Sad News

Frances passed away two weeks ago just shy of her 11th birthday. She was in perfect health until the last hours when she suddenly went into shock and organ failure from apparent splenic tumor rupture and was euthanized peacefully and with great dignity - which was also how she lived her life. She matured into the loveliest disposition I have ever known in a dog: intelligent, playful, humorous, lively, but with the deepest sense of respect and responsibility to all other creatures. She was such a happy dog who brought such joy to so many. Thank you for bringing her into my life and so many others.   Kristin    

 With extreme sadness, I want to tell you that we had to send Jasper to the Rainbow Bridge this morning, after 9 months of his struggles with DM. Complications due to DM and the horrible impacts it had on his ability to move and relieve himself got to the point where he was no longer able to control his bowels.  His hind legs became completely non-functional.   He was a great dog and we'll miss him dearly.  We had three wonderful years with him, albeit a short period of time. My heart is broken and our house feels empty without him.  Our veterinarians at Bayside Animal Medical Center in Severna Park, Dr. Oliver and Dr. Buchanan got to know Jasper quite well up until the very end, as we did everything we could to make sure he was as comfortable and healthy as possible, and received the best medical care we could provide.  Jasper was very special to us and we developed a very special bond.  Near the end today, as he was being sedated prior to the final shot, I laid next to him and, while stroking his head and telling him what a good boy he was, he gave me two gentle kisses on my cheek.  I have a huge hole in my heart right now and it's going to take me time to heal from this loss.  Today I cried and cried.  Losing a dog like Jasper to DM, a very cruel disease, hurts.  I watched Jasper decline physically over time, while mentally he remained alert and aware of his surroundings.  His brain was all there until the end, but he was robbed of his physical abilities to enjoy life the way a dog deserves to.  Here's an attachment picture of Jasper that we took today before taking him to our vet: And lastly, I want to thank you for giving us the opportunity to adopt Jasper and make him a part of our family.  Although there is pain in losing him, I'd like to think that our reward lies in giving dogs like Jasper a loving home and a chance to live a good life.  

It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that we had to say our goodbyes to Jessie yesterday evening.  Over the past weekend, her quality of life took a turn south as she lost majority control of her back legs, lost her appetite, and started to visibly look distressed and in discomfort.  We consulted with our vet and it was mutually agreed that it would be the right time to assist her in crossing the rainbow bridge peacefully with the love of her family next to her.   A tribute to Jessie:  After 9 years of having a dog in the house, it is extra quiet today. We'll miss her excitement to see us as we walked in the door, how she always wanted to lay in our daughter's room at bedtime, her pauses to lean on you during walks, and how she needed to do her bedtime treat routine before she would settle down. Until we meet again, love you forever, Jessie dog.  April 12, 2014 (adoption) - June 12, 2023.    Matthew and Megan

I am writing to inform you of the passing of Kaia, who we adopted in September, 2014 when she was about 8 months old.  Kaia was so sweet and gentle. We learned pretty quickly that Kaia was afraid of men.  It took about 3 weeks of working with her daily, for her to get used to my husband.  We also learned pretty quickly how stubborn she was, especially when we would come home from work and find she had broken out of her crate. This occurred for many days until we finally got rid of the crate.  She did much better without it. Kaia and our other dog, Nya, were about one year apart and bonded instantly.  They were inseparable. Kaia loved to run and play.  Her favorite pastime was eating.  She loved her food and had a bottomless pit.  But most of all, she loved her squeaky toys.  The louder the better, which is often how she greeted us in the morning. We were blessed to have 9 years with her.  Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with lymphoma in December, 2022. We were told she had about 3-6 months.  She lost her fight on June 8, 2023.  She passed peacefully knowing she was loved. Our hearts are broken and we miss her tremendously. Thank you MAGSR for bringing us our sweet angel. Kathy & Lenny

Bria was almost 15 when we made the impossibly difficult decision yesterday. She was such an angel who blessed us by joining our family just shy of 14 years ago. She had so many nicknames, Bree Bree, Fuzzybutt, Precious, Wooly Mammoth, Sweet Girl and so many more. She was a gentle giant who loved us endlessly. A million thanks to magsr for allowing us to be her forever family.

I write to you to inform you that our beloved Thor has passed away and crossed the rainbow bridge. In May of 2014 we adopted Thor from MAGSR. He was my soul dog, my partner in crime, and most importantly my son.  Thor  was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy this past year. I believe his organs failed last night. He batted to the end and hid his problems from us. My family would like to thank you for allowing us to have him. We spoiled him for the last decade.  The Urbaniaks

I am writing to inform you of the passing of Mal (fka Malakai) on 3/29/23, who passed away due to kidney failure. Mal had two brothers who were rescued from a farm where they were left to fend for themselves, and all were adopted out by MAGSR. His brother Jasper was adopted about a week before I adopted Mal, and we met his other brother Herb at a MAGSR reunion picnic.  Although Mal seemed to have a sibling rivalry with his brothers, he was the most even keeled GSD I have ever met, taking all of life's ups and downs in stride with no complaints. He had many human and canine family members and friends in the neighborhood who cared about him deeply. He was very loved by the staff at his doggie daycare, who became like his second family. While a lot of training was required to break his bad habits from his past for him to transition to living as an inside dog, the one phrase he always responded to from the beginning is "Mal's a good boy". He certainly was all of that and then some. I feel fortunate to have been able to give Mal 6+ years of friendship, companionship and love, and I hope he feels the same. Mal will be sorely missed.

