In Memory Of...
We created this page as a Rainbow Bridge, to remember those pets that we have lost. Any dogs that have been adopted from us, and have passed away for whatever reason, will be posted if you send us a picture and a story.
If you have lost another pet, that is not one of our rescues, we will still post them here. We ask a donation, of any amount, to help us save other dogs. Please use the paypal button below, and mark is as a donation to the In Memory Of page.
Toby Wan Kenobi and Koda
Toby... was my child. I rescued him from abuse and neglect, and helped him to become the best dog in the world. He went everywhere with me, slept between my legs, knew what I was thinking and was the best listener. He was there for me through so many things, and he was the light of my life, my heart and my soul. He wasn't just my dog, or my pet, he was my child, my life. He used to love to chase his sister, a Husky named Koda, around the yard and at the dog park. He loved to run in circles, and was a horrible beggar who more often than not got food because he was so cute. He was a cuddlebug, a sweetheart, and was forever grateful to me for bringing him into my life and showing him the love he deserved. He showed me this every single day. He loved the conversation heart candies, and he loved peanut butter. He also loved his Christmas tree toy, and his blanket, and loved to play with our cats. He was never mean. He was the sweetest, most loving, loyal dog I had ever met. He died tragically in a house fire at just 3 years old, along with his sister Koda, who was just 8 months old. They will both forever be missed, and will forever be in my heart and soul.Toby... I love you. You were my everything. Words can not describe the pain I feel, the loss, the absolute emptiness now that you're gone. I don't want to do anything, I don't want to eat, I can't sleep... I know you're happy, and safe, and you died without pain, and this helps me go on. I love you, my little Toby won, and we all miss you.
And Koda... you were a baby, just 8 months old. You were the answer to Chris's prayers... he had wanted a husky his entire life, and I got you for him for his birthday. It was a surprise, he walked out that door and there you were... he loved you, so much. So very much. And even though you got in the garbage, and tore the house apart, we still loved you and miss you. Jareth the kitten misses being picked up by the head and carried around, because you thought he was your baby. And Moose misses you... he keeps going into the room where you and Toby died, and just staring at the floor before his tail drops between his legs and he slinks away.
We miss you both, we all do. You were the lights of our lives, and we will never, ever forget you.
Mommy loves you.
Toby's Rainbow Bridge Page
You never knew about the dangers of the big wide world. You knew the happy things like butterflies and birdy wings. Flowers make you sneeze and plastic gives you bumps but bubbles and sticks that you never quite brought back made you jump for joy. Ice cubes on hot days and running with the boyz, these things made you happy and we never knew they would be so brief. We miss you Hershey girl, Emily most of all- I think, no I know. You were her little girl, her furbaby sister. She had such plans for you and her entering the big wide world together and now there are only memories and dreams of what might have been.
Hershey, sweet and shining, laughing, running. Trying to fly like the birdies do, flapping your ears so hard and launching off the hill, never giving up hope that one day you'd make it to the sky. You showed us that life is a gift and taught us that each day should begin and end with butt wiggle worthy expectations. I am sad to have lost you but, in an odd way, happy that you had a big adventure. You never saw the car as you ran home to us. He never stopped-though our hearts did and we asked each other, "How can this be?", through our tears.
We buried you behind the garden where the birds and butterflies go and where we can watch over you in death as we could not do in life. I know you would not like it, us being sad but you will have to forgive us if we are for a little while at least. I know you are happy. We have thought, Emily and I, about how happy Ingmar, Honore and Idal must be to see you. We picture the four of you running through the feilds o're the bridge and we know that you are teaching them all about the world and how beautiful it is. You saw it that way every day. We were so honored and blessed to have you in our lives and we will miss you but we will never forget, even when things hurt so much, that you, above all else, asked only that we remember the joys in life no matter how small. We will chase the butterflies and smell the flowers, and we will think of you.
Hershey left this world at 8:52 on August 7, 2010. One minute left alone (a moment I will regret for a long,long time) and a broken collar was all that it took to lose our precious little one. She was struck by a driver and killed on impact. The driver never stopped.
