In 2009, our sweet boy Sam came into our lives. He was such a little love bug. No one that met him could ever do anything but fall in love with him. The giver of a thousand kisses and passionate cuddle-bug, Sam just had a way to make everything that much better. He was a great big brother to his four fur-siblings and a fixture in the neighborhood. It is sad to say that after beating cancer twice, he unfortunately lost his life to lymphoma July 17.

We may be saddened by the loss of our baby boy, but we can not express just how grateful we are to AFH for the 12 years of pure love he brought into our home.

It profoundly pains me to write this, but my sweet Kikoman (formerly Tootsie) crossed that rainbow bridge on August 28th, four days before her 13th birthday. Those of you who met Kiko knew how special she was. If you were not familiar with her, I wish you could have known Kiko, as she was an angel.

According to her DNA test, Kiko was 25% staffie, 12.5% cocker spaniel, 12.5% shiba inu, and 50% food hound – the breed best known for sitting two inches away while you eat, staring at you the whole while, and periodically swiping your leg with her paw to let you know she wanted a bite too. While we aren’t certain what made up the other 50% of her mix, we are certain Kiko was 100% loved.

While we all know you’re not supposed to play favorites, with Kiko I couldn’t help it. There was just something uniquely different about her. Kiko had a rough start to life though. The poor girl came to us as an emaciated, mangy mutt who was less than three months old and terrified of everything. Kiko blossomed into a beautiful dog who was, among other qualities, intelligent, responsible, obedient, trustworthy, and loving. There wasn’t a mean or aggressive bone in her body.

We spent an inordinate amount of time with each other, especially the last six years of her life when I was with her just about 24/7. She was my loyal fishing partner and my trusty sidekick who went pretty much everywhere with me. We went through so much together. I got Kiko in my 20s and am now 41 years old.  Kiko saw me through the trauma and turmoil of my 30s, and without her I’m not sure I would have made it. I suffer from major depressive disorder, and at times Kiko gave me not only a reason to get out of bed but also and moreover one to exist.

She was more than just my best friend though. In the sense that I have never cared for anyone or anything as much as that dog, Kiko was the love of my life. I am not ashamed to admit that; rather, I say it with the utmost pride. Kiko was a once-in-a-lifetime dog who can never be replaced. As far as I’m concerned, I hit the dog lottery with her.

Watching my best friend go downhill so rapidly the past couple weeks due to end-stage renal disease was difficult to say the least. If I could have given Kiko one of my kidneys, I would have. If I could have traded places with her, I would have. But I couldn’t save her, try as I might. When it became clear that it was her time to go, the prospect of saying goodbye to the love of my life by ending hers made me feel sick. I just wasn’t confident I had it in me, but in one final act of love Kiko took on my burden and made the decision (to pass away on her own) so I didn’t have to.

Since Kiko passed, life just doesn’t feel the same. Fishing without her isn’t the same. Going to the dog park without her isn’t the same. There’s one less butt and tail waggling when I come home, excited to see me. I miss her velvety ears and fanned tail. I miss her signature whitish-grey eyebrows. I miss her stealing my seat pretty much every time I (temporarily) vacated mine. I am now filled with an immense sadness and a desperate longing. It feels like a piece of my heart was ripped out, never to return.

However, if this pain I feel is the price I pay for nearly 13 years of genuine joy and love with Kiko, then I happily pay it because it was worth the heartache I now feel. My gratitude for Kiko in my life outweighs all this pain. In fact, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world for the opportunity to have spent close to 13 years with the gentle, beautiful soul that was Kiko, whom I will always miss and love.

In honor of Kiko and in celebration of her life, I ask the following of you: every day cherish your loved ones and never take them for granted. Hug them, kiss them, and say you love them. Be mindful and live in the moment. For every one of us there is only a limited number of tomorrows, and tomorrow is never promised. RIP, Kikoman.

We adopted Cody February of 2006. He came from a litter of 9 pups from West Virginia (see attached story from AFH). At the time we met him, his name was Giovanni, but he quickly took to Cody. When we first met, I sat in the pen with his brothers and sisters and he immediately jumped into my arms and started linking my face. That was all it took. He was a wonderful addition to our family for over 16 years and was a great pet to my two children. He loved to go on vacations with us and explore all the places we would go. He was the protector of our home with his deep loud bark but at the same time wouldn’t hurt a soul and loved everyone he met. While Covid was not welcomed by many, working from home daily was a blessing that allowed us to be with him as he began to succumb to getting older. I will miss our walks together the most! He had a full life filled with love and affection and sadly, he crossed that rainbow bridge in May of this year. Not a day goes by that don’t think of him and the time we shared together. Attached is our last family selfie! He is truly missed every day.  

Special thank you to Laytonsville Veterinary who took wonderful care of him throughout his entire life and helped us through those difficult end of life decisions, it was greatly appreciated!

Sean, Ginger, Katie and Patrick

I adopted Blitz in May of 2011. He gave me the most perfect LOVE I have ever known; he was a REAL ANGEL, a magical dog… so magical that on the evening of his passing he sent me a rainbow (see picture) to let me know he made it to Rainbow Bridge.  Thank you AFH for giving me an amazing little boy -Amalia

We are incredibly grateful for A Forever Home matching us with Poe. We adopted him in January of 2012 when he was a puppy. When his foster handed him to us on the day we were taking him home, she said “this puppy does not like not being left alone.” From that day on, none of us were ever “alone” again because of the unconditional love we shared. 

