Saying goodbye

     

This is the email I dreaded writing.  We sadly let Hampton go yesterday.  We truly can't thank you enough for connecting us with him nine years ago (almost to the day).  We have been blessed to have had him in our family and as you might have expected from this beautiful pooch, up to the end his spirit was full of life and happiness. He shared that with absolutely everyone he met.  He has enriched our lives beyond belief.

I have attached our annual Christmas card as we wrote it as a tribute to him.  We finished it on Tuesday and for Hampton it was another great day from among the 3303 he shared with us.  We went to one of his favorite spots for an hour-long hike. He had spring to his step and spent a ton of time sniffing everything - I believe on pursuit of deer; one of his favorite activities.  On Wednesday morning he woke up and we knew that the end was nearing - one of his back legs was not working.  The side effects of the prednisone had taken it's toll making it really hard for him to breathe. 

So we made the best we could of his last day and a half.  He had many visitors from our family and friends including several of his best dog friends.  He shared a marrow bone with one - even showing his true personality.  He snuck up on his buddy Scout and traded his empty bone stealing the one Scout was working on as that one still had some meat and marrow in it.  He always did that, so it was nice to see.

Yesterday morning I made him a breakfast of filet mignone and eggs over easy.  He loved it and gobbled it up. We took him on a very short walk in the woods then back home.  Out Vet came to the house and Hampton passed on in the comfort of his own home. If you believe in signs from heaven I'll share this one:  as Hampton was relaxing and letting go, the random playlist of soft music we had going started playing Eva Cassidy's rendition of the song "Somewhere over the rainbow."  The timing was just perfect as it let us know that he was passing over the Bridge to meet up with our first Brittany, Axle.  We miss him terribly, but have many happy memories, pictures and videos of him, so that will bring us comfort. In addition to our Christmas card I have attached a couple of photos.  One of him watching me paddle a kayak and the other from the first Brittany Bash we attended.

Thank you again for all you do for the many Brittany's you place in their forever homes.  We are proud to have been one of those homes for one of the best dogs to have walked the face of this earth.

  

       

So, we thank all of you for being such a great support to us and for loving Hampton too!  Our holiday wishes for you…May your days ahead be many, may they be filled with good health, wonder and joy and may you be blessed with an infinite amount of happiness and love.

Merry Christmas, 2016!  With love, Russ, Sue and Hampton      

Jack

As per the contract I signed on Jack in November 2014, I am writing with great sadness to let you know that our sweet boy was put to sleep this afternoon.  When we adopted him we discovered that he had a greatly enlarged spleen.  Our vet thought that Jack would not be with us long; in fact she called it "doggie hospice."  We were lucky enough to have him for almost two years, and except for a short period of time when he turned into "naughty dog" on prednisone, he was a delightfully sweet dog.  He took a shine to my husband, who has retired so he is home all day, who reciprocated Jack's devotion.  He slept with us until recently when he was too uncomfortable to stay in one place.  He enjoyed roaming our yard, and although he never mastered leash etiquette, he liked going on short walks.  Our other dog taught Jack to bark at things, with his deep throated barks accompanying the higher pitched barks of Rosie.  What a pair they were!

I have included a picture of Jack that was taken about a month ago.  We will miss him terribly.  I just hope he knew how much we loved him and how glad we were to include him in our family.

Sincerely, but sadly,

Nancy

It is with such a very heavy heart that I bring you news of our little Birdie's passing on Tuesday, April 26.  For three weeks prior to that we began a fight which sadly she just couldn't win...  We learned that her time was short due to congestive heart failure but hoped that medication might ease symptoms and help sustain her happiness. Sadly, pneumonia set in and sonograms/bloodwork also showed that her liver wasn't looking well at all.  We could see her happiness and spirit fading and knew that even with further testing, poking and prodding that we had little chance of keeping her comfortable.  My husband and I worked tirelessly to ensure we weren't cutting her life short before making the most difficult decision of our lives.  It has rocked our household and I think it will be quite a long time before the aftershocks are gone.

Birdie was able to be with us for her final moments, in her home, in her little bed feeling safe and loved.  

I want to thank you all for being so helpful and supportive when we brought Birdie home.  She was the matriarch of our home for the past two and half years.  Not only was she a rescue, but she also rescued us.  Yes, one of THOSE...she was life altering.  Wonderful.  Wise.  Simply happy.  Therapeutic.  Larger than life.  We miss her dearly and will continue to love her beyond all boundaries of time and worlds.  

Thank you for making it all possible for us.

Many hugs to you!

Amy

It is with extreme sadness that I write to tell you that our wonderful Brittany, Charlie (you knew him as Sammy), passed away this morning.  Charlie started limping badly last week and when we brought him to the vet on Saturday we found out that had advanced osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in his front right leg.

Charlie had a hard life before NEBR found him.  From the story we had been told, it was chance that NEBR came across him and a complete happy accident that we found him.  From the moment we adopted him, on June 16^th, 2012, we tried to make sure that he had a full and happy life, in part, to make up for the life he started out with.  We think he did.  We hope he did.  Although he was only with us for three and half years, he brought immeasurable joy and happiness to our family.  He was happy and goofy and sweet and loving and playful, all the time.

We can’t thank you enough for the work you do, and for allowing us to bring Charlie into our lives.  I’ve included a couple of pictures so that you can see the love and happiness we felt having Charlie with us.

He is a sweet boy, and we miss him.

Matt, Cindy and David Cedor

and Fern too

The Christmas countdown is definitely upon us...with baking to do, shopping to finish, gifts to wrap and plenty of entertaining ahead of us (all good stuff), we have a little confession to make. We have already received our Christmas gift.

 As many of you know, Hampton was diagnosed in October with lymphoma. After shedding many tears and contemplating a treatment plan with our vet, we made the decision to start Hampton on chemotherapy. We are thrilled to report that after two full rounds of chemo, he is in remission.  An added bonus was that he did not get sick from the treatments, he hasn’t lost any weight (in fact the added venison, treats and table scraps have added a few extra pounds but the vet says that’s a good thing) and he hasn’t shown any signs of lethargy or slowing down at all. That news is the best gift we could receive and we have no regrets that we didn’t wait until Christmas to get it!       Here’s to Christmas miracles.

So, many of our reflections and thanks this holiday season center on things that Hampton has taught us through his actions. We’d like to share those with you…

• Wake up each morning filled with happiness and share that with all of the people around you. 
• Be thankful for all of the great food you get to eat. Cherish it when people spoil you with tasty treats and a home cooked meal.
• Play.  Be sure to get out and enjoy each day with your family and friends (furry and human). Hike, play ball, swim and wrestle with your buddies if that suits you.
• Give and receive hugs and kisses often.  They help you heal and they just plain feel good, like a nice belly rub.
• Be loyal and faithful. That’s what your best friends do.
• Take naps.  When you are feeling physically or mentally tired or if that little patch of sunshine looks like a nice place to lie down… indulge. It will refresh you and brighten your perspective.
• There’s no place like home. That’s where you are safe, have a warm bed and are surrounded by people who love you.
• Make the best of every day since no one knows how many days you will get. 

So we present Hampton’s list of dog wisdom as words to live by. And we wish you all the best for a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and Happy New Year.  

With love, hugs and kisses,

Hampton, Russ and Sue        2015