Thank you, everyone, for allowing us to welcome Hershey into our lives if even for a little while. She was a joy and a delight and I will miss her very much.
Karen S.
Older Pups - July 1, 2010
These puppies are on borrowed time! They are slotted to be put down on 7/1/10. Nobody wants them because some are a little older and they are mixed breeds and darker colors. We would like to take them. Can you help by sponsoring, fostering, or adopting.
Alden is in the main photo and he is only 8 weeks! The rest below are between 4 and 5 months....a PERFECT age. No reason to pass these precious ones up!
The "D" Litter - July 1, 2010
NAME: The “D” Litter
ANIMAL ID: 10831641, 1644, 1638, 1631, 1628, 1615
BREED: mixes
SEX: 3 males and 3 females
EST. AGE: 8 wks
EST. WEIGHT: 4 lbs
Boog - RIP 5/16/10
Rest in Peace Boog.
Litter of Six - RIP 5/16/10
RIP little ones.
Molly
You will always be my favorite. Thank you so much for saving me from my fear of dogs. I’m sorry I didn’t like you when we first got you; I was scared of you even though you were just a baby. Max misses you everyday. He loves you still and I know he thinks about you all the time. He’s so lucky to have known you. I know you loved him a lot. I miss the sound of you walking with your bowl in your mouth and your food falling all over the floor leaving a trail everywhere you went. I miss waking up to you crying at my bed waiting for me to feed you. I miss watching you sleep, you always looked so peaceful. I miss coming home and seeing you. I know you were in pain Molly, and it was your time to go- I just wanted you with me forever. You are my heart and always will be. A day will never go by that I don’t think about you.
Mommy and Daddy miss you…… Leah and Johnny miss you…..
Grandma & Grandpa too!
Thanks for all the memories you gave us Molly. You’re our guardian angel now.
I love you, forever.
Elizabeth
Hey Boy
Hey Boy was found wandering on an elderly gentleman's farm. So the guy loaded him into his truck to drive him drove him to the shelter. The shelter manager seen them pull up and said that Hey Boy was riding in the passenger seat as if it was his car and he had been privy to riding in the front seat all his life. The man was actually going to keep him until he found out he was heartworm positive. Some one did end up adopting Hey Boy from the shelter (before they changed their heartworm policy) and now brought him back due to financial distress.
Hey Boy is seven years old, has nails that curl under, heartworms, and possibly has cancer as well. He does not like cats and can be picky about other dogs.
We know he is a tough sell.
BUT....Hey Boy is active, he is friendly, he loves people, and he LOVES his own special chair.
RIP Hey Boy. We saw the wonderful dog inside you, it's a shame others didn't as well.
Goober
In terms of donations not all funds were used since Goober died so quickly so we will be transferring that to Devon who does not have much money in his heartworm fund.
This adorable beagle/basset was taken in by Help Save One and was pulled from a gassing shelter on what was to be his last day of life. He was in a kennel and then a foster home but needed a more permenant place since no one ever inquired on him to adopt. A rescue friend of ours took him in about 2 months ago and quickly fell in love. A family came by to see him for an adoption. As soon as they looked at him the lady exclaimed "Ewwww......he has BEAGLE in him......no thank you" and off the family walked away.
Goober kind of looked at his foster mom with some big sad eyes and she made a promise to him that he would someday get a home and she loves he has Beagle in him...it makes him all the more sweet.
Goober has recently stopped eating so he went to the vet a few times and he does have a mass in his stomach. Goober does not have much time. This mass could just be something stuck in the belly, it could be the other testicle that did not descend and is not interfering, or it could be cancer. He can not be moved out of state and needs his care to continue. He is getting around the clock care but this endeavor is expensive.
Recently the other rescue he went to has had alot of special needs cases and seeing as how Goober is so sick they will need to euthanize if the funds can not be raised as Goober either needs to move forward with the next phase of his treatment or be placed out of his misery.
Can you help Goober? All funds will go directly to the vet and for Goober's care so we set up a specific Chip In just for him.
Dimp
Sadly Dimp has lost his battle and has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. He will be missed and never forgotten.
