Sad News

About 11 years ago we adopted a wonderful dog named Phineas. He got sick one day and he was not able to make it home. He was a wonderful dog who provided us so much joy.   Evan Kremer

It is with an absolutely demolished heart and tears streaming down my face that I write to inform you that our beloved Thomas (formerly known as Phelps) passed away suddenly yesterday. Yesterday around midday he started vomiting a lot of saliva and white foam and I called the emergency animal hospital and they told us to bring him in, which we did immediately. They took a look and informed us they believed it was bloat and that he would need immediate surgery. A couple hours later the doctor called and absolutely shattered our hearts by letting us know that the damage to his stomach and spleen was too extensive and that they did not think he would survive the surgery and it would be best to not wake him up. We immediately drove to the hospital to say our goodbyes and will be getting him privately cremated so that we can forever have his remains. My husband and I are beside ourselves. I still have not even begun to process the loss that we have experienced and the 95 lb hole in our bed and our home. He was only 6 years old and hadn’t even begun to slow down in the least. Our sweet girl Josie (formerly known as KitKat) is also devastated and is having trouble coping as they were inseparable. 

Wanted to let you know that Alexandria who we adopted from you almost 14 years ago passed today.  She had been having issues with her back legs and other age issues.  She became unable to get onto her legs without help and it was her time.  We loved her very much.  

I wanted to let you know yesterday we lost our beautiful Volker. He was absolutely amazing and the most gentle loving soul. It happened very quickly.
Sunday we noticed his breathing was a little off.
Monday I walked him, he walked fine, seemed ok. Monday night he couldn’t get comfortable, I was sure he ate something and it was lodged in his digestive tract somewhere. Tuesday we tried to get him into our regular vet and could not. We took him to PVSEC. they found he had a hermangio sarcoma in his stomach and lung cancer. He was there for 2 days while they stabilized him and gave him a dose of chemo. He came home Thursday. Friday morning we went for a very short walk, but he was having progressively worse issues with mobility. His type of cancer was causing little bleeds everywhere. By Saturday morning he could not stand. I held my beautiful boy in my arms as he crossed over the rainbow bridge.

Thank you for rescuing this beautiful boy, and allowing us to bring him into our family. 5 years, and 6 months was not nearly enough time with him.

I regret to inform you that Boomer, adopted in February 2016, has left us. He was about 12 and a half. He was a lovable, gentle giant and we're so grateful we had him in our lives.

Letting the rescue know that after 13 years of a wonderful life rescued by your organization and adopted by my family. We had to put our beloved German shepherd down today. Bella was a wonderful dog and we are thankful for all the work you do and saving German Shepherds.  She lived out the rest of her forever home as the queen of her home/ castle here in Millersville Pennsylvania.

We adopted Rusty on November 13, 2020 from MAGSR.  He was a 7 ½ year old German Shepherd mix with the most beautiful big brown eyes.  He was diagnosed with Lymphoma the week of March 15, 2021. He shut down on March 23, 2021 and we had to say good by to our “angel boy”.  We all fell in love, Tom, Rusty and I, and had such a short time with him.  At least he was with us for the last months of his life.  We loved him and gave him his special life of happiness back. He is with God and waiting for us at Rainbow Bridge along with our other two Shepherds, Jake and Dux.  Tom and I miss him so very much, his sweetness, all his beauty and he was a “kisser”.  Our boy is gone and in God’s hands.  Only heaven for him from now on.  We love you Rusty, Mom & Dad.

We adopted George on New Year's Day in 2013. It took some time for our current dog to get used to him, but shortly after adoption, they became best friends and inseparable. Over the next several years, he ate our banister, broke a leg off of our kitchen table, destroyed a chair, and barked at everyone that walked past our house, but he was also the most loyal dog we've ever had. He protected us and loved us, especially after our daughter was born. As soon as she came into the house, he watched over her with extra care. He let her do whatever she wanted to him and gave her a best friend from birth. Unfortunately, last summer, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and was given 3-5 months to live. We were heartbroken. We recently had to make the difficult decision to end his suffering and say goodbye to the best dog we've ever had. We will miss him terribly for the rest of our lives, but we are so thankful to have such wonderful memories. And a special thank you to MAGSR for bringing such a wonderful being into our lives and into our hearts forever. 

After almost 10 years with our beautiful Breezy, we bid her a very sad farewell in the early morning hours yesterday. We went on many adventures together. She loved going hiking, camping, and chasing the sea-birds on the beach. She watched over our growing family over the years - she loved helping me tuck the kids in to bed. My heart is completely broken - she was my very best friend. I’ve loved and lost several dogs in my lifetime but she was just special. Breezy was an extraordinary soul and we were so fortunate to have her for the time we did. She left a GSD sized hole in our home and in our hearts. We are so grateful to MAGSR for matching our family with her. She was perfect. I miss her so much. With gratitude, 

Jasmine Hollingsworth

My husband and I lost our dog, Patton, on February 5th. Patton was adopted after Travis (my husband) found his pregnant mom wandering in the streets of Baltimore about 14 years ago. He brought her to MAGSR where she had her puppies, one of which was Patton. You guys were so beyond kind to let Travis have the pick of the litter and he chose our wonderful boy (though I am sure they were all amazing!). It has been a huge loss for us and we are struggling everyday without him. But, without the life-saving help MAGSR provided, we wouldn't have had a life that was blessed with him in it.   Thank you so much, Carolyn & Travis

