Rainbow Bridge

Grace was a very pretty, loving Lab girl who came to us from a local city shelter.  Her favorite thing to do at her foster home was to sunbath in the backyard near a pond.  She would lie on her back, bathe her belly, and just roll around in the grass.  Then, after about 15 minutes, she would go back in the house and take a snooze on the couch.  Grace was with us almost two weeks before we found out that her bad case of kennel cough was actually distemper*, and her resistance was too low to fight the disease.  To spare her any further suffering we knew it was time to let her go.  Held in the arms of her foster mom, Grace drifted into a peaceful sleep.  We know she is where other beloved pets have gone before her and she is strong, happy, and enjoying the sunshine.

*  Distemper is caused by the canine distemper virus (CDV).  Canine distemper is a contagious, incurable, often fatal, multi-systemic viral disease that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems.  Most dogs that die from distemper die from neurological complications.

Junior came to us as an owner surrender on June 21, 2007, and left us July 12, 2007.  His leaving was not the way we wanted or expected; we believed life had more to offer Junior than what he had experienced so far.  His first home was a tough one for a dog.  When Junior was 7 weeks old a pickup truck backed over his left hip and leg, an injury that was not repaired by his owner due to the expense.   When he came into the LSLRR program he was infested with fleas and limping badly.  He was immediately taken to a vet where he was given the care he needed.  He finally had relief from the constant biting of the fleas.  Surgery was scheduled to repair his year old injury, an injury that probably caused him constant pain.  After the corrective surgery, Junior was finally pain free.  But his relief was short lived.  Within a week, he became ill and was diagnosed with Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia, a disease characterized by increased destruction of red blood cells by the dog's own immune system.  Junior fought valiantly to the end, but the disease was too much for our boy.  He was suffering so it was time for him to go to the Rainbow Bridge .  We know Junior will be waiting for us there, happily running and playing on four strong legs, and smiling a big goofy lab smile.