The following memorials were written by volunteers of Garden State German Shepherd Rescue about a special German Shepherd who came into, and had an impact on their lives.

Kirby

We’ll never know what her name really was. She was abandoned at a shelter in Jersey City, tied to the fence, left by someone who didn't even care enough to take her inside and surrender her properly. No one knew how old she was, but it was obvious that she was a senior dog, and that meant her prospects for adoption were not good. Then her luck changed. A rescue group heard about her, and took her out of the shelter and into their foster program, saving her from ending up the way most unwanted, older dogs do – euthanized to make room for the next lost or abandoned dog. We were approved adopters and were waiting in the wings for that special companion, and Kirby found herself a new home. From the beginning, there was something special about Kirby. She had a maturity and intuitiveness that spoke volumes to anyone who got to know her. I had been looking for a dog that might be suitable for pet therapy work, and Kirby seemed to have that ability to calmly spread love and comfort to everyone around her. She passed her certification test with flying colors and soon was spending every Friday at my job in a long term care facility, visiting with the patients and residents there. As time went on, she worked her way into the hearts of all who knew her, and became a fixture at the hospital. Kirby’s ability to love and protect was evident at home, too. One night she woke me up at 2:00 am, insisting that she go downstairs. Thinking Kirby had to go out, I went down to open the back door, only to discover that we had gone to bed without locking the back door or turning out the light as we usually did. There were voices outside on the street, and Kirby must have been nervous that her family might not be safe. Kirby only got to spend 16 months with us before she passed away due to complications of a spleen tumor. It was only near the end that we found out that Kirby was even older than we had thought, but from her energy, dignity and grace you would have never known. Because of the work of rescuers, Kirby got to spend her final days in a loving home, doing work that made her happy. And our family got to experience the heart and soul of a true ambassador for rescued dogs everywhere. Laura & John

Princess

I only knew Princess for a couple of months. I first met her when the caring employees at the Franklin Lakes Animal Hospital contacted Garden State German Shepherd Rescue for assistance with finding her a home. Princess was a 10 year old German Shepherd who had been removed from her owner by the SPCA due to severe neglect. The SPCA officer seeing the shape that she was in, asked the animal hospital if they would take her in. If they hadn't said yes, she would have been brought to the county shelter and most likely would have been put down immediately due to her age and ailments. The wonderful veterinarians and techs at the animal hospital took her in and tended to her infections and sores. They gave her baths and clipped her nails that were so long that they curled under so she couldn't walk. The vet techs held her up with a towel to take her for walks as she couldn't hold herself up because she had no muscle tone in her legs. And they loved her like she hadn't been loved before. After about a month at the hospital, Princess was getting better and she needed a new home. When I first met her she was still missing a good amount of hair on her body and still had open sores on her back and legs. Though I knew that I was going to see a neglect case, I was not prepared for how bad she looked. When we took a picture of her for our website, it took a few tries to position her to show her best side. Her sweet personality came shining through, and it was clear why they had taken her in and loved her. When we thought she was able to start meeting the public, I brought her to our 'meet and greets' to hopefully find someone interested in adopting her. Though everyone who met Princess thought she was great, no offers came. She loved going for a ride in my truck and as she got stronger she dragged me around the parking lots going for walks. To Princess, everything was new and exciting to see. When I brought her back to the animal hospital afterward, she didn't want to leave the car. She could be stubborn. Princess was getting better, the open sores were gone and she was growing hair on her back. All of the love and care that the hospital staff had shown her over the previous months was paying off. I got a call on a Sunday morning, that she wasn't doing well and wouldn't be able to come with me to the meet and greet. We all hoped that it was something temporary as she had made such large strides in a short amount of time and was getting better. But it was not to be, Princess died sometime that Monday night. I don't know the full story of how she lived, why her owner neglected her so badly. Her last few years must have been horrible, but for her last few months she was loved. Rest in peace Princess. Nina