8/2 Update:
On 8/1 Dimp jumped on HSO's transport and is on his way. He needs alot of medical and we have already received $200 in generous donations. Dimp needs heartworm treatment, a special diet, neutering once his heartworm is cleared up, and then transport to a forever home. We estimate the cost at $600 and have set up a special fund below just for Dimp. We transferred any previous donations for him into the below fund and it is reflected in the total.
7/28 Update:
Dimp is high heartworm positive and his time is up. He was found kicking around the streets of TN and obviously had been living on the streets for awhile as he does have a high heartworm antigen. Poor guy. He is just 17 pounds....well I know I am asking for a miracle but maybe together we can save him. He needs heartworm treatment and after that he will need to be neutered.
The shelter loves him but they can not keep him there. He will be put down if we can't step up for him. Beagles can live long productive lives. Dimp just may have 5 or 6 more good years in him!
Mazzy
We had Mazzy on hold and she was coming to us this Friday. Unfortunately she had ringworm and the shelter euthanized her. The shelter manager was away and it was out of her hands.
We would of taken Mazzy with ringworm and treated it. I would of taken Mazzy if she was heartworm positive and had 3 legs. None of that matters now. She is gone.
Please look below at the many who still have a chance.
Rest in peace Mazzy.
Aiden
He waited..... no one came. We wish we could of pulled you sooner. We wish you had an owner who cared for you. We wish you were not abandoned. We wish we could of been there for you when you needed us. We hope you are at peace.We hope you crossed Rainbow Bridge and are playing. Out of the shelter.Out of the confusion, loss, and abandonment you must of felt.
It is dogs like you Aiden that make us keep doing what we do. We run this rescue in the memory of the dogs we could not save.
Rest in Peace Little Ones....
His words to me were that these little pups got off to life on the wrong foot. They do not have the energy nor the immune system to fight the parvo infection and are very sick. If they had a chance we would treat them - upon the advice of the vet we have opted to humanely euthanize so they can stop suffering.
This is never the outcome we want but the puppies below at least did not die in a gas chamber. They will leave this world with dignity and in the care of people who only wants what is best for them.
Bingo, Bladen, Blissful, Bashful, Braden, and Benji - Good Bye and we are sorry you did not have an owner to protect and love you and keep you safe. By the time I am done writing this you will already have crossed Rainbow Bridge and will be healthy and with the others. Hopefully you will finally get to just be happy carefree puppies.
Aurora - Chained Dog
This afternoon, a family brought in their 10 month old female golden retriever mix, Aurora. They told us that they had Aurora chained up in their backyard, when, last week, she got tangled up in the chain. Since then, she has been unable to walk or stand. Aurora remained in their backyard with no medical care for an entire week.
The family asked for Aurora to be euthanized. Aurora was examined and it was found that her back was broken. She had no feeling in her back legs and could not stand. We came to the conclusion that it would be the kindest thing for Aurora to be euthanized.
At 3:45 PM on 7/8/09, Aurora crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She is now running and jumping once again. Please pass this on as a reminder to everyone not to chain their dogs. Do not let Aurora’s death be in vain—let her story live onin order to keep other dogs safe. We are heartbroken.
- The Staff of Greenville County Animal Care Services
Betsy
This morning, we were asked to take 4 tiny pups and in the process of discussing transport and vetting options they disappeared from the shelter website. All pups were gassed during a conversation about pulling them.
On another note, we have pulled Maze in Betsy's place. He is an elderly blind Basset Hound who has much life left in him. Below is his photo. We will NOT let Betsy die in vain. Her life was precious and Maze will live because of Betsy. Its sad she is gone and its hard to grasp the method in which she was put down but Betsy is at peace now and at least will never find herself in a shelter ever again. Maze's photo is below!!!
Miss Sue
Betty (Boop)
Those few months I spent with Betty taught me an awful lot. I used to sit on my back porch with her in my arms and cry because her life must of been so bad. I told her I was sorry she ended up in a high kill shelter in the condition she was in. I woudl close my eyes and cover my ears and imagine what it felt like to have nothng familiar around you. Betty's favorite thing to do was to be held by me.