Poe was a very independent dog but was near us always. When our children were babies, Poe was the first one to run to their side when they cried. He even kept us company at all hours of the night when our babies were awake. Poe was so loyal and loving. He was also incredibly smart and excelled in all aspects of training. He especially liked to do cool tricks. Our two year old even enjoyed doing tricks with him. Poe loved going on walks, going to the beach, and napping on his favorite window seat. 

He passed away at the age of 10 on July 11, 2022 after a tough battle with prostate cancer that spread to his lungs and spine. We miss him terribly but will always carry him with us in our hearts. 

Thanks for the invite. Our A Forever Home dog, Kauai, recently passed away at the age of 15. We adopted her in 2007 as a puppy. We miss her so much. She was an exceptionally loving dog and even won most beautiful dog award in our community. Thanks for bringing her into our lives.

Carolyn

I adopted Hambone from A Forever Home about 7 years ago when he was 10-years old. He would have been 17 next month. Hambone was the silliest, sweetest long-haired dachshund and basset hound mix. In those 7 years, he has been with me through 3 apartments, the purchase of my first home, my dad’s death, my grandma’s death, many successes, many failures, and everything in between. He taught me so much about patience, guilt, forgiving yourself, thinking about the future, and, most importantly, unconditional love. He has seen me grow so much, and he had a lot to do with it. No matter how much I felt I messed up in a day, how much I hated myself, how much I fussed at him for misbehaving, whether I was gone for 5 minutes or 5 hours—he was there, tail furiously wagging, a gift in his mouth (usually a shoe—sometimes socks, gloves, blankets, and even a 3-lb barbell once), greeting me with love, always. Always happy to see me. I know I am fortunate to have gotten so much time with him, and it has been one of the greatest honors of my life to have loved and been loved by him. He was diagnosed with kidney failure in January 2021, and then we enjoyed a wonderful remission period. However, he told me it was time to go last night, and I knew I had to be merciful with my last act of love for him. He passed very peacefully this morning. We had beautiful weather as we helped him cross the rainbow bridge, surrounded by the people who loved him most.

We are here before our dogs are born, and we continue after they are gone; they must think of us as timeless, immovable, like mountains or gods. I can only try to live up to the person Hambone imagined me to be. Hambone, if love alone could have kept you alive, you would have lived forever. Rest In Peace, my beautiful, silly boy. The best nap partner, the worst guard dog, and the most loving companion I could have asked for. We both came into each other’s lives right when we needed it.

He is survived by his adoptive golden retriever and chow chow mix sister, Casserole, who is also a senior rescue. Adopting Hambone inspired me to continue adopting seniors.

Dear Forever-Home Rescue Foundation,

I lost my sweet Roxy July 16, after 16+ years of loyal love and companionship.  Part of my heart went with her.  When I lived in Middleburg years ago, I adopted Roxy from a Pet-Smart in Chantilly during an adoption event sponsored by A Forever-Home Rescue Foundation (5.10.2006). Though my time in Middleburg was short, Roxy came with me when I moved back to my home town of Chesapeake, VA.  Anyone who is a pet owner knows that this type of love has no boundaries.  I gave her the best life I could, and she gave me many, many times more to me.  In May Roxy was diagnosed with Lymphoma, and she did well until July.  The Lap of Love foundation came to my house and helped transition Roxy to the other side.  Roxy went very peacefully. It will take a long time for me to get used to not having her presence in my life, but she is and will always be in my heart.  I have so many great memories of Roxy and I will always support and be ever grateful to FHP rescue for giving me the gift of adopting her.

So from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

Sincerely, Elizabeth

Good Morning,

My name is Katie…and my family rescued a puppy from A Forever Home in 2007. Her name was listed as Molly, but we knew she was our Harley Girl. Harley was a lab/hound mix and her nose could track just about anything. Harley loved to go on walks, run, go on boat rides, and just spend time with her family and friends. To all of us, she was our once in a lifetime soul dog that you hear people talk about. She was there for all of our highs and lows and we were there for hers. We found out recently that she had cancer and it had spread everywhere and we didn’t have much time left with her, which is so unfair. We kept her comfortable giving her all the foods and
treats she had wanted and just showered her with love. Sadly, we lost her last night. My reasoning writing to you all is just to thank you for giving us the best dog we all could have ever asked for. She was the missing part of our family puzzle that we did not even know at the time was missing. I am attaching some photos of her below. She made such a difference in our lives and again we as a family would just like to say thank you rescuing this pup from West Virginia and bringing her here. We owe you all a lot for finding our soul dog.

Thank you again, Katie

Perhaps the first thing you would notice about Rosie was her obvious sharp intelligence, quickly followed by her deeply sweet, good nature and zest for life.  That smartness, which led us to assume she was part Border Collie (until a DNA test showed that she was very much a mutt—no Border Collie but Australian Shephard, American Eskimo, and Yorkie to name a few—was on display from her very first puppy training class.  With Rosie, it was never a question of could she learn to obey a command, instead she seemed to delight in obeying when she wanted and showing when she didn’t that she clearly understood what was wanted and had considered it before politely declining.  Her intelligence led her to express agitation if she was not in the front row of the training class or not the object of the teacher’s attention.  Never has a dog invited more anthropomorphizing! For 16 years, she had a great energy for walk and play, and when sated, a great capacity for love and snuggling.  At 25 pounds, she was smaller as an adult than we had anticipated, but this fact ended up changing our concept of the perfect size for a dog.  For three years, Rosie lived with us in Vienna, Austria – a city known for its love of dogs. She frequented many restaurants and businesses, and in one case, delightedly joined a restaurant hostess in seating customers—with seemingly a full understanding of her role.  More than once vets commented on her strong heart (“the heart of an athlete”); near the end, her eyesight and hearing dimmed and with pain in her limbs, that strong heart beat on.