In Memoriam
Rainbow Bridge
"Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friends finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together...."
Diesel left us on 04/24/2023 after fighting for a long time. He was originally found as a stray months prior, and we were determined to give him the absolute best life we could. Unfortunately, Diesel had an anal prolapse, something we had hoped the initial surgery would fix and that it would just simply be a horrible random incident. Despite our hopes, that was not the case. It kept reoccurring, and with the help and support of one of our vets, and the wonderful team caring for Diesel we tested him for everything that could possibly explain why this was happening to the sweet boy. We didn't get our answers. The tests came back negative, no signs as to why this kept happening. Diesel began to loose weight from the stress, and we weighed our options. We were determined to fight for Diesel as long as he wanted to fight, and as long as we could keep him comfortable. We were raising funds and looking into a surgery that would stop this from happening ever again. Diesel was being fed puppy food 8 times a day, all while being loved and cherished, but unfortunately he passed away before we could do anything else to help him. It's with very heavy hearts that we say our goodbyes to our sweet Diesel, knowing that he's waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge.
Loretta left us on 06/05/2023 after overcoming hardship and fighting cancer. Another rescue down south had found Loretta and various other rotties that had been subjected to horrible treatment. The person that was their previous owner is where they belong now, behind bars and far away from any other animal. After being rescued Loretta was a sweet sweet girl who only wanted love and food. We noticed she had a limp, and worked with her previous rescue to make sure everything was alright. Unfortunately the vet discovered bone cancer in her paw, and to give her the best margins let us know that it would be best to remove her entire front left leg. Loretta made it through the surgery, and as she started her recovery did so much better than anyone was expecting. She was originally estimated to be around 6-7 years old at the time of her rescue, but the vet determined that she was closer to 9-10 years old, or older. Watching her you never would've believed it. Loretta had such an astounding sparkle in her eyes, she was determined to get love and give it. After coming up to Connecticut she went to her amazing foster family that loved her so very dearly and showered her with affection for the all too short time she was in their care. Despite our best efforts our sweet Loretta took a turn for the worst, and upon rushing her to the vet to get her looked at, she let us know it was her time. Her sparkle had faded and she was tired and in so much pain. Her foster stayed by her side and loved her so very dearly until the very end. Loretta found her forever home, she'll stay with them and we'll cherish her memory dearly. We know she's happily running at the rainbow bridge now, no longer in pain and keeping Diesel company while they wait for their families to return to them. We'll see you at the Rainbow Bridge Loretta.
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Jill, affectionately known as Momma Jill, left us on 03/04/2024 after receiving surgery to remove necrotic tissue surrounding wounds on her neck and face. Unfortunately, despite coming through the surgery wonderfully and waking up from anesthesia, and unfortunately complications arose. The vet did everything they could for Jill, and much like her foster who loved her like no other, they were devastated. Her foster gave Jill her all, she helped her through her puppies, she cared for her after surgeries, and most importantly she loved her. We don't know all of Jill's story. We don't know how it began, but we know how it ended. We know that it ended with her being loved by so many people. We know it ended with her being cared for. Jill deserved so much more, but because of her foster she got to experience a home that every dog would be lucky to have. We know Momma Jill will be waiting for her foster at the Rainbow Bridge, relaxing on a couch and ready to cuddle.
Dew Drop, affectionately known as Dewy and Dewy Dewy Dew Drop, left us on 8/21/2024. Dew Drop was a young dog, only 2 years old that always appeared healthy. She never displayed any symptoms of any sickness, and at her recent wellness exam had perfectly normal test results. Even on the day she passed she was acting like her goofy, lovable self. Unfortunately on her last night she started having grand mal seizures out of no where and the whites of her eyes turned yellow with jaundice. We'll never know what took her from us, but we believe that she had an undetectable tumor of some kind that caused damage to her liver or kidney. We're just thankful that she wasn't alone and was surrounded by people who adored her. Our hearts are broken. Dewy was a dog that was in the rescue for a long time, and we had trouble placing her due to her needing to be an only dog. We can't thank the kennel staff enough for all of the care and love they gace Dew Drop when our board member, Melissa (her special person), couldn't get down to the kennel to spend time with her. She was adored by everyone on the board, and everyone was doing their best to find a home for her. Dewy Dewy Dew Drop, we love you, we miss you. We know you're at the rainbow bridge now, running around and getting all of your zoomies out, and getting all of the cuddles you deserve. We know you're waiting for Melissa so she can hug you and kiss you. We'll see you at the rainbow bridge Dewy.