That's about all I can write about our time together - I am already in tears. She made such a huge "paw print" on my heart and I will never be the same. Many people told me "She should be put down" - well I will tell you Betty had life in her and she was VERY independant. She left this world on her terms.
Thank you Friends of Homeless Animals for seeing in Betty what I was able to see in her as well.
Betty passed away in July of 2008. I rarely talk about Betty, anyone who has lost a pet knows how it hurts. I do write about her often though. One of the nicest gifts I was ever given was a painting of Betty that Meg (Help Save One's VP) had an artist do for me. I have attached it here along with another picture of Miss Betty who will never be far from my thoughts.
Marissa
President
Help Save One, Inc
Igma, Honore, and Idal
Igma, Honore, and Idal Have Passed - 5/9/09 - 2PM
Igma, Honore, & Idal have lost their battle: At 1:45PM Igma lost her battle. The vet was still unclear on what it was but he believes a viral infection of some sort was attacking her. Honore and Idal have also succumbed shortly after Igma. It took their lives very quickly and we did opt to do the most humane thing we could by them. All three were suffering and not responding to any fluids or medication. They had no white blood cell counts at all.
At this time the bills for the three of them have topped $2000 and they still did not make it.
Henrika, their littermate, is fine and doing well. It would be mean alot to us if we could pay these outstanding bills and it not affect our ability to pull urgents.
________________________________________________________________________________
Igma is fighting for her life - 5/9/09 - 7AM
*Idal and Honore are also in the same boat now. The vet still does not know what type of infection this is. We may have no choice soon for the other two. A few days at the Emergency Vet for all 3 is close to $6000 and they require 100% down. Its so tough because they need to figure out what is making these little ones so ill - will keep everyone updated*
This has been a horrible month for Help Save One.
We have been faced with such heartbreak of the loss of our 23 puppies from exposure at a shelter, had to make the decision that Piglet will need to be put down next week due to his inevitable decline, and now Igma is fighting for her life.
Igma is a small brindle mixed breed puppy who has stolen our hearts. She was struggling with health issues and ended up at the E/R vet last night. She tested negative for all the usual ailments so the vets just do not know what is wrong with her but feel it is some type of infection and with proper medical care she can pull through.
We have been faced with just one crisis after another and really need help with Igma. Her estimate was $3000 and our finds from the urgent dog fund have been depleted a great deal.
I am sending out this plea in the hopes that everyone could consider making a $5 donation we could help Igma pull through this.
One thing about Help Save One is that when we commit to a dog we try to our best to see them through any tough times they have. Igma sat in a kill shelter, endured a 22 hour transport up here, and now knows the love and kindness of her foster home. She deserves this chance.
Please email me directly at info@helpsaveone.org if you need details on the vet hospital, contact info, and phone number.
I set up a fund just for Igma at http://www.helpsaveone.org/urgent-and-available-dogs.html.
Her donation tracker is right at the top and I will be updating the site today several times so everyone can follow her story.
Thank you all so much and remember even $1 at this point makes a difference. We want to see Igma through this - she could have 15 happy years ahead of her.
Missy
Hi Marissa,
I wanted to let you know how happy Missy was while we had her for the last two months. I have attached a couple of pictures of her, we have spoiled and enjoyed her so much.
We just came back from our vet after reviewing the x-rays. Unfortunately, we just made the decision to have her put to sleep just a couple of minutes ago. She was hit by a car yesterday and left us with the only option to have her put down as her two back legs were completely broken away from her spine and pelvis. We are so devistated, this is one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make. The chances that she could ever walk again on her two hind legs is so slim, unless we spend thousands of dollars to have her bones surgically repaired, we don't have the money to do this. We were told that she would be in constant pain. There is a tiny chance that mother nature could miraculously heal her but after looking at the x-rays and hearing the choices, there really is no chance. Do you think we made the right decision? Our hearts are broken, she is such a big part of our family. Our other dog, Babe, so loved this dog as well, she actually thought she was Missy's mother.
