legs. He loved to run in our yard, and play with his brother and sister very much. In his last few years, his back legs became a bit unsteady, but he still loved to accompany us on walks in the neighborhood even in his last days. He had no end to the love he gave to us, and was a devoted companion to Deb and I, especially during the pandemic when we could stay at home and give him and the other fur babies lots of love and attention.  Just after Thanksgiving we brought him to our vet because of digestive issues and found that he had substantial cancerous tumors throughout his abdomen. We had some peaceful time with him, and told him we will always love his sweet face. Thank you, AFH for bringing Moe (as well as Ava and Shep) into our family.

In 2008 we adopted one of Sadie’s 9 pups.  He was the last to get adopted and we were so glad that the best was saved for last.  Moose has been the best dog from the moment we brought him home at 12 weeks.  He has always been loving, calm and relaxed.  He filled our hearts with unconditional love.  He loved everyone he met.  The love between him and his dog brother that we brought into the family later was also so amazing.  Moose was such an important part of the family and we were sad to have to say good bye to him in October.  Our hearts ache without him but know that his tired body needed to run free with his other dog brothers and sisters that left before him.  Thank you AFH for bringing our perfect Moose into our lives.  He will never be forgotten. 

The Smith Family

…I wanted to let you know that our sweet boy, Bolt (a/k/a Malcolm) has crossed the rainbow bridge.  It was super sudden…diagnosis hemangiomas carcinoma ventricular.

After sixteen years with our beloved Holly, we have come to believe that the name “A Forever Home” should really say something about what our pets have become to us rather than what we signed-up to give them; something more along the lines of “Forever in Our Hearts”. Holly came into our lives in the Autumn of 2005 during an AFH adoption event at PetSmart in Chantilly Virginia and immediately became one with our family.

Side-by-side growing-up with our two sons, Holly became the third wheel with everything they did except watersports, far too risky behavior for this proper lady. When 34 guinea hens made their way into our life in 2013, Holly’s Border Collie instincts kicked-in and she was determined to set the boundaries for their free-raging activities and wouldn’t take no for an answer until they flew to treetops, waiting the coast to be clear of that strong-willed and determined dog.

Holly was an unscripted addition to our family, and we all became Holly-centric over time basing many of our family decisions and directions with Holly in mind. We were never without a wagging tail or a smile looking for a treat; Holly was always ready to play when we were (and even if we weren’t). Over the years Holly touched many lives and most assuredly was greeted by her grandfather on the other side whom she shared a home for almost a decade. We can almost hear him saying “Hello Dog”. Planting our garden will never be same without Holly’s pawprints in the freshly groomed soil but memories like those will stand the test of time.

Thank you to AFN for not only the opportunity to give Holly a forever home, but for the opportunity to have Holly in our family and memories forever.

Tom, Cathy, Barrett and Griffin Cosgrove, Georgetown Delaware

AFH, In the fall of 2006, we rescued Tyson, a beagle mix puppy from A Forever Home Rescue Foundation. Little did we know, he rescued us. He was the only black beagle in his litter and his mild temperament drew us to him. We are saddened to report that Tyson passed away on Oct 28, 2021. Tyson was a little over 15 years old and brought love and joy to our family every day in a way, only the best dog ever could.  We miss him immensely. Rest in Peace, Tyson. July 4, 2006 – October 28, 2021.

Dear AFH,

My name is Maggie…I adopted a wonderful great dane/ airedale terrier mix from you about 12.5 years ago.  She was an amazing creature, and made a wonderful family member.  She was a great nana dog to my daughter, who is now 18.  Unfortunately, I had to have her put down about 3 weeks ago due to multiple organ failure.  Dr. Eeg came to my house and and we eased her over the rainbow bridge here at home.  She is sorely missed. 

Thank you for all you rescue work, Maggie – AKA Lola’s mom

We adopted Rocky (formally Benton) from A Forever Home in August of 2010. We knew immediately when we saw him, that he was our dog. Since then he was with us for every one of life’s big milestones; marriage, home ownership, the birth of our three children. He enjoyed every family vacation with us; we honestly didn’t go anywhere without him. He was a fixture in our community, everyone just adored him. He loved his food, walks, car rides, but most importantly, he loved his family. As long as he was with us, he was happy and content. He was the most loyal, sensitive and loving companion. Rocky was diagnosed with Cancer (Lymphoma) on his 10th birthday, June 16th, 2020. After receiving Chemotherapy, he enjoyed 8 months of remission, before relapsing. We lost him May 6th, 2021. The loss of Rocky was profound. He might very well have been the most loved dog, ever. We are so thankful to A Forever Home for bringing us together. He was our missing puzzle piece, and am intricate part of our family. We miss him greatly.