Good morning. Reece [Burke] was a German Shepherd/Malamute mix that was owned by Wayne (Mitch) and Gail Burke. She was adopted from your organization many years ago when they lived in Timonium. Reece was 13 1⁄2 years old and in seriously failing health and Mitch and Gail had her put to sleep on Friday. Our entire family is mourning her loss. She was a wonderful dog that gave them and the rest of the family much love and joy during her life with Mitch and Gail. We would like the donation to be specifically used for your "Sammy's Place" fund to support senior dogs.  If possible, please show that the donation was made by the following people:  Ann & Bob Riemer 
Jane Garvey & Mike Millson along with Winston and Mama 
Betty, Pat & Echo Murphy   

I wanted to make you aware of the passing of our beloved Max who we adopted from you in July of 2016. Max went to the Rainbow Bridge on March 24, 2023. Even though Max suffered from debilitating disc disease, he rebounded well after surgery last summer for a ruptured disc only to rupture another soon after that was inoperable. We are grateful for our beloved Max. He is forever my wingman. Many thanks to MAGSR for bringing Max to us Martha Spencer

Unfortunately, I have to report that our handsome dog Titan passed away on March 14, 2023. He gave us five wonderful years of love, loyalty and entertainment. He was very happy, active, and seemed healthy right up to the end. Turned out he had pancreatic cancer, which ruptured, and he suddenly died. There were no symptoms. We miss him terribly. For his human parents, Titan was a big lovable teddy bear who loved affection and any attention. He was big, handsome and smart, with large wonderful fluffy paws, which he would willingly shake. He loved his people and his canine siblings. Titan and our other dog Floyd would play every day, including chasing each other around the woodshed. Titan instinctively trusted his human parents, but trusted only his human parents. He feared everyone else and everyone else feared him. Titan was large with a ferocious bark. We could not socialize him with anyone, which made family gathering difficult. But we loved him and miss him terribly. Titan knew he was loved and in a safe forever home. Although he only trusted mom and dad, Titan did eventually learn to trust his vet and his kennel staff. Titan took his watchdog job VERY seriously, protecting us from all manner of dangerous threats; squirrels, chipmunks, bunnies, crows, deer, mowers, leaf blowers, string trimmers, guests, and of course delivery drivers. For five years, Titan saw our neighbors every day, and for five years, Titan barked at our neighbors every day. Titan did have a number of challenges including massive fur which required frequent attention, skin allergies which we finally had under control, ear infections, and knee surgery. One of my favorite memories; whenever I would step out of the house into the backyard, Titan would be right there at my side, looking up at me earnestly as if to say “Dad, what do you need me to do? I’m ready, should I bark at something?” With Titan, we took the good with the bad, and never regretted it for a moment. He gave us five wonderful years of love, loyalty and fun. And we think we gave Titan five good years in return. Thanks and Regards,
George Schmidt

We adopted Arya from MAGSR in 4/2013( actually she adopted us), as from the first time she came to meet us she placed herself on top of her new dad’s feet and looked up at him as to say, “Hey I’m yours now”. She spent 9 years with us and we were so blessed to have her. She was so smart and very sweet but she was also protective of her family. Her nightly sleeping spot was in front of our door despite having a comfy bed. She lived her usual life up until her passing with the exception of slowing down a little on her walks. She loved her humans and had her routine with each of us. The one thing I am grateful for is that because of COVID I now work remotely and I was able to spend every day for the last 2 1/2 years with her during her golden years. She will be missed always! Thank you MAGSR for giving us such a precious gift! The Abeyta family.
 

My name is Elke Anthony, I adopted a male shepherd named Lord (he was renamed Buddy) about 7 years ago. Unfortunately he became sick and ending up having a brain tumor. He passed away this Saturday from continuous seizures. He was a good dog and companion. I will deeply miss him. Thanks for allowing me to adopt him.   Elke Anthony

I’m sorry to say that I’m writing you with sad news today. On June 4th, 2016 I rescued Courage from you, (though you had him down as Jedi originally).

Yesterday, we had to say goodbye and put him to rest as age finally caught up to him. He has been truly amazing and I thank you for allowing me to give him his fur-ever home.

Thank you,
Domingo Retana

On February 6, 2023, Bayli crossed the rainbow bridge.  She has been missed truly every minute of every day since then. She will always be missed because we lost a part of us when she left. Bayli was our best friend, baby, and dog soulmate, and losing her has been so painful because of all the joy that she brought into this world.  Bayli came home with us on September 12, 2015 from MAGSR.  When we first took her home, she was fearful and anxious, especially of men. In just a few short months she grew into a confident girl. In her early years she loved going for long walks and as she got older and her mobility decreased, she was completely content to lounge around and snuggle. Above all, Bayli loved being with her family, cookies, and laying in her bed (not necessarily in that order).  She knew what life was all about. While there is heartbreak, we are so hopeful when we see adoption stories on MAGSR because we know someone is just beginning their happy journey.  We are forever grateful to MAGSR for giving us the chance to know and love her and be loved by her. 

Losing Riley has been very difficult for us. We adopted her from you in May 2016. From the second she jumped in our truck it was like she had always been with us. She came into our home and went right to the bed we purchased for her. That evening she came up with us to go to bed and immediately walked over and curled up on hers. She slept through the night without issue. She was so amazing and we loved her with all of our heart. She loved to be out on the porch or on the deck and looked forward to evenings around the fire pit and she loved her walks. She was so much more to us than a pet; she was family.  We love to vacation in a cabin over in Virginia and we always took her with us. We have not been the past two years because Riley’s degenerative myelopathy made the three hour drive too difficult for her and we would not leave her behind.  On January 16th we had to say goodbye to our sweet girl. It was the hardest thing we have ever done. We know in our heart of hearts if she could say anything to us she would tell us to do for another dog what we did for her. Our hearts just are not ready right now. She truly was our world. We thank MAGSR for the opportunity to have her in our lives. We appreciate all you do for so many dogs in need of love, affection, and a good home.

We are forever grateful,

Lora and John Wakefield