Hank
We are so sad to tell you Hank passed away peacefully at home this afternoon, after a 6 month battle with cancer. Palliative radiation, a few chemotherapies, and excellent Western and Eastern medicine kept him comfortable and with us as long as possible. He was 11 1/2. Hank came to live with us 3 years ago from German Shepherd Rescue in Raleigh. He was a survivor of many things-8 plus years of neglect before being rescued and placed with the rescue group, heart worms, heart worm treatment, and most recently this past February, gastric dilation volvulus (commonly known as "twisted stomach"), which he recovered from fully. He had the protection gene for sure, but he was a gentle soul. He was always so tolerant of his two cats, although we believe they taught him the bad habit of walking under your feet, and he was very gentle with children and toddlers who wanted to pet him. He learned the joys of walking in the creek from his dog friend Catch, he experienced excellent hikes, mountains, rivers, lakes, snow, and even the beach. He enjoyed socializing at the dog park and was interested in meeting all dogs, big and small. As old as he was, I wish you could have seen his face when he made the acquaintance of a female Great Dane towering a foot taller over him!! His expression was priceless. Too funny. We like to say he had a personal masseuse, chef, driver, and access to the best and (free to him) medical care. He had his own Tempurpedic bed right beside ours. In return, he gave us probably the most gratifying 3-years of our life. Enthusiastic, always happy to see us, eager for a cookie or a car ride, a head rub or a kind word. A constant companion who needed to be in the same room with you always. We could trust him to stick around near us on hikes and at the house, he was fairly Velcro, and we didn't have to worry he'd wander. He had an extended pack including my brother and mother, who were very important in helping watch over Hank when both Rick and I had to work on the same day. He either got checked on or went to one of their houses for "daycare". He was a busy dog with lots of jobs to do! We will miss him terribly and are grateful for every day we had with him. Thanks to all of you who knew him and were part of his life, who rubbed his head, who told him how fabulous he was (it did go to his head a little), and who provided him the best medical care we could ask for. Laurel and Rick

Hannah
Hannah, you were never my dog. You were and always will be my "girl girl" Its been just over a year, but I miss you more and more every day. Please forgive me for ending your time here on earth but I did it for you, because you were in such pain. There will never be another like you, you were smart, sometimes too much, and oh so loyal and humble. You were the best thing in my life and I can never replace you. I love you "Girl Girl" Hannah. I love you so much! I will see you again when the time is right and look forward to that day when I see you restored and healed running to greet me. Listen for my call, my whistle meant just for you. I will honor your memory by trying my best to help others that were in the same plight as you were when you adopted me. I love you, mama.

Hannah
We adopted Hannah in 2007 after we lost our first rescue Ainsley. She was such a sweet girl and very gentle. She loved to snuggle on the couch with us and play with her squeaky toys

Hans
I learned today that my best friend has cancer..... ...and it's in his throat of all places. It is, for all practical purposes, inoperable. It is at the base of his tongue and curls up and into his epiglottis and into his right vocal cord. He has been my "Buddy", my "Boudreaux", my "Wild Man"...really my constant companion for almost five years. I got him from the German Shepherd Rescue League down in Raleigh, North Carolina, in early spring, '04. He would have been 12 years old next spring. When he first began to show signs that he didn’t want to eat, I took him to the local vet who decided he had a bad tooth that needed to be pulled. But after a month had gone by, even after the extraction he did not want to eat very much of his food. So we visited another veterinarian who took a deeper look into his mouth and found the mass at the base of his tongue. So, really, all that's left for me to do is to take him back down to the vet and let them "put him to sleep." He hasn't been eating much at all the past couple of weeks. He's lost a fourth of his weight, down from 80 pounds to 57. He has always been such a great dog. You always hear about dogs giving "unconditional love” and that was my "Raleigh". It's as if he lived to make me proud of him, so unbelievably intelligent, obedient, the slayer of tennis balls, chaser of squirrels that ventured too close to the bird feeders; the FedEx and UPS guys learned very quickly that all he cared about was making sure they understood that this was "our" place....but really "his place".....He knew that before I would send a tennis ball flying with a golf club, or baseball bat, or just simply throwing it, to roll over and show he really wanted the ball. I will really miss you big guy. There will never be another dog like you, and although the pain of losing you is one of the deepest hurts I've ever felt, the joy of having you for the short time we had together fills me with gratitude. Thank you, my fine four legged friend, for allowing me to be a part of your life. You will always, always be missed. So, today, October 29th, at 11:55 this morning, Raleigh sighed his final breath. Call me crazy, a fool, sentimental, or whatever you will, but I will always remember that moment, when he grew great, strong wings, and gained the victory over his illness. Every night that he lived, as I gave him his bowl of food, my words were always the same...... "Love you buddy....love you..."

Heidi