Snausage
We miss you so much a moment with you is worth a thousand without God Speed until we meet again.

Brody
It is with great sadness that I tell the GSRA family that we lost Duke (fka, Brody, of the 2012 class) on Thursday (1/22/15). He stretched out to sleep and awoke on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. We learned after his passing that he had a tumor on the left side of his heart. We understand that something roughly equivalent to a heart attack took him in his sleep. Unfortunately this was a condition that could not have been identified or prevented. His humans miss him terribly. He was a very happy and incredibly laid back big fellow, who firmly believed that all humans who approached him were an opportunity to be be petted and told how handsome he was. We will treasure our memories of our Duke and are sure that his spirit still roams the house keeping watch over his people.

Lexi Lou
Lexi came to her forever home in the early spring of 2007. Like most rescued animals, poor Lexi had some baggage but with a lot of hard work and patience, she became a very well rounded dog and a beloved member of the family. She saw the family grow from, a cat and myself, to include my wife and later on, my two sons, with whom she loved to give kisses to. Two years ago, we moved to a bigger house with a large backyard. Lexi loved chasing the squirrels and bounding around the wide open space. Her other favorite pass-time was wrestling and playing with her best friend Andy, the family cat. She loved cats and during her time with our family, she grew close to three of them. Always high energy, she was ready to play or go for a walk at a moments notice. A quick whistle and her big German Shepherd ears would shoot up and she would be by my side ready for love and kisses. In late October, Lexi's appetite went away suddenly. After a trip to the vet, she was diagnosed with lymphoma. A round of medicine perked her back up, almost to her old self again. We were hopeful that she might give us a few more months of joy and happiness. Unfortunately, after two weeks, her energy left, along with her appetite again. She was eight years old.

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

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