It is with enormous sadness that we are letting you know about the passing of our beloved dog Argo, fka Jenner. We met Argo at MAGSR in 2014, and instantly fell in love with him. He was approximately five years old at the time. Our boy incarnated all the wonderful qualities for which German Shepherds are known, he was a strong, loving, loyal, devoted, intelligent, friendly, sweet and sometimes silly companion. He was great with people, dogs, cats, he adored children and he loved greeting everyone at the door, his tail was always wagging. He had a huge appetite for food, for cuddles, and for life in general. He loved treats, and just seeing the treat cabinet being opened would turn him into a puppy. Then, he would stare at treats without blinking, still as a statue, the only movement visible on his face would be a thin stream of drool from the corner of his mouth, his focus was incredible. He loved playing with us, while making funny noises.  He loved rolling on the grass on a sunny day, playing with his MAGSR brother, Lupo (fka Santino), fetching the ball, and chasing deer in our backyard, while accompanying his excitement with a funny sound that we called “the German Shepherd cry”. For a period we moved to California, and he loved to run free on dog beaches. Then we moved back to Maryland, and he loved snowy days, diving in the snow and eating it. Then we had children, and he welcomed them as he had always known them. He became a loving, sweet, patient, furry big brother to them. He was perfectly content in any surroundings, a happy, easy-going, gentle giant. He loved to find treats hidden around the house, and he loved to enjoy them while being praised for being an incredibly good boy. We had him for seven wonderful, fun, love-filled years. Unfortunately in November 2020, our vet found a mass in his abdomen, and after his spleen was removed, he was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma. Although during the next two months, despite being very ill, he was doing well and enjoyed every day with excitement, on February 5th, he developed bloat, and because of his age, and the aggressive cancer, we had to make the painful decision of having him euthanized. He had an enormous presence, was a huge part of our family and our home is just not the same without him. We miss him every moment of the day, he was constantly by our side and shared every moment with us. Every little thing we do now reminds us of our sweet Argo. We hope that during these years we made him as happy as he made us, he was the perfect dog, and we loved him, still love him and will always love him so much. He will always be our four-legged child, our Argo, our good boy.   Thank you MAGSR for rescuing our wonderful Argo and for letting us be his family, we are very grateful for this, and for all that you do for these amazing dogs.   Romina and Sean

With heavy hearts we are notifying MAGSR that Ike (aka Patriot) has crossed the rainbow bridge on Jan 21,2021. We were so blessed to have Ike joined our family on 9/25/2011. He has been our best friend and family member for the 9-1/2 years. He loved us and we loved him so much. Ike was our first German shepherd and the best companion ever.

Hello MAGSR – It is with a very heavy heart and tear filled eyes that I inform you of the passing of my rescue baby, Maddie. I visited your kennel on May 24th 2014. Maddie was the first dog brought out to me and we hit it off immediately. We threw ball and she brought it back to me as if we were doing it for years. I took her home. She has literally been at my side for almost 7 years, a true ROCKSTAR. A few months ago I thought she was having hip trouble so I took her to the vet. Nothing seemed unusual so we had blood work done and results were not good. The vet said he never saw bloodwork so out of kilter on a living dog.  We went to Metro Vet in Norristown for X-Rays and Ultrasound. She had cancer. Masses on her spleen and an enlarged liver. She made almost two more months with the help of steroids and anti-biotics. I had to let her go last night. She was having trouble getting up and walking up a step into the house. Thank you MAGSR for uniting us and giving both of us so much joy. I will see you at the rainbow bridge my Sweet Pea. I love you. Jeff Passe

We are writing to let you know that our precious, sweet Pete passed away Tuesday, December 22nd.  Pete was known as "Chase" during the (very) short time he was with you.  We adopted him on August 29, 2010 when he was an 8-10 week old pup.  Puppy days are hard, but boy was he worth every second.  He evolved into such an amazing dog.  He always knew what we needed or what was expected of him before we even said anything.  If he didn't know exactly what you were saying to him, you could see in his eyes that he wanted so badly to.  Pete went everywhere with us.  Massachusetts to visit family?  He was in.  The beach?  The mountains?  Tree farm to tag a Christmas tree?  Wherever we were going, he was in.  He was the absolute perfect dog for our family, and an amazing dog for our boys to have grown up with. Unfortunately, he fell very suddenly ill in August, at which time we found out he had hemangiosarcoma.  He underwent an emergency splenectomy, followed by metronomic chemotherapy and a regimen of other medications and supplements recommended by his oncologist.  We had three amazing months with him, but then he fell ill again the day after Thanksgiving, and we learned the cancer had spread to his liver and possibly his heart.  The emergency vet said he wouldn't make it through that weekend.  Well, they didn't know our Pete.  He made it through not only that weekend, but a couple more.  Eventually, though, it became too much for him, and we had to make the awful decision to end his suffering.  I'm sure in time there will be other dogs here at Casa Zanelli, but there will certainly never be another Pete.  He was truly our heart dog, and we miss him terribly.

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have to write this. About a year ago after a MRI scan Sylvan was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy, I started taking Sylvan to physical therapy to try and mitigate DM from getting worse. Sadly, over time she started to lose the mobility in her rear legs and was unable to walk fully, could still stand up and move her front legs while dragging the rear legs, but slowly she started to lose function in her front legs. Until a few months ago she was developing a UTI, treated with Antibiotics only to return much worse with blood during bathroom runs. On 14 Dec 2020 I made the final trip to Anna Arundel Vet and had Sylvan put down as her degenerative myelopathy had progressed to a point she couldn't continue. I provided as much care and comfort to ease her suffering as I held her paw and head in my hands wishing that she would never have to face this hardship again.   James Stanley