Sweet Jade, a 10-13 year old senior, who clearly had a hard life was rescued on May 25, 2011 from the pound. She had arrived there as a stray. On June 4th, Jade was making her way to one of our fosters. During transport, she became extremely ill. We were unable to save her and said goodbye to her in the afternoon. Many thanks Elizabeth and Debbie, and all others that were involved with helping her. Thank you to the vet staff at Monticello and the Emergency Vet Clinic in Charlottesville. May you now feel peace and comfort dear Jade.

Just a little preface.. these 3 dogs are very special to me as I adopted Dillon and Jet to my dear friends Bill and Cathy. Dillon became the spokesdog for rescue and for his breed - German Shepherds. Little did I know he would become so special. Thank you to Bill and Cathy for giving these dogs a wonderful life! Libby We adopted Destiny in July 1998---born Dec 1997 to May 10, 2011 We adopted Dillon in Nov 1999---born Feb 1998 to Feb 18, 2011 We adopted Jet in Jan 2001 but foster in Dec 2000---born Dec 1999 to Apr 20,2011. Cathy

Little Lucky was about 15 yr old when picked up and taken to the Humane Society. He was so matted with feces and urine, they had to shave him down. A rescuer took him out to help him but then returned him back to the Humane Society thinking his chances of a home were better there.... when we walked into the shelter and saw this pitiful little soul, we couldn't leave him.. He was taken in by one of our fosters and was starting to turn around when all of a sudden he started withering away.. and with sadness we said goodbye to this little one. Hopefully he will be running and playing happily now and not remembering his horrible life.

I'm sad to report that Rose died on May 5th, 2011. It was fast - she was her normal self on Tuesday, she started vomiting and stopped eating and drinking Wednesday, and an x-ray on Thursday revealed a very large cancerous mass on her spleen. When I took Rose to the vet Thursday morning, she was awake but lethargic to the point of being non-responsive to all stimuli that would normally bother her - the car ride, other dogs, a strange place. She was clearly ready to go. My husband left work and was with me when Rose was euthanized. For having spent only six months in our home, our family was deeply enamored with Rose. Even her excessive slobbering at the water bowl and exuberant barking at the back yard squirrels gave us joy. (Ok - her incessant attempts to eat the guinea pigs WAS admittedly annoying!) We miss her. None of the pictures capture the happy, tail-wagging, "I'm so happy to see you!" Rose that we ache for today. We are heavy hearted, and yet that pain has a sweetness to it - the flavor of deep love. Sweet Rose was a gift to our family. We will always be grateful for our time with her. Joanne, Wes, Adrian, and Bella