Faith
February 14th, I said good-bye to my dear little girl Faith. Her first 6 years were spent being exploited in a puppymill. For the next 18 months she was in several foster placements and two other adoptive homes. Is it any wonder that she was frightened, untrusting, and broken when I adopted her?!? In time, this beautiful soft-coat wheaton wire-hair doxie SLOWLY came out of her shell. The first day she gave me a kiss, I wanted to cry ... it had taken over a year of love, a LOT of patience, and a daily structured routine with her dachshund siblings. For the past year Faith’s mental health has declined. When she was diagnosed with Cushing's disease, the endocrinologist forewarned me that the meds would enlarge an existing brain tumor exacerbating her blindness and dementia. Unfortunately, her decline came more quickly than we anticipated ... there was no longer any joy left in Faith’s life. I am heartbroken to lose you, Faith, but I take solace knowing you will be greeted at the rainbow bridge by Max, Marty, Callie, and Mickey. Together you will run free and be forever happy! RIP dear Faith ... until we meet again ...

Jerry
Jerry, you came to us in 2006 and all you wanted was for someone to love you. We spent the next 12 years helping you forget your first 2 years. I hope we showed you just how much we loved you and how much a part of our family you became. We will see you again little buddy… I truly believe that. We miss you each and every day. 10/22/2018 Thank you, Eric Bohan

Chip

Chip, who we adopted back in August of 2008, passed away in California 13 December, 2018 from natural causes at the age of 12. Chip has visited five states, swam in both oceans and the Gulf of Mexico, and himself adopted his new human sister six years ago. He was a gentle and loyal buddy, and will be missed by his family. Thank you to the volunteers at AADR for helping us to find and love this wonderful dog.

Keiko...RIP sweet baby you lived a good life
It's been about 5 weeks since Keiko died. We miss her very much. She was a great companion, a little lady, and a wonderful (and warm!) nurse when someone was ill. C. Cole

Hercules
The first time I saw this picture on the AADR site, I knew this boy was meant to be mine and I couldn’t have been more right. My beloved Hercules came into my life in 2010 and he will be with me until my last breath. Unbelievably, my other ten year old dachshund, Sophie, and his constant companion, died just hours after I lost him of something completely unrelated. The loss has been staggering but I am so grateful for each day with them. Hercules was the happiest boy and the sweetest dog I ever had...a lover of snuggles, car rides, and watching out for me. Every time he went out he’d walk the perimeter of the fence line making sure all was ok before he wanted me to follow. Sophie was a whiner, a yelper extraordinaire! But Hercules was a quiet one with the funniest grunts. Devoted until the very end, he touched my life as no dog ever has. Maybe it’s because I was his rescuer, I don’t know, but there was something different about his love for me. Every wag of the tail, every stare with those big black eyes seemed to say, “thank you.” I hope he knew that I was the grateful one. Until we are together again.... Mary Blackburn