It was a magical night in 2008 when our family met at Petco in Chantilly to bring  home our sweet Benny (one of the golden quads named Manny by Aforeverhome).  Our oldest son was 4th grade, middle son  2nd grade and youngest daughter kindergarten.  He walked them to the bus stop in the mornings and greeted them each day when they came home from school. He was there for many little league, youth football and lacrosse games. He was part of prom pictures, high school and college  graduation photos and many family  beach vacations.   Each of the kids went off to college and they would all send texts to “send Benny pictures” because they  missed him so much when they were away.  We bought a retirement home near the beach a few years ago and had so much fun spending time with Benny at the new house and taking him for walks on the beach.  Last week he passed, and it happened to be the week my oldest son bought an engagement ring for his girlfriend of many years – it was nice that Benny made it to that milestone in my sons life.  We loved him so much and he brought so much love and joy to our family the last 15 years.  We are thankful for Aforeverhome for rescuing him and bringing him into our lives. 

Best Regards, Mike and Mary 

Rover was the name he came with, and we never found a reason to change it.  We adopted him from A Forever Home in March 2013 when he was three.  Our first adventure together was a walk around the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms.  Rover made us a family, united in our love and care for him, and turned our house into a forever home.  Despite a heart murmur, he made many trips to Maine with us to hike in the autumn woods; closer to home, he was the neighborhood “dog ambassador,” tail wagging cheerfully as he welcomed new families to our Del Ray neighborhood.  When he grew too sick and frail to take joy in his life we sadly let him go, but he will always be with us in our hearts.

Yesterday, our Denver dog, who we adopted from you as a puppy 15 years ago, passed away peacefully in his sleep. We wanted to say thank you for the role you played in helping add Denver to our family. 

Denver was here for the birth and growth of both of our sons, and was a loyal and loving family dog every day of his life. He loved being with his family, running through the woods, hiking up mountains, and romping at the beach. He kept his little sister, Tanzi, in line, made sure his boys never went to bed alone, and never met a belly run he didn’t like. A couple of years ago, we bought a dog-friendly B&B in Lewes, DE, which sits on 8 wooded acres, and Denver was pretty convinced we’d given him the best retirement present ever. He loved roaming ‘his lands’ and sprawling in the warm grass in the sunshine. We will miss him enormously but we are so grateful to have had so many joyful years with him and that he was happy right up until the very end.

Thank you again for letting Denver be a part of our lives. He was very much loved and adored. 

I’ve attached photos from right after we brought him home and a more recent shot, as well. Kind regards, Carrie

I adopted Chief from your organization over 15 years ago. At the age of 17 years and 7 months, it was time for him to cross the Rainbow Bridge. I will forever be thankful for finding him through your organization. He was a funny, spunky and bright boy. Thank you for all that you do.

Sincerely, Roseanne

Hey AFH folks:

A brief note to let you know that Lola, whom we adopted from AFH in 2005, left us las month. She survived two other dogs, a move to Minneapolis, nine winters in Minneapolis, three kiddos, and a move to Southern California.

When we picked her up from the AFH van, she was about a year old and fresh off the streets of West Virginia. She passed on peacefully just before thanksgiving. We miss her terribly. But we’re thankful for all the years, love, grumpiness, and memories she gave us.

Thank you and everything you do!

Lily Marie Harrison was born February 2nd 2011 and crossed the rainbow Bridge on November 7th 2022 at 5:03pm. Lily was a tree walker coonhound/pointer mix. Lily has been such amazing soul and is missed greatly. She was a certified service animal who loved children, people, and other dogs. Her love for chasing squirrels and raccoons was like no other. She enjoyed sun bathing and running marathons in her back yard. Thank you AFH for giving her family their best friend the most amazing, caring, and loving dog we could of asked for. We love you so much Lily Marie’ ❤️

-Kindra, Ron, Ricky, and Lynn

I am writing to let you know that the dog we adopted from A Forever Home passed away on August 11, 2022. We called him Rocket, but his original name was Bacchus, AFH Tag# 7381, born 4/17/09.

He blessed us with 13 years of pure happiness and we’re still hurting from losing him. When we are ready to adopt another dog, we will definitely be looking at your available dogs.

Thank you!

Miriam 

Our beloved Oreo passed away in October 2021. While our hearts are broken at the loss of our unique, sweet, smart, and beautiful girl, we are thankful to AFH for bringing her to us as the cutest, brightest puppy in May 2006. We were totally enamored with her from the first – her alert eyes and ears, white-tipped feet and one white hair on the tip of her tail – and for our golden retriever too, even as she took over his dog bed, toys, and spot on the couch. Our ten year-old son giddily took her on walks around the block, starting a lifetime tradition of running home for the last few houses. Oreo was special in the incredible love and devotion she demonstrated for us and the few people she considered “hers.” She was always within sight, often within reach; she loved nothing better than just being with us. And we loved being with her and our memories keep her close in our hearts.

It is with such a heavy and broken heart that I write this email to you about our Oreo. We had gone on a family vacation to Virginia Beach in June, and there was a total freak accident while we were walking her on a leash, she was struck by lightening and died. Our family is broken hearted. We loved her so very much and she was an amazing part of our family. I just don’t even know what more to say. She gave so much to us and our lives and we miss her so very much. We miss her so much. We had her buried, and have her paw print, and just ache for her. She meant so much to our family. We hope that, in time, we can heal. We appreciate that you brought her into our lives, she was so special. 

Amy & Kevin