Welcome to A Forever Home Rescue Foundation’s Memory Page. On this page we honor all of the wonderful dogs who have shared their lives with us. Although they are gone from our lives, they are never far from our hearts. Please email your tribute and photo to info@aforeverhome.org.
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water, and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in a joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together…
Author unknown…
Image credit: Image by Graham Lowe from Pixabay
Rosie (Rita) – Strong Heart
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.
Cinder (Cinderella)
I am a huge fan of Forever Home and all organizations that help rescue animals in distress. We adopted Cinderella 15 years ago, about 6 months after our previous rescue dog died at age 14, Princess was such a love. To be honest I wasn’t sure I was ready for another dog but when I met Cinderella it was love at first sight, and my children already had her playing with them in the backyard before our in-home interview was over. Through the years Cinderella was a joy, even when she was naughty I couldn’t stay mad for long. Cinder is now also in doggie heaven checking out those pup angels for her Prince Charming.
Another picture of me with some puppies I helped care for (not mine)
Tia (Boo Boo) An Amazing Dog
Good Day, It is with much sadness that I let you know that our sweet little Tia went to the Rainbow Bridge (a few days ago) on Friday, May 22, 2022 to wait for us. She was an amazing dog. I want you to know she had an amazing life. She was 18 years old. She was like a child to us and we heaped so much love on her every single day and night. She returned just as much love to us. Our hearts are breaking and we don’t know how to deal with the pain. We cried for 8 days prior to her passing when we realized we needed to let her pass away. She passed with my spouse and I with her as well as the sweet doctor and nurse that had tended to her since she became ours 17 years ago. Thank you for saving her and her pups…. I hope their lives have been as wonderful and they were loved like we loved Tia.
With so much admiration and thanks to AFH! Thomas and Eric
Maddie (Lassie) – Unconditional Love
We adopted our sweet dog Maddie from A Forever Home in March 2013. She was born on Christmas eve 2012. She was the first dog we saw at the adoption event. We picked her up right away and decided she was ours. She was our first fur child. We have had two children since she came into our lives and they loved her more than anything in the world. Maddie loved to sit at the dinner table with us in her younger years, she loved long walks and playing fetch with her frisbee. Maddie tolerated so much from both of her human siblings and had so much patience with them. She loved giving an infinite number of kisses to them, especially when traces of food covered their faces after dinner. Maddie was an anxious pup, from the second we brought her home. Car rides were the first anxiety we had to help her get over. It only took about two years. She hated her nails touched, taking baths, and refused to go on walks if only one of her owners was with her. She needed at least two humans on every walk with her. She had the softest and shiniest fur and the sweetest eyes. Every human that met her, loved her. We only had her for a short 9 years and she was suffering from what the vets suspected was a brain tumor. After two months filled with testing and medications, we had to make one of the most difficult decisions of our lives and didn’t expect to make it so soon. She loved so much in her 9 years. Her absence is breaking our hearts, but her presence in our lives gave us some of our best memories filled with unconditional love.
Elizabeth
Petio (Elvis) — An Angel Heaven Sent
We are writing to thank you for making possible our adoption of Petio (nee Elvis) back on April 6, 2007. Petio passed away on Saturday, February 12, 2022, at the estimated age of 17½ years old, surrounded by his loving family and attended by his lifelong veterinarian, but not before sharing nearly fifteen (15) joy-filled years of unconditional love and faithful companionship with us. While we are still disconsolate and miss him so deeply we also recognize that we were most privileged to be with him for as long as we were, although when you truly love someone anything short of forever is destined to end in sorrow & sadness. Every day with Petio was a gift, and we’ll never forget when we first met at an adoption event, when he walked up to me and just sat down between my feet. It is said that the people pick the dog but we really believe that it was Petio who chose us that day. We still recall his foster mom saying, “Wow, he likes you already!”
When we adopted Petio it was not merely as a pet, but our first child, which he will always be. At that point we were childless and decided that we wanted to share our life & love with a living being in need of a good, well, forever home, and within two months we became pregnant with our son, Hugh. After all the doctors, all the pain & suffering, all the tears, and the multiple miscarriages over a decade, who would have thought that it would be this sweet little dog who would make the impossible possible, which makes Petio even more special to us, because of everything he brought us. Petio was bi-lingual, understanding both English and Japanese, and watchful over Hugh like a mini-big brother, even though we never taught or expected that of him. As a member of a Japanese household Petio loved his sticky sushi rice and sashimi, especially his favorite, maguro tuna, something which he knew was special and truly relished, sans the wasabi, of course.