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It is always devastating to have to say goodbye to a dearly loved dog, all the more so when the leave-taking is sudden and unexpected. Tragically, that is what happened with Athena. At around 11 pm, we got a call from the ER vet that Athena was there with her foster mom. She had been diagnosed with bloat, which is a condition where the stomach twists and fills with gas, cutting off the blood supply, with the result being that tissue dies very quickly. The prognosis was grim indeed. If surgery was attempted, she was given a very low chance, 10%, of survival. If we tried a less invasive, temporary treatment, there was likely to be significant tissue death before surgery would still need to be performed. We talked to the doctor, and each other, and Athena's foster mom. It was with unimaginable sadness that we had to make the decision to release Athena from suffering more. Athena was a doll. She adored her foster mom who adored her right back. As soon as she was spayed her foster mom was going to become her forever. At 10 years old, Athena was certainly a senior in terms of a Rottweiler's expected lifespan. She had been saved from a backyard breeding situation. AATDR was asked to help and we are so glad we were able to do that. Even though Athena had only a year to spend with her mom, it was a year of being loved beyond measure and treated like a queen. She deserved to enjoy that life for so much longer, but we can only comfort ourselves with the fact that she had that. Rest easy, Athena. You were and are and always will be loved. We'll see you at the Rainbow Bridge Athena.
We had to say goodbye to Max, a dog that came to us seemingly perfectly healthy. As Max settled in with his foster it became apparent that he had a great love for drinking water. After many rounds of testing Max was diagnosed with Stage 3 Kidney Disease. We didn't know how long Max had left, but we knew that we were going to do absolutely everything we could for him. Overtime Max had a lot of ups and downs, he moved from a couple of different fosters before landing the jackpot that would wind up being his forever home. His incredible foster parents got him through all of the highs and lows of his disease, they were dedicated to following the vets instrutions to the smallest detail, and always loved spoiling him. Max went practically everywhere with his foster dad, and they did a mile hike/walk each day. He loved tennis balls, but he couldn't have regular sized ones because he would try to eat them; So, Max always got the giant tennis balls from Tractor Supply. Max was an incredible dog straight up until the end of his life. We knew he was living on borrowed time, that all of his medications and treatments could only prolong the inevitable. Looking at Max in the last couple of weeks of his life you wouldn't have realized how truly sick he was. Yes, he slept more, but he was still the same happy go lucky dog that loved his walks and hanging out with his people. Even though Max wasn't with us for as long as he should've been we take peace in knowing that he was so dearly loved by so many people, and that he was spoiled like he deserved to be. We'll see you at the Rainbow Bridge Max.
It's with deep sadness that we had to say goodbye to Barb. Barb was a bundle of personality. She was an active girl who took her time getting to know people and had a mind of her own. Barb knew who and what she liked, and who and what she didn’t, and she would let you know that clearly. Barb wasn’t a dog who loved everyone by any means, but those she graced with her affection were fortunate indeed. Barb was adopted out briefly in 2023 before it was discovered that she had developed a serious heart murmur. Having just lost a dog not too long ago her adoptive parent made the hard decision to return her to us. Barb went to an outstanding medical foster, whom she loved in her own way. She was a spoiled princess, she had her own area of the yard that was only for her. Her foster mom loved her dearly, even though Barb was a fiesty little spitfire and made things difficult when she didn't want them done. Honestly, her foster mom wouldn't have had Barb any other way. Barb was perfect the way she was, with all of her little quirks. Run free Barb, go tell everyone who's boss. We'll see you on your throne at the Rainbow Bridge.
We're absolutely heart broken as we said goodbye to Chucky. Chucky came to us after 6 months at Waterbury Dog Pound. He wasn't doing well in the kennel and needed some time at a board and train. Even though Chucky wasn't a dog the average person would classify as "easy" once he got to know you he was so sweet and loving. We knew Chucky was probably sick when we pulled him from the pound. We treated Chucky for tick borne illnesses and realized that something else was very wrong. It wasn't long before Chucky had a whole team of vets, and was eventually diagnosed with a severe heart conditiont that stopped his heart from beating consistently and adequately. Sometimes medication can be a fix for this condition, so at his cardiologists recommendation we started Chucky on a series of medications to see if that would help. Even though Chucky did improve on the medicine, he didn't improve enough, so we did the only other thing we could and scheduled surgery for Chucky to get a pace maker as quickly as possible. Regardless of everything that was going on medically, Chucky was living a very spoiled life with his foster mom. She had lost her dog recently, and even though she knew Chucky wasn't an easy dog she stepped up to foster him. She stayed by his side when it became apparent how sick he was, even though it wasn't what she had signed up for. Chucky's foster mom loved him dearly, and she bought him new toys, treats, new dog food to try, and roast beef to make sure he got his medication in him. She adored him so, and we know that the feeling was mutual. Unfortunately, even though Chucky was on the medications to help his heart, we always knew sudden death was a possibility. As his surgery got closer we had all of our fingers and toes crossed that he would make it. That we could get him to the vet hospital for his surgery, he would recover, and then he'd get to live his life like a normal dog. That didn't happen. A week before his surgery Chucky passed peacefully in his sleep. We take comfort in knowing that even though he didn't get the life he deserved, and that we all wanted him to have, that he was so loved it made up for everything he had missed out on. We'll see you at the Rainbow Bridge Chucky.
