Sad News

It is with profound sadness that I must inform you of the passing of our beloved Tessa (MAGSR name Koda) on Nov 23rd 2024 due to a hemangiosarcoma that caused sudden bleeding into her abdomen.  Bill and I are heart broken.  Still, we are so grateful for the years of joy and happiness Tessa brought to our family.  We adopted Tessa in February 2016 when she was just 15 months old.  She lived to be 10 years and was a wonderful loving, loyal member of the family.  We will miss her so very much but we are comforted by the many wonderful memories of her. Sincerely, Marion

Enclosed is a donation to the Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue that is being made in memory of Bolt Burke. Bolt was a handsome German Shepherd that was owned by Wayne (Mitch) and Gail Burke. He was adopted from your organization approximately 4 3/4 years ago and lived a wonderful life with the Burkes in York, PA. During the past few years, he developed seizures and recently experienced a severe decline in his overall health. He was under the care of a neurologist, but the trigger for his seizures was never found. It is with great sadness that we share the news that he crossed the Rainbow Bridge on November 19th. He was such a sweet and gentle soul, and his family is in deep mourning over his passing. Since Bolt just celebrated his 8th birthday, please use this donation for your "Sammy's Place" fund to support senior dogs.  Jane Garvey & Mike Millson along with Winston and Mama Betty, Pat, Bee and Echo Murphy 

Adopted March 2023. I lost my sweet, beautiful, loving 50% GSD Freddie. He was initially my foster but I fell in love immediately and adopted him.

It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Laci. It's taken some time in our grief to put thoughts into words so that we can write something as an honorable testament to her life. Several years ago, as a representative of MAGSR, I went to a local shelter to evaluate a 6 year old female who was painted as a reactive, perhaps dog-aggressive dog who literally had one day to live before she was scheduled to be euthanized. Evidently, she was fighting with the other dog in her previous home. The staff thought the world of her but they were having a great deal of difficulty finding the right placement for her. Upon meeting her, I was greeted by an exuberant, friendly, energetic and very drivey dog. It was immediately clear that she was bred from a strong working line. As I started giving her commands in German and used a ball as a reward for obeying those commands, she lit up like a Christmas tree as if to say "You know those words? I do, too! What do you want me to do next?". It didn't take long and we were connected. It literally happened that quickly. When I told the staff that MAGSR could take her and that she was leaving the shelter with me, the ladies at the shelter were all in tears with relief. They knew she not only had been saved from euthanasia, but more importantly, she found someone who understands her needs who would help her thrive. So up the road we went with her proudly sitting in the backseat of my truck wondering where we were headed to. True to her will, she was always up for the next challenge. To this day, that entire day lives so vividly in my memory. Fast forward, she was not only in our home as our next foster, she had already nestled her way into our hearts and it didn't take long for us to decide to adopt her. Dogs with drive bring their own set of challenges but in return, provide rewards in so many ways. One of the things that she loved was tracking and she was a natural at it. She taught us a lot about scent detection and it was beautiful to watch her track. You could see her mind working when she was on a mission to find the scent article she was looking for. It was not a job for her. It was fun for her and for us humans to watch. Had she not already been 7 years old or so, she would have made an excellent search and rescue dog, this I am absolutely certain of. But our paths were not meant to cross until it was too late to start that journey together. So we fulfilled her need to work in the way we did. In addition to tracking, she had incredible ball drive and loved to chase and retrieve. She also loved swimming, was an excellent dock diver and loved floating on her raft in the pool or hanging out on the boat. As with just about everything Laci did, as long as it was with us, she loved to ride in the car, eat her meals or meet new people. If I had to describe her in one word, it would be "intense". She did everything with intensity whether it was running full speed for her ball, tracking that scent like the Terminator until she found it or licking our face to show how much she loved us. Laci had such a wonderful, stable minded beautiful spirit. Everyday with her was a gift and there is an enormous void now that she is gone. Memories of her are attached to everything from the most mundane such as her love of ice cubes to the things she loved most in this world which was to enjoy life and celebrate each day. But she left us with an enduring legacy and given our grief, it has taken some time to put this into perspective. When we adopted Maya (who came along after we had Laci for a few years), who was from a hoarding/abuse case, she was so traumatized and unsocialized, she had no idea how to play ball or how to live life in a home. But she quickly found kinship and comfort in Laci and those two became best of buddies. Laci and Maya could frequently be seen snuggling together on a dog bed. Laci taught Maya how to be a dog around us humans. Laci also taught Maya how to play and have fun. Now, after learning from Laci, Maya has developed strong ball drive as well and most recently, we added Zara who has also learned to play ball. In hindsight, we adopted Laci about 8 years ago. But had no idea at the time that her presence might positively affect the lives of those who arrived after her for what hopefully will be another 8 years from now, if not longer. Laci taught us a lot in those years that we had and we shared a lot of beautiful memories together. She taught Maya and Zara how to carry on without her even after she was gone. Unfortunately, we humans are struggling to do the same. But we celebrate Laci's life and beautiful soul each day we play ball in the yard together with Maya and Zara. We owe that to her and that is what she would have wanted. Monty and Sheri  