Cody

In the summer of 1996 we decided to add a dog to our family. After a couple of trips to the Bergen County Animal Shelter we met Jodie. She was listed as 3-4 years old and good with cats and kids. All the other dogs in the shelter barked and carried on as we walked past their cages, but Jodie just sat in the back of her run and looked at us. I called to her, she came up to the front and sniffed at us, then went to sit in the back. We asked to bring her outside to meet her. Next thing I knew I was being dragged out the door by a large dog determined to get out of there. What happened next, I can only describe as fate. As we went outside, 2 women drove up and asked if Jodie was available for adoption. I had an instant to decide, and told them we were adopting her. They turned around and left without ever going into the shelter. That sealed it, she was our dog. By the time we reached home, she decided my daughter was her person. We later found out about her background. She had been turned in by people who were moving, then adopted only to be turned in a 2nd time after one month as they had no time for her. Our home would be her final home and her new name became Cody. Cody was an original, her own dog. She was a leader, not a herder. She would walk ahead of us and motion us to follow. If it was something really important - like Frosty Paws (doggy ice cream) calling her name from the freezer - she would carry on until you followed. Once Cody found something she liked, and she was picky, she was passionate about it. She wouldn't wait on the sidelines, she was upfront and open. She was very intelligent and understood us as well as we understood her. Cody was more than just a dog. Cody is the reason I found out about rescue. In early 1999, I realized that with my daughter set to go off to college the following year that Cody would be lonely and I thought about getting another dog to keep her company. I happened upon a German Shepherd email list and then found out about German Shepherd Rescue. As it turned out, Cody made one dog friend and decided that was enough for her, ironically it wasn't the other dog we adopted. Cody was a part of our family for 9 years until she suddenly became sick and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma. She had a tumor on her spleen and the vets suspected that she also had a brain tumor. Given her age there was nothing that could be done medically for her, and as she rapidly declined we made the hard decision to let her go. Rest in peace Cody. You took a piece of our hearts with you. Nina

Titan

On October 26, 2004, I lost my precious Titan. He was the most wonderful German Shepherd Dog ... and most wonderful dog in general. He was gentle, sweet, good natured, and sometimes he could be so goofy. He lived to be 11 years old. He was my baby. We first noticed that his hind legs were getting weak about 4 years ago (when he was 7) - so we got a wonderful little mixed breed puppy who helped get Titan moving again. Back then we didn't know he was sick, we just thought he was getting older. He seemed to improve after Augie came to live with us. Titan loved running around the yard with him, chasing tennis balls & frisbees. Over time, the vet noticed his hind leg muscles were "wasting" and we noticed that sometimes if you patted him near his hind quarters he was uncomfortable. Hip xrays showed that his hips were fine. About a year ago he started to act like an old dog again and was laying down most of the time. His disease progressed slowly at first, then suddenly started to get worse and worse over the last few months. He became incontent of stool, though he tried valiantly to race to the back door he didn't always make it - the vet thought he had developed stress colitis so he went on medicine and a special diet - all that did was firm up his stool, he still suffered intermittent incontinence. Then over the last couple weeks I noticed that sometimes his hind legs crossed and sometimes it was a struggle for him to stand while eating. Little things got worse and worse - I guess I was in denial. This past week he started to go off by himself to lay next to my bed while I was downstairs - that was most unusual for him because he always wanted to be where I was. Then last night he could barely get up. We had already scheduled a vet appointment so my husband and I went together. I knew he was very sick and that he might have to be put to sleep. While we were waiting for the vet a big healthy dog ran straight at Titan who would have normal stood up and greeted the other dog. He just laid there. When it was time to go in, he needed to be helped up. The vet told us that everything linked together spelled out the diagnosis Degenerative Myelopathy. Things would only get worse. So last night Titan went to sleep in my arms and I said goodbye to my best friend, my precious boy. Mary