We still have his original A Forever Home profile in which he was portrayed as an “absolute sweetheart” and “a wellloved little dog” who would “make a special pet for a loving home.” We used to enjoy taking him out on walks when he would just focus straight ahead, all the while strutting & prancing in his poodle high-step, which was always a delight to watch and would always bring others to a smile. From dirty dust mop to high-stepping Prince Charming among poodles, he was graceful, handsome, and athletic, with long legs and a shiny white coat, and whenever we took him out others would ask if he was a show dog, especially after a fresh grooming. They were always shocked to learn that he was a rescue. He absolutely lived up to the billing in his profile and we believe that Petio was an angel,
Heaven-sent, to help us, heal us, take away our pain, and maintain vigil over us. If he was here on a mission, which we believe, he certainly accomplished it in style as our little miracle maker. We are not ashamed to admit that we are still mourning his departure for the hills & meadows before the Rainbow Bridge.
…We also would like to thank and compliment Petio’s former family on how Petio was raised and treated in his early life, as noted by the description that it “is obvious that Elvis was a well-loved little dog. He is gentle, playful, [and] non-aggressive,” all of which was absolutely true. Petio never growled, snapped at, or bit anyone. Additionally, he was the single most intelligent dog that either of us lived with, and we are talking six or seven dogs going back to our own childhood. We never had any trouble with his behavior or health, and his vet observed that his health was exceptional, not even a cold, cavity, or a lost tooth, until his final months.
He was not an incessant barker and only raised his voice for good reason, such as when Hugh escaped his playpen as a toddler and made a run for the stairs. While we never trained him to guard or protect anyone he was discerning enough to alert us when something was awry with the loudest barks that we still can recall. Even our neighbors agreed – they all knew that if/when Petio spoke it was for good cause and took notice. That’s how discreet and intelligent he was. We will look to condense all of the above material for a future issue of Forever Tails but the volume we have written may just reflect the deep love, affection, and sense of loss that we still feel for him, and the fact that we did not want his passing to go unnoticed and his life uncelebrated.
In memory of our most beloved Petio, whose spirit, we believe, lives on, forever in our hearts and in our most priceless & precious thoughts & memories, we thank you for your time, consideration, and all you do on behalf of animals in need who are helpless and often suffer at the hands of humans, and always, by no fault of their own. With deepest sorrow, but also much gratitude,
Sincerely, Phil, Genna, and Hugh
Zeus – He Knew Love Every Day
A donation …in loving memory of Zeus, adopted by Jess and Michael…Thank you for taking a chance on a couple still in college and allowing them to adopt that sweet puppy. He knew love everyday of his life. His life ended way too soon (cancer of the spleen) but everyday was a happy one for him (and for them!) He accompanied them to brunch, on hikes, on camping trips, and to the beach. He was loved by all who met him (family, friends, neighbors, and strangers on the street) and tears were shed by many when he went to the rainbow bridge. I’ve included a few pictures. Hopefully they capture the joy and love in his life. Kendra, Mike, and Shannon.
Sweet Maeko
Our family adopted our sweet dog, Maeko, from A Forever Home 8 years ago. He was 8 years old at the time, and had had a difficult life. He was very shy at first, not even lifting his tail to wag for the first two weeks. His gait was stooped, and he would walk as if he didn’t want anyone to see him. I knew he knew how to play, because he came with a soft, stuffed toy. Around the third week, I tried throwing the toy to see if he would get it. He suddenly jumped up, ran to get it, tossed it in the air with his teeth, whirled around, ran back to his bed, and gave a happy bark! He looked as startled as I did after he did that, and didn’t seem to know where the bark came from! I was curious to find out “who else was in there.” He continued to progress, beginning to lift up his tail and wag it as he walked. Over the following years, Maeko grew more and more social, would approach strangers to sniff them when they came in the door, would let my music students who came to my house pet him, and he loved to be carried around and pampered. He kept some of his independent streak, but overall, became a “lap-pooch.” He had such a sweet disposition. At the beginning of March 2022, he became very sick. This was not the first time as he was beginning to age. He passed away at the age of 16. Our family was blessed by his presence and saw him as a gift from God to be enjoyed for a season. We are thankful that we were given the opportunity to have this sweet pup as part of our family.
