rainbow bridge

Bandit Kilkeary
Rescued November 2006

In October 2006, Bandit sat alone in the Westside shelter, not understanding why is owner did not come to take him home.  One month later, after being rescued by AZGRC, Bandit was in a new home, loved and cared for by his  Dad, Michael.  For the next five years, Bandit was Michael's companion and best friend.  He enjoyed taking short walks and having his very own human to love.  

Unfortunately, our beloved pets don't stay on this earth nearly long enough and in January, Bandit was called across the Rainbow Bridge.  Our hearts go out to Michael because we know the heartache and grief he feels today.  May it comfort you to remember that once Bandit crossed the Bridge, he had no more tumors to weigh him down or give him pain.   Bandit knows he was loved so very much and is free to be young again.  He will be in your heart forever and waiting for you to be with him again.

In deepest sympathy,

Your Friends at AZGRC.

How lucky can a person get?  Back in 2005 I had the opportunity of having a wonderful friend to join me. This four-legged  friend happened to have a great name "Bandit."  Bandit was born in 2000 near November the 10th. He came into my life on November 2005. As soon Bandit entered my home, he started to roll on the carpet. I knew right then that we were made for each other. Bandit has made me a very happy person. His gentle charm was noticed all over the neighborhood as he would take me for a walk. I hope that I have returned as much love as he has to me. I will miss him very much, but I know that he will be waiting for me as I also will be crossing the rainbow bridge one day.
Nelson Kilkeary.

Crossed the Bridge January 2012

Macy Stiff
Rescued September 2011

A Eulogy to the Sunshine Dog
By Katie Stiff

Macy was a summer child
Made of flowers and sun
Who brought light to the winter
When there seemed to be none. 

A clown she played out
In her everyday life
Who made us laugh with her antics
And forget about strife. 

The kindest dog ever known
Her wag never ceased
Happiness spread through her bark
Anger never released. 

She was sweeter than sugar
And more joyful than most
Her love did not falter
Or alter or boast. 

A hard life she’d lived
Full of difficulty and trial
But this did not change her
She was kind all the while. 

A short while she was happy
And gleeful and free
Until sick she became
And her play ceased to be. 

This was supposed to be different
A new beginning for all
Until a grim diagnosis
Built up its high wall. 

It was Stage 5 Lymphoma
With not much chance of survival
Who knew that her death
Would be part of her revival.

We were shocked to discover
With not much to atone
That the terrible disease
Would take one more of our own. 

If anyone deserved least
To suffer through this
It would be our dear Macy
Who’d known little of bliss. 

Everything else
Passes quite like a blur
With no flicker to eyes
And no shine to her fur. 

And then the day came
Unlike days come before
She explained with her eyes
“I can’t fight anymore.” 

Her passing was peaceful
But heartbreaking all the same
She had changed us inside
And brought new life to our days. 

So go tell your best friend,
Your doctor, his wife
How a dog of even hardship
Can impact your life. 

Let them know the main message
The most pleasant of parts
How a dog’s love can repair
The most damaged of hearts. 

Macy Stiff was a Godsend.
The sweetest of friends
But she never did leave us
That kind of love never ends.

Crossed the Bridge January 2012

Beckham Smith
Rescued August 2003

We had no idea when we picked you up in Phoenix, what a gift we had been given.  You were 95 pounds of pure gentleness and love...our gentle giant.  It broke our hearts in early October when we found out that you had a tumor on your brain stem, not even a bad tumor, just in a bad place.  You were so healthy otherwise.  We tried to "extra spoil" you, giving you all kinds of delicious treats (since eating was your favorite thing to do) and taking you on extra special outings.  We thought we might even be blessed to have you until spring, but we were wrong.  On Monday, it broke our hearts to help you cross the rainbow bridge.
We miss your big sad eyes, your huge bear paws, your wonderful hugs and your heart full of love.  Our home is too quiet now.....  
Eight and a half years was not long enough with you sweet boy, but no amount of time would ever be enough.  We know that God loves you even more than we do (hard to imagine) and that he will take good care of you until we are together forever.  You are my very own adorable angel.
We miss you terribly sweet boy and will love you forever...
 
Jayme & Tommy Smith
& brothers Tucker & Enzo
 
Crossed the Bridge January 2012

Bob Ziemer
Rescued January 2011

Bob, One Day Foster, Bob Barker, The Drama King, The Stubborn Old Goat, Bob. All these names were Bob through the almost 12 months that he shared with us. To understand Bob you need to understand his names.