Cheyenne

Cheyenne was 7 weeks old when I purchased her from a breeder. It was love at first sight. She was such a beautiful little German Shepherd puppy. Her full name was Cheyenne’s Angel Eyes but I called her Cheyenne. She grew into an absolute beauty and was such a good dog. Everyone loved her. She was so good with people and other animals. I took her to the ocean for the very first time the summer of 1998. She loved it. She loved fetching sticks on the beach and enjoyed chasing the waves. She also loved going to the bay. She would dig in the sand for hours on end. When she was 8, Cheyenne developed arthritis in her hip from an old injury and needed surgery to alleviate the pain. The surgery went well and she was up and about within the week. Six months later she bloated. I had never heard of bloat and did not know what the signs of it were. All I knew for sure was that something terrible was wrong with my beautiful Cheyenne. I called an emergency animal hospital and told them of her symptoms and was told to bring her to them as quickly as I could for time was not on my side. After she was examined, the doctor confirmed that Cheyenne had bloated and her stomach had twisted. She needed emergency surgery to save her life. The doctor gave her a 50/50 chance of recovery. Those few hours that she was in surgery were the longest hours of my life. I just could not imagine going home without her. She was my best friend. Several hours later, the vet came to tell me that Cheyenne has survived the surgery. She came home three days later. On one of our walks, I noticed that the leg that had been operated on six months prior did not seem to bear Cheyenne’s weight. It would give out and she would fall. I wondered if the leg had been hurt again during surgery. The vet said that it was possible and set us home with medication and orders to rest her. At the end of the 6 weeks, there had been no improvement and she seemed somewhat worse. Her orthopedic surgeon examined her again and ordered x-rays of her spine and discs. When all the tests came back showing no damage, he ordered a myleogram. He said that if this test came back negative, his only diagnosis for her would be Degenerative Myleopathy. I prayed this was not her diagnosis. I was at work when the vet called me with his diagnosis. I was crushed as I heard him say that his only conclusion what that she did indeed have Degenerative Myleopathy (D.M.) I broke down in tears. I had been doing a lot of reading about D.M. on the internet and I knew that with this diagnosis, my beautiful Cheyenne did not have a long time to live. D.M. is a crippling disease for which there is no cure very much like Multiple Sclerosis in humans. There were many articles on the internet about D.M. and treatments that other people had tried to slow the disease down to buy their beloved companion more time. I tried them all. Cheyenne was on a special diet filled with vitamins and supplements. She went to doggie physical therapy to try to keep as much of her muscle mass as possible. I tried acupuncture and hours of walking to keep her muscles as strong as possible. None of these things seemed to do much to slow the progress of her disease. Every horrible thing I had read about D.M. began happening to Cheyenne. First she began to drag her leg. She would have a hard time getting to her feet and would sometimes fall for no apparent reason. She lost the ability to wag her tail. She began having problems walking without falling. Her physical therapist had offered to loan me a dog cart that he had that would fit Cheyenne. My heart was breaking as I watched her struggle to walk and to play. I decided to try the cart though I had so many questions and concerns. How would she react to being in it? How would she relieve herself in it? Would she be able to move well in it? Was I being selfish for putting her in the cart? Was I doing what was best for her or what was best for me? I brought the cart home and put Cheyenne in it. To my utter amazement, she took right off in it. Within minutes she was running around the yard like she had been born in this new cart of hers. She made it look so easy. In the months that followed, Cheyenne lost all use of her back legs. But with the use of her cart, she still ran and played in the yard. She was able to continue to go to the ocean. I remember the first time I took her to the shore I wondered if she would be able to motivate her cart in the sand. I had to laugh as I watched her fly across the sand as I had problems walking across it on my two good legs. Not only could she walk on the beach but she could dig in the sand just as she had done when she had use of all four of her legs. She was still able to swim in the bay too as long as she didn't go in too deep. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months as Cheyenne struggled with D.M. She lost control of her bowels and began having problems urinating without assistance. Through it all, she was a little trooper. Not once did she get grumpy or snappy. Her speed in the cart had slowed greatly. She began stumbling during her walks. I knew then the disease was moving into her front legs. The time had come to make a decision. A decision that I really did not want to make, but I knew I had to. She could no longer walk half a block without falling. Though her mind was bright and clear, her body was failing her. I could not bear to watch her struggle any longer. I contacted her vet who said he would come to my home to euthanize her. I wanted her last moments to be at her home on her bed. The appointment was set for Saturday, March 20, 2004 at 10 a.m. I remember that I woke early that morning. I took Cheyenne outside to relieve herself and let her walk about the yard. I brought her back inside and fed her all of her favorite foods. She had a large slice of prime rib with the bone. She had cheese. She loved cheese. I gave her ice cream. The vet arrived on time and gave her a shot that sent her into a peaceful sleep. He then gave her a second injection that ended an 18 month battle with the terrible disease known as Degenerative Myleopathy. Two years later, Cheyenne is no longer here but her memory lives on. I could not save her, but I could help hundreds of other dogs. Because of her, I joined two German Shepherd Rescue Groups. I help with fund raisers, donate gift baskets in her memory and have adopted 3 German Shepherd Dogs of my own. I am currently fostering a former shelter dog for one of the groups I belong to. Cheyenne taught me so much about love, determination and adaptability that such a wonderful dog should never be forgotten. Tracie