Olive My Little Love
In March 2007 my Daughter and I adopted our 10 week old puppy, named Hailey from AFH. We chose her first name, “Olive” Hailey. The cute pup was alone. Held back and separated from her four WV litter-sibs due to a mild illness. AFH described her as a Blue Merle Aussie Shepherd. This baby was meant for our home. The tiny dog with oversized ears, grew to be a Pembrooke Cardigan Corgi! Olive, incredibly smart, was often described by others as a “person, not a dog!” Olive loved to run with her herding instincts. From the start, Olive hid her treats to savor them at a later time. Olive loved training sessions with toy rewards. She trained in her younger years to run “Agility” for fun. Her favorite game that delighted everyone was “hide-and-go-seek” with her toys. We would hide a toy, she waited, on command, would go find her toy! Olive loved hiking and her most favorite activity was swimming to retrieve her favorite bright green floating ring. She would bark and swim with excitement, not stopping, till Mom made her rest. Olive was a water dog and even loved her baths especially the towel dry, followed by towel bundling in her dog bed. Olive was trained in Good Citizenship with AKC. She listened patiently to children reading. Olive traveled many places with Mom by car and flying, in-cabin, to share love with relatives with disabilities and health issues. Olive shared love and joy with so many people. She will always be loved by myself and her family. Olive is my “girl”, my “baby”. I miss her many communicative nudges, such as, to remind me to fill an empty water bowl, her bark of excitement or alert, her eye contact to signal her needs, her kisses, her snuggles, her play, my hiking partner, my bed buddy, my steadfast love. I miss Olive. Olive passed at 14 ½ years. I thank AFH for saving my Olive Hailey and allowing me to have her in my life. Olive will forever be in my heart.
In Memory of Hudson (Peter) – Our First Child
Hudson said his final goodbyes to us on February 3, 2022. He was just over 15 years old and we considered him to be our first child. My wife and I found Hudson at a puppy adoption event in 2007. He quickly adapted to his new home and made us part of his pack. Even when we accidentally left the door open after leaving the house, Hudson knew it was his job to wait patiently for our return—even if that meant waiting in the middle of the driveway for a few hours. Who’s a good boy??!!
Our first “human” child, a boy, came in March of 2008. Hudson wasn’t sure what this new cry-y thing meant to his house, but he quickly took on the role of protector: sleeping by whatever chair his boy was sleeping and his crib at night. They also had a bit of sibling rivalry to get into one of the parent’s laps or even when Hudson hip checked his learning to walk toddler. Ultimately, the child was admitted to the pack but clearly the pecking order was still up for debate.
When Hudson was almost 8, his second human sibling arrived. No one in the house was more excited when we brought her home. All four paws leapt off the ground trying to get a sniff when we first carried her in. He again took on the role of protector.
Hudson was the most gentle creature. He could have the most juicy bone in his mouth, but if you put your hand on it, he would let it go. He knew when you were sad and would come put his head on your lap. Only two times in his life did I hear Hudson give such a snarl, such a growl, such a bark that even I was taken aback: both were when he thought some other dog was threatening one of his kids. He was fiercely loyal.
He was a rare lab that didn’t gobble down all of his food, eating only when he was hungry. If a bowl was empty, he would paw at it to let you know to fill it so that he could sniff it and walk away. He learned to ring a bell to go outside and he loved to play fetch and adored running in the snow. It was running in the snow when he first tore his ACL. He didn’t like the “cone of shame” after the surgery, but he recovered well, but was a little more cautious in the snow after that. It was a snow storm a year ago that signaled his decline. He injured that leg once again at the age of 14 and a year later, at 15 and with arthritis, his health ultimately declined.
He was our first child. He was a lovely soul. He will always be in our hearts.
Beloved Peaches (Allie)
Hello Maribel, Just a quick note to let you know our beloved Peaches passed away last Thursday Feb 24. She was with us for 13.5 wonderful years. While we are presently heart-broken, we have so many wonderful memories of her during the short time she was with us to get us through her passing. Thank you so much for letting her join us!
Gary & Linda