He was an old dog in a kennel at Eastside shelter that AZGRC shelter walkers keep commenting on and sending pictures. He was “mostly” Golden. On the day he came up on the euthanasia list, Lisa and I went to check him out. He definitely was “mostly” Golden. As we took him out of the kennel the first thing we noticed was he had a bobbed tail. Yep, that is how he got the name Bob.

Bob was to be my “one day” foster. When I took him to his foster home, Bob did not click with the resident dog so back to my house he came. Shortly thereafter he was diagnosed with jaw cancer and was given 3 months if we were lucky, to 6 months if we were really lucky. Dr. Remen removed as much of the jaw tumor that he could and Bob became my foster dog.

Bob Barker. Bob did not like being left alone even though there were 3 other dogs that lived with him. He wanted a human to be in his line of sight at all times so he would bark and bark and bark and bark, hence the name Bob Barker.

The Drama King. Besides not liking to be left without a human, Bob was not fond of being touched. He did not cry if a cactus quill got in his paw, he SCREAMED and would not let you help him. He did not whimper when ear drops were put in his ears, he SCREAMED. When he would fall if you went to help him, you got it, he would SCREAM. I worried that the neighbors would think we were doing animal sacrifices at our house with all of Bob’s screaming.

The Stubborn Old Goat.  I guess you could say we are lucky people although I would prefer to use the word blessed. Bob passed the 3 month mark and then the 6 month mark. At about 10 months, Bob was starting to decide that maybe he could start thinking about us as his family. Bob Barker appeared less and less. The Drama King would actually let us help him, touch him and brush him. Unfortunately his jaw tumor had come back with a vengeance.  Dr Remen again removed as much as he could but told me this would be the last time that he could remove it. One month later the tumor was back the biggest it had ever been. I took Bob back to Dr. Remen and explained that Bob was a stubborn old goat that marched to his own drummer and was not ready to cross the Rainbow Bridge. Could we remove the tumor one more time just to give Bob a little more time to prepare to cross the Rainbow Bridge because Bob was so not ready? Bob had the tumor removed one more time with the understanding that it may only be a week or maybe two at best.

Bob. That week or two turned into over a month, Bob made it through Christmas. In that extra time that Bob was given, he became a loving, affectionate, kiss giving, sweet boy. He finally decided we were his family and he was so grateful to us for loving him. On December 29^th, Bob told us that he was ready to cross the Rainbow Bridge. He was 6 days shy of gracing our lives for a year.

Bob you were a quirky, stubborn, funny dog but I love you and miss you.  Rest in Peace sweet boy.

Love

Your Mom

Crossed the Bridge December 2011

Frodo Russell
Rescued August 2010

Frodo came into our lives in August of 2010. It was a typical hot August day when we went to pick him up. His owners had been trying to sell him on Craig's List and I guess since they did not have any luck they turned him in to rescue. Not only was that Frodo's lucky day, but ours as well. Frodo had been kept out in a dirt backyard and was starved for attention. That was the only part of him that was starved, as he weighed 106 pounds. I am sure his coat had been a mess, as they had shaved him down to his skin and he had cuts all over him. He literally looked like a big pig. He was so over weight, we couldn't even tell that he was a male!

He immediately clicked with our other Goldens and just wanted some loving. He happily let us bathe him, and you could almost see the thank you in his eyes. Of course Frodo was suppose to be one of those "fosters" that we would have for a few weeks, but you know how that turned out! He wanted so much to do what the other dogs did, which led him to getting stuck in our dog door! After that, he was afraid of it for awhile even after he started losing weight. And lose weight he did, he finished dieting at 72 pounds! He started twice daily walks, started eating good food and as you can tell by the picture he became a very handsome boy!

Above anything else Frodo wanted to please, and his favorite job every morning was bringing in the newspaper from the end of our long driveway! He loved having a job to do! He was also a world famous cuddler. We only had 16 months with our Mr. January, but he will forever be in our hearts. We hope he knows how much he was loved and what great joy he brought us. Fro - we know you are free of pain and hanging out with Shadow, Phoenix, Duffy, Shiloh and Jesse girl. Until we meet again, we love and miss you.