Brutus

Like all the best dogs in my life, I didn't pick him - he picked me. The first time I saw Brutus was outside the Woodbridge Petsmart. I was there helping collect donations for our rescue group, and one of our volunteers had brought him there that day in the hopes of finding him a forever home. She asked me to hold his leash while she went to park her car, and Brutus buried his head in my chest, "hugging" me in a way that I would learn to know and love in the coming years. Dumped by his owner at the CACC in Manhattan, he was nothing but skin and bones, with open sores on his hips and back legs, but his eyes were clear and bright as he looked at me. As the saying goes, he had me at "hello." It took me three weeks to convince my husband that Brutus needed us to foster him. It took one more week to convince him that Brutus needed to stay. It wasn't really a hard sell - BooBooDog, or Mr. Boo as he came to be known - sold himself to anyone he met. After a trip to the vet to remove a drainage tube left in after a botched neuter, and some good food and exercise, Brutus began to blossom. He put on weight, most of it muscle, his sores healed and his coat grew back in. He quickly made friends with our female shepherd, Kirby, and loved to spend hours chasing birds in the yard or sitting on the front porch watching the world go by. I had been doing pet therapy with Kirby, but she became ill and couldn't work anymore. When she passed away, I decided to give Mr. Boo a try, and he passed his therapy dog test with no problem. Soon he was going to work with me on Fridays, just as Kirby had done, to work his silly magic on everyone at the hospital where I work. Unlike Kirby, who had been very dignified, Boo was a clown and could make people laugh just by being himself. However, his career was soon cut short by health problems. It turned out that Brutus had allergies, and the sores that had healed so well came back with a vengeance. He also was prone to ear infections, so he had to stop doing hospital visits. Boo continued to work with the public as an ambassador for our rescue, and with constant vet visits, medication and diet changes, we were able to keep his allergies to a minimum and make his life a happy one. He still had the energy and playfulness of a puppy. To him, every day was Christmas. His new best friend, Lady, was the love of his life and the perfect companion for him. Whenever people came to our house to visit, he'd always bring them a toy and give "hugs." Unfortunately, the years of steroid use to control his allergies caught up to him and caused liver damage. He developed a chronic liver and gall bladder problem that we tried to keep at bay with even more medications. Even with a wonderful vet doing everything she could for him, we couldn't stop the long term effects of the medications and time. At 11 years old, Brutus was losing the battle against his diseased liver. In June 2006, we made the heart-wrenching decision to stop his pain and let him go. Brutus was pure love, pure joy, and pure devotion. He was the quintessential rescue dog, grateful for even the simplest kindness shown to him and returning that kindness a hundred times over. He showed us what perfect love is; a perfection that we flawed humans can only dream of achieving. I am positive that when I finally get to see him again, he will bring me a toy. Laura & John