Thanks again for introducing us to this wonderful dog.
Pam Parah
22 Puppies from Shelter - May 2009
Help Save One is currently dealing with the loss of 22 puppies at a shelter we work very closely with. These puppies had been vetted, altered, and were ready to head out on a journey to start their new lives. Unfortunately in the room these puppies were boarding in a puppy broke with the parvo virus and following shelter protocol the shelter had no choice but to do what is called a "clean kill" in order to rid the room of any disease. On the suspicion of exposure to this virus all puppies were put down. We lost Sumpter, Una, Ida, Willy, Billy, Jilly, Dilly, George, Gina, Gerald, Simpson, Koda, Judd, Inn, Twilight, Twiggs, and all nine pit bull puppies that made up the Rainbow Litter. No vet will sign off on a health certificate for a dog that was exposed to parvo. There simply was no choice in the matter.
We are of course devastated. While we know the reasoning behind having to put them down it does not change the fact that we keep thinking about how great their lives could of been. Koda was off to live with a wonderful supporter of Help Save One who saved Tracey, the 13 year old Doxie. Willy, Simpson, and Judd were off to live with a wonderful lady who is the sister of a long time supporter of HSO and our VP of Fundraising & Awareness.We are aware we are not the only ones. Other rescues lost their puppies as well and, while it is tragic, Help Save One has committed to trying to save one puppy for each one lost. We are rolling out our Puppy Rescue Mission and are in the process of posting 25 puppies that have been vetted and quarantined at a shelter in TN that has run out of room. We are throwing ourselves into this task and our goal is to save EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM. Your support in this is needed and appreciated.
Red Bull is the only puppy of ours to make it out as he was in another room. He truly does have wings and is headed off to his home.
If you can please support our mission by clicking on the Puppy Rescue Mission fund below which is replacing our urgent dog fund for the next few days.
If you click on the icon below you can hear the music we chose for this memorial. It is a song called "The Power of Two" by the Indigo Girls. Seems like an unlikely choice but there is a line in this that says " If we ever leave a legacy its that we loved each other well". That's really what its all about. If you are in rescue and ever wonder why you drive a beat up car, never have money, and subject yourself to heartbreak everyday I remind myself its for the dogs who end up making it out. At the end of the day nothing material matters. In the final moments before we leave this life our bank account, car model, square footage on our home, or what clothes we wore I do not think will run through our mind. I think you reflect on if you lived your life in a way that mattered.
None of us are doing these dogs a "favor" - we try to give them what they DESERVE which is a life free of neglect, pain, and suffering and full of love, happiness, and freedom.
Thank you,
Help Save One, Inc
Ginger
Cher
Cher (sister to Andy-see below) had a sad start to life. When she arrived with her siblings there was 13 of them and only 4 made it. Most of them were under a pound, malnourished, and on the brink of death. They were rescued from a situation of neglect.
Cher is now healthy after 2 months in foster care and much vetting. She has no lasting effects and is 100% ready for her new home.
Leslie Bean
Leslie Bean - Crossed over Rainbow Bridge 4/15/10
Leslie passed away this morning, we still do not know what it was from. She went to the vet who prescribed medication for the tremors about a day and a half ago and then she appeared to be doing better, this morning she had seizures again and died on the way to the vet. Leslie was an overbred, throw away from Georgia who know one seemed to care about until she reached us. We hope she knew her foster mom in NH cared for her and we also hope she knows that the people who were caring for her the last two days also cared. I am sure someone was waiting for Leslie at Rainbow Bridge and she has already crossed over and this life that was not kind to her is in the past now.
Little Leslie Bean is KID, CAT, DOG, and BIG PEOPLE proof! She loves them all.
She is a small dog (no more than 25 pounds) and is heartworm negative. You can tell she has been bred over and over again so this kid has not had a good life but is COMPLETELY a love bug. 2 years old.
Cry Baby Bumpkin-Tiny female RIP crossed Rainbow Bridge 5/27/10 - Just too little to be without her mom at such a young age.
Speedy - Senior Female - Chihuahua REST IN PEACE 6/22/10