Mom, Dad, Kelso & Ruby

Crossed the Bridge December 2011

McKenna Louise Jordan

You came to us a beautiful golden ball of fluff, full of mischief.  In your first year, you almost ate your way through the bedroom wall, destroyed at least 20 plants in the backyard, and ate stones and gravel like they were candy treats!   

Although you did graduate with your Canine Good Citizenship, everyone who knew you thought we bribed the trainers.   Oh, you knew all the proper behaviors and commands… you just chose when you would listen to them, which wasn’t very often.

As each year passed, we expected that soon our “perfectly behaved Golden” would emerge.  But somehow, even up to your ninth and final year, you were always the frolicking, silly, nosey, and overly enthusiastic youngster who refused to “grow up”.   And, guess what; we are so very glad you never changed, because you became the Golden who was perfect for us.  

No other dog could frustrate us and then make us laugh like you could.   No other dog could make us want to scold and hug her all at the same time.  And no other dog could have been as gentle as you when playing with your canine brother George, or as patient as you when Mia wanted to play “dress up”.  You were our clown, our “beach bunny”, our beloved companion.

Today, you are back with George, across the Rainbow Bridge.  How we wish we could have seen that reunion!  We are also sure that you’ve met Brandy and Licca and have won them over with your joyous antics.   We picture the four of you all together and it eases our hearts and we smile through our tears.  Someday we will see you again.  Until then, we will hold you in our hearts, right next to your brother and sisters.

With Love

Mom & Dad

Crossed the Bridge December 2011

Mickey Ziemer

Mickey was always a fighter and defied the odds so many times that she became known as a little miracle dog. On November 25^th, the angels welcomed her home. Mickey came into our lives when we went to the shelter in Pennsylvania to donate cans and newspapers. We had decided that we would NOT BEING COMING HOME WITH A DOG! In a kennel isolated behind a door was this little scrappy, flea ridden, terrified dog. The shelter told us that she was a stray that they had been trying to catch for 4 months but she kept eluding them and then when they did catch her, no one could get near her because she would bite. Against their better judgment, they let us into her kennel, where she proceeded to crawl into my husband arms and lick his face.  We were not “small” dog people but Mickey would change that bias. Mickey was the cutest “mutt” I had ever seen, probably part doxie and part cocker spaniel with who knows what added into the mix. She was welcomed into her new pack which included 2 Golden Retrievers, a cat and several birds.  When Jake crossed the Rainbow Bridge, she helped Charlie (Jake’s son) get over his grief and they became best of friends. But her greatest friend in the whole wide world was her Dad. Her Dad could do no wrong and her world revolved around him. I have often told him, “You will never have someone that loves you as much as Mickey”. Mickey went on to beat a type of cancer with a poor prognosis. She lived with Cushing’s disease and congestive heart failure. She had the spirit of a fighter but at age 18, her spirit was still willing but her body had given out.  She may have been the little dog of the house but she was always the “supervisor”. She was welcomed over the Rainbow Bridge by her entourage of big dogs: Jake, Charlie, Daisy, Snoopy, Harley and Bernie.

Mickey, thank you for gracing our lives for 16 years. We miss you so much.

Love,
Mom and Dad

Crossed the Bridge November 2011

Mister Whitlatch
Rescued 2005

Mister came to us with some medical issues and many allergies. He needed special baths and had lumps and bumps all over his body. He was the perfect gentleman all the time. He didn’t play much and sometimes it was hard for him to get around but he was always there for food and many times could be seen with his face in the dog food bin. Eventually we found the right food for him and his allergies became less of a problem. He loved to be petted and brushed. No matter how much he ate, he still lost weight. His fur grew back and was begging to be groomed. He followed me all around the house and at night was next to my bed.

One night I woke up to a thumping under the bed. Mister had crawled under the bed but could not get back out. I do not know who was more scared me or him. I was getting ready to call for help when I was finally able to leverage the bed up and pull him out. We got him a special harness to wear because sometimes his legs could just not hold him up and other days he was the first out the door.

Mister turned 14 while he was with us and all of the pack shared in the party and goodies. One afternoon his legs gave out again and we thought it was just another bad day. But Mister knew it was time to go. We all cried when it came time for him to cross the Rainbow Bridge. It was extremely hard for all of us.

He became a member of our family just before he crossed over. He had a loving family help him on his trip, and eventually we will all be together again.

With Love Forever,
Mom Joy, Sister Mollie and Brother Bobbie

Crossed the Bridge November 2011