Chase
How do you begin to tell a story about the memory of your best buddy? Words can’t explain my buddy Chase; you just would have had to known him to share all the great stories. Chase was born March 4, 1994. He was 1 of 8 males from my moms GS. Chase was the lightest colored puppy out of the litter and was always looking for food and never wanted to stop nursing. His mom always snipped at his nose to stop nursing. I knew then he was the one for me and needed the extra special attention and care that I could give to him. He was a mischievous and playful puppy, but never really destroyed anything like most puppies do. He was easily trained with a bone always in hand. He loved being around other dogs. Now, people on the other hand he didn’t do so well with their company unless they were immediate family members. Through the years Chase developed several health problems and was told he wouldn’t live past 7 years old. Through the years I never gave up on him and knew my love for him would get him through the rough times of his sickness. Money and revolving my life just about all the time was no issue in my eyes to make him healthy. Chase new I was doing everything possible to help in his time of need. His actions spoke louder than words. Chase loved swimming in his pool, taking walks and playing with any type of ball. He knew when I had bought something new for him. He would just wag his tail and jump up and down. The last two years of his life had been difficult with the weather being so hot and some of the illnesses taking over posed a lot of problems for my buddy. My husband has a Bassett Hound named Bert and when they moved in after getting married they became such good pals. I saw a change in Chase when other animals were around, he would be so protective of Bert and kept other dogs away from him. It has been very hard on Bert since Chase has passed away. He cries everyday in the morning and night due to being lonely without his Big Buddy. I feel he is with us in so many ways and will miss him very much. He will always hold a special place in my heart. No other dog will ever replace what we shared. He was very protective of me. There is so much more to say about Chase, but I am sure you all know if you have a GS. My beloved buddy Chase passed away February 19, 2008. It was the hardest decision I had to make to put him to sleep. I know in my heart it was the best for him due to his health. He is now running and being healthy as can be in heaven. It is strange we have been having a lot of butterflies around in our garage and landing on Bert and his bed. I like to think that is our Big Buddy watching over us.

Lauren
I found Lauren on the internet. She was being cared for by a local rescue agency. She had been used by a backyard breeder and was now 7 years old and couldn't be used anymore. She was heartworm positive and both ears had the tips chewed off by flies. I inquired about her and we set up a meeting so the family and our other dog Jake could meet. It was uneventful, but you could tell Lauren was totally bonded to her foster mom. A week later, She was brought to us. Foster mom, Lauren and I walked the farm together. When it was time for mom to leave, I took Lauren around the back of the house. She was devastated when she realized her mom had gone without her. She ran and sniffed every place that mom had been. Searching for her... The next few weeks were pretty rough. I questioned whether I had made a good decision in getting her. She had this crazed look in her eyes and had some fear aggression toward people outside the family. She tore up the crate that was brought with her. It took her several weeks before she would let me brush her. But slowly she evolved into this loving devoted girl. I was so amazed because she came every time I called her. (I had Huskies before, so I wasn't use to that) Even if she was distracted by a squirrel or deer, she would come back immediately. But there was the time.... My husband was in charge of the pets. The kids and I had gone to the beach and the shepherds were to be brought down in a few days when my husband could come. When walking the dogs at dusk. Lauren caught herself a skunk. She walked out of the woods proudly carrying it between her teeth. Needless to say, the beach trip for the dogs was cancelled. A good friend who couldn't smell very well took them to the boarding kennel to stay and to have several baths. Once we returned home, I gave her more baths with all the home remedies. None seeming to work. After about the 5th bath, she had enough. She wasn't about to come near me if I had a hose in my hand. She loved to ride in the car and thought that she should go everywhere with me. She loved our walks on the farm and our trips to the beach. In her last months we took a beach trip and she laid out under an umbrella for several hours watching the kids. She was always good with children. Even when she wasn't too pleased with strangers who came to the door. One day she seemed to have somewhat labored breathing. She had a tumor removed 6 months earlier that was cancerous so I thought maybe it had spread. She ended up having an enlarged heart. Probably from the heart worms. She was placed on medication, but from there she seemed to deteriorate quickly. In a few months time she was only able to walk a few feet then she would need to rest. I was forced to put her to sleep. She is buried on the farm with her other doggy friends. She is proof that with love and patience, an abused or neglected dog can turn into a terrific pet. I am sure the last few years with us were the happiest days of her life. I still miss her very much. She was the best dog I have ever had.

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..."

Sadie
My beloved dog’s name was Sadie “Hawkins” Phillips. She was nearly 12 years old but acted like a puppy till the day she died. Sadie was rescued from the animal shelter when she was only 3 months old, my wife and her sister saved her from being destroyed. In fact, she was our wedding gift from my wife’s sister. Sadie was a loving member of our family which is my wife and I and our two boys; Matthew 10 and Kyle 6. Sadie was one of the most loyal dogs I had ever owned; she was a great watch dog and always was there to protect our family. She was also very playful and even at her age still liked to play catch with the tennis ball. We had a nickname for Sadie and that was Houdini; because of her unique ability to break out or into anything. She was such a smart dog, she learned how to open the door with her mouth, so we would have to lock our garage door to the house so she wouldn’t “break in”. She also learned how to open the screen door with her paw, you would not believe how many screen doors I had to re-screen. For most of her life she was an in-house dog, she hated the water and when it would rain, she wouldn’t even go outside to go to the bathroom. You should have seen me try to give her a bath, but she always knew when she had to and would agree to climb into the bathtub with me. Sadie definitely made her presence known in our house and stirred many deep emotions within all of us, but I think I will miss her the most, because I always referred to her as my “baby girl”. God blessed our family with a dog that give us memories for a lifetime and for that I am eternally grateful to HIM and I hope Sadie is playing fetch up there with him right now. Sadie you will live on in our hearts forever and will always be a member of our family! With Love, The Phillips Family

Gabe
"What a wonderful family member he was…everybody loved Gabe. He was a devoted shadow, a gentle and loving companion and a protective lookout over his household."