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

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.