Lady

We just couldn't believe it - how could anyone dump such a beautiful dog at a shelter? But that's where this gorgeous girl was found by a rescue in South Jersey. We had said goodbye to our female GSD, Kirby, just 5 weeks earlier, and Brutus was showing signs of loneliness and depression. I admit, we were also feeling the emptiness that Kirby left behind. I fell in love instantly with Lady's picture on Petfinder. There was something so soft and loving in that face that I just had to meet her in person. After a little prodding, John agreed to make the long ride to Pam Demmy's kennel in Vineland where Lady was being fostered. We packed Brutus in the car on a cold day in March and off we went. Lady's listing as an "extra-large, long haired shepherd" turned out to be an understatement. She was HUGE! The important thing was Brutus loved her at first sight. With no concern about what we were doing, we put them both in the backseat of the car for the 2.5-hour ride back home. As soon as we opened the back door, Lady made a bee-line for the couch where she took up the position she would become best known for. We found out shortly afterward that Lady was, in fact, a King Shepherd, a rare breed known for its large bone, thick coat and sweet temperament. We quickly learned that in Lady's case, "sweet" also meant "sedentary." Her favorite thing was the couch, only getting off to eat, go out, or lay on the bed. She also loved playing with her squeaky ball and, most of all, loved being with Brutus. They became inseparable, and would get lots of attention when they'd walk down the street together. Like most female shepherds, Lady was strong and protective, exactly what "Mr. Boo" needed in his life. She also took extra care of him, knowing that his health was fragile at times, always letting him go out the door first, or stepping aside to let him eat or drink first. When we added our puppy, Logan, to the pack, Lady instantly took on the role of mother. She would cuddle him, play with him, and correct him when he got out of line. Her patience was unending, and it extended to everything she did. Whether it was tolerating a playful pup, or sitting for hours at a GSGSR fundraiser, Lady brought a sense of calm to every situation she was in. Unfortunately, this robust, loving dog began to show signs of weakening. At first it was a stumble or fall on the stairs, or needing help to get on the couch every now and then. Soon, it became clear that there was something seriously wrong. A visit to the vet confirmed our worst fear - Lady had degenerative myelopathy, an incurable disease that would eventually rob her of the ability to walk. Although we did our best to make her life comfortable, she grew weaker. Just when we were at the point where we felt we had to make a decision to end her life peacefully, that decision was taken out of our hands. Lady died, unexpectedly, from a ruptured spleen. Although we were terribly saddened by her passing, we at least could take comfort in knowing that she would no longer have to struggle every day. Lady will be forever remembered for her beauty, her size, her floofy coat, her laid-back personality, and most of all, for her loving heart that embraced everyone. There's an empty place on the couch these days, but our hearts will always be full with her memory. Laura & John

Lend Me a Pup

I will lend to you for awhile,a German Shepherd pup, God said, For you to love him while he lives and mourn for him when he's dead. Maybe for twelve or fourteen years, or maybe two or three But will you, 'till I call him back, take care of him for me. He'll bring his charms to gladden you and should his stay be brief you'll always have his memories as solace for your grief. I cannot promise he will stay, since all from earth return But there are lessons taught below I want this pup to learn. I've looked the whole world over in search of teachers true And from the folk that crowd's life's land I have chosen you. Now will you give him all your love Nor think the labor vain, Nor hate me when I come to take my Shepherd back again. I fancied that I heard them say "Dear Lord Thy Will be Done," For all the joys this Shepherd will bring, the risk of grief we'll run. We'll shelter him with tenderness we'll love him while we may And for the happiness we've known forever grateful stay. But should you call him back much sooner than we've planned, We'll brave the bitter grief that comes, and try to understand. If, by our love, we've managed, your wishes to achieve In memory of him we loved, to help us while we grieve, When our faithful bundle departs this world of strife, We'll have yet another German Shepherd and love him all his life. -author unknown

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