We adopted Shep on 12/22/13 just before Christmas, the first and only dog my wife and I have adopted together.  From day 1 we changed his name to Ozil and over time he developed a nickname that was eventually shortened to just "D".  In the early part of his life, Ozil and I would go on adventures - long walks through the woods behind my neighborhood, across frozen streams, over railroad tracks and all around my relatively small neighborhood.  Ozil was always mindful of me and so I often walked him with no leash.  He would chase deer, or cats, or foxes, anything he saw.  Because we walked in the early morning it would often lead to me quietly tracking him down in the dark and scolding him.  Ozil and I went to obedience school in his first year and developed a tight bond.  Despite the training, Ozil still did what he wanted and would wait until we left the house to go into rooms he was otherwise not allowed. At one point we taught him how to open doors with his paws.  That only emboldened him further an resulted in a lot of scratched up door.  We eventually had to unteach him that.  He was mostly an unserious goofball. We've lived in the same house since his adoption and Ozil was the unofficial king of the neighborhood.  He was loud and very confident, but also sweet and quite the looker.  In his early days, he got a compliment from a stranger almost every time we walked (in the daylight).  The cats knew him well and took off hiding when they saw him coming down the street.  He spent his time indoors sitting at the front door barking at anything that passed by.   He had a good life, getting 2 walks a day, eating good food, good treats, and often jumping in the car with us to go anywhere it was reasonable.  A couple years ago he was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy and slowly began losing his mobility.  But it didn't stop us from walking completely, just shorter and slower.  Earlier this year, he started having troubles and took a turn in August and did not recover.  Nothing was confirmed, but the vet believed he had pervasive cancer throughout his bowels that took him down just days before his 12th birthday.  He is missed and will be for a while.  

Bosco and his adopted sister Aspen (now 13yo) were taken in as a bonded pair of senior pups by their amazing mom. She welcomed them into her family and planned on ensuring that they lived out their lives in the comfort, peace, and security of her home. Aspen and Bosco were their mom's heart; she loved them beyond words. Knowing she would want them to have a place to grieve, rest, and find comfort and MAGSR's commitment to keeping family together, they were welcomed again back to a MAGSR foster home. Soon after, Bosco joined his mom and crossed the rainbow bridge to watch over Aspen as another angel. Despite both pups seeing so much loss and facing so many challenges in life, Bosco was one of the sweetest, friendliest, and loving dogs. He was very special and just an easy going guy who goes with the flow. He loves the fresh air and a cozy place to hang. He was cherished by everyone, and still is. 

Good afternoon,

We adopted Koda (formerly Goliath) from MAGSR in 2021. Our life was changed forever as if we have got a cloud of glitter and joy and laughs over our heads. His positivity was infectious, his heart was pure and full of love. Koda passed away on October 4th, due to complications from Pneumonia. We are devastated and our world will never be the same. But we are thankful for the opportunity to love him and experience his unconditional love, even if it was way too short. Thank you, MAGSR.

Love,
Vaiva and Leonid Matvyeyev
Mourning mom and dad

I am very sad to share with you that my dear dog Dushko passed over the rainbow bridge suddenly on Wednesday. Dushko was a wonderful, sweet dog, very intelligent with great intuition. He was a great protector, emotional support dog and companion. He was well loved by many and adored by the doggy daycare staff and dogs where he would go weekly. I am grateful for all the unconditional love he gave me and all our walks and chill time in the house. I trust that he is in a lovely doggy heaven now with lots of yummy food, doggie friends, loving humans and lots of space to run free. 

Oliver picked our family on May 12,  2018.  Thank you MAGSR, he was the absolute Best Dog!   It didn’t really hit me that he was gone until this morning. Mornings were always Ollie and my time. He would lay across the top of the stairs, blocking them  until he could get his morning scratches. Then we would go on patrol to  protect Mom’s plants from deer, rabbits and squirrels. We also would walk down to the corner to watch the cars go by. The sun came up this  morning but it seemed a little darker - I miss my friend.

Yesterday, I said goodbye to Hero. Things declined this week, assume the cancer was moving fast, and after consulting with my vet, I concluded that I just couldn’t push Hero to fight anymore – it was enough. I certainly didn’t know the dog that came into my life in 2016 (just temp fostering for the weekend lol), would fill the void the way he did a month after I lost my other GSD, and would be here with me 8 years later with a bond stronger than any other dog I’ve had. I almost lost him in 2018, 2019, and 2022 to ulcers, IBD, etc. but we overcame and got to the other side – Hero fought hard. I couldn’t have done it without the support and patience of my vet who has been with me through many dogs - but my sweet Hero, he touched us both I think in a way I don’t know how to explain .. there’s just something so strong when you fight so hard like with him, until something like this brings it all down. I avoided coming home yesterday as long as possible because I haven’t been dogless in over 20 years - coming home to an empty house with his things everywhere .. it just hits you hard. I absolutely will open my heart again to another dog, because I have a lot to give, but no one will ever take Hero’s place in my heart. He was my amazing miracle and something so precious that I never deserved. #lovehero #everydayisagift

My family adopted our pup, Endy (previously Dana) from your organization about 6 years ago. Endy was an incredible addition to our family, and I’m so sad to say that after a very rapid illness, and despite a very thorough work-up and hospitalization, we had to end her suffering last Friday. I have attached some photos of Endy. We had so many amazing adventures with her. She helped us welcome 2 babies into our home, and fiercely protected her pack. She loved to swim, jump into leave piles in the fall, and get the zombies in the snow. She was the hairiest, most chaotic, and goodest girl, and we will miss her so much. 

We mourn the loss of our big man Jojo on July 13th of this year to a sudden condition we could not have seen coming. Jojo entered our life on March 6th, 2022.  At 10 years old, we expected a mostly chill, sweet old man.  What we got was a sometimes chill, old goofball!  He was so sweet, fun, and silly, everyone who met him fell in love with him.  Well, everyone except some of the neighborhood dogs, who were obviously jealous of his magnificence.

RIP, Zeus on Tuesday July 9, 2024 (fka Rocky, adopted 12/16/2017). You were the goofiest, smartest, most loyal German Shepherd on the planet. Love you and miss you always, my big boy. #magsr    #adoptdontshop My late husband was a Baltimore City K9 officer for 22 0f the 32 years in the department so we have had a succession of German Shepherds (and even a Belgian Malinois) over the years. Zeus, by far, had the biggest and most loving personality. My husband would have loved him.

We are devastated to say that we lost our boy, Tango (Oct 2020), yesterday to splenic hemangiosarcoma. The tumor filled his abdomen, was pushing against his lungs, and he started bleeding internally the night prior. To say he was a trooper is an understatement! Even though he had hip and elbow dysplasia, that didn't stop him from enjoying his favorite activities of chasing the ball and going on long walks with his most favorite person in the whole wide world (me). And though he could barely ever leave my side (velcro dog doesn't even begin to describe it!), he loved our entire family fiercely. He lived a lifetime in the four short years that we had him. He was able to run loose on our 20 acre farm, exploring woods and cooling off in the creeks. He still could win an award for being the most talkative German Shepherd in history! I used to tell people that he had a bark quota that he had to meet daily. The house is now too quiet without him. Our hearts are shattered with how much we miss him.

Tuesday morning (June 11th) I said goodbye to my sweet lily girl (fka Cessna). I've been trying to post this all but it is nearly impossible. She was the sweetest most innocent pup. I am forever grateful to MAGSR for the time I had with her.   My sweet girl