Paige RIP
2-2-15 to 2-18-15....We did all we could to save you sweet little Paige now run free and go play with your sister Penelope...you will not be forgotten by your foster mom and dad Diane and Ed Neely or AADR

Penelope
DOB 2/2/15-2/11/15 RIP sweet sweet Penelope, I truly wish there was something more I could have done to save you, While I only had you for 2 days I cared for you round the clock and you took a piece of my heart with you...RUN FREE little girl you will be missed....Diane

Vanna

Back in October of 2005, I was looking through Southern States Dachshund Rescue’s (now AADR) available dogs listing and spotted a beautiful little girl. After a discussion with the foster parents, an application was made and a short while later a number of dedicated volunteers relayed her from Tennessee to our home in New York. She was a shy little girl that quickly warmed up to my wife. The backyard was a place of wonderment with squirrels to chase, warm sunny grass to lie in and even a small garden for digging. Several years later, she moved with us to a farm in the country. The work was different but harder than ever. There were many crows and cowbirds to chase away from the gardens. I truly believe that she enjoyed catching moles and bringing them to my wife. While she never missed a chance to sit in my wife’s lap, at bedtime she would lie down on my legs. As she grew older, her sight dimmed and hearing diminished. Neither of these slowed her down in the least. Things went well for many years until about a year ago when she started having seizures. The Vet gave us a medication that partially kept them under control. Sadly, the seizures recently started again and during the evening of 1/19/15 came fast and furious. The next morning, she had labored breathing, would not eat and was unable to walk. It broke my heart to take her on the last trip to the Vet. She was a loyal sidekick that loved to explore in the yard, ride in the car and go for ice cream. Now her pillow by the fireplace lies empty as does the little blue food bowl in the kitchen. The 10 years we had with her were wonderful and she will greatly missed. Carl and Midge

Max...RIP Oct. 16th 2014
We don’t k now much about Max before he came to us. He was abandoned for some unknown reason and left to fend for himself. Thankfully, a Good Samaritan found him and got him into rescue. When talking to his foster mom, she was trying to describe him to me, and finally just said "He's perfect." And she was absolutely right. Max had no issues, no aggressions or bad habits of any kind. He got along well with everyone – cats, dogs and people. In his two short years with us, he never growled, and the only time he barked was to get our attention. He loved to lie in the sun and roll in the grass. Max and Maverick (our Sheltie Mix) would walk around the yard together and keep each other company. He loved to lie in our laps, wrapped and bundled like a baby and would follow us everywhere. As time went by, he walked slower and slept a little more, but he never lost his loving spirit. Max was already a senior when we adopted him so we knew we knew we would have him for only a short time. He was our sweet little old man who left a permanent mark on our hearts. While we miss him so much, we are left behind with some very happy memories. The memories of our sweet boy will continue to bring us happiness always, and we would adopt him again in a heartbeat. Rest peacefully, sweet boy. You were a precious gift, and we will never, ever forget you. Michael & Sheila Gray

Idgie RIP

It’s taken many months for me to write up my story of Idgie, the absolutely sweetest little girl I have ever met or probably will ever meet. Idgie came to us in June of 2013 after a couple of potential adopters cancelled their applications.

From the pictures posted on AADR, and Idgie’s personal story, we saw a poor little baby that seemed to have had her whole world turned upside when she lost her owner and two playmates the year before. From what I understand, she apparently was kept outside in AL and was not doing too well when she was either rescued or surrendered to AADR. Her teeth were so bad, they had to be extracted, and she appeared very old and sad. We had recently lost one of our three Doxie babies and thought that adopting Idgie would be a great thing to do for our other two doxies and for her. Never would I realize how much my family and I would get back from this sweet little baby.

When we first picked her up, my kids thought she was funny looking with her narrow face, with ear girth, and her little bug eyes. We weren’t certain of her exact age or birthday, so we called her 14 and picked a day in March as her birthday. In a short period of time, we came to see her as a beautiful little creature with the biggest heart of any animal we have ever met. She loved to sit in the recliner with me between my thigh and the arm of the chair, drifting off to sleep knowing that her new family loved her deeply. She built a strong friendship with Smokey, but Daisy, our Alpha female, didn’t initially take to her as much as Smokey did.

Idgie loved me and actually seemed to light up whenever I came into the room. She would run to the recliner and wait to be picked up and put into her “spot”. Idgie loved to go for walks and would guard our property against all the Shepherds and other larger dogs that were being walked by neighbors. She loved to ride in the car and we took her on many rides. We would also take her and her playmates to a large field nearby and laughed as they bounded through the tall grass as they played. Their heads would pop up occasionally just to get their bearings. The whole family came to love her so much because of her gentle nature and cute little habits. We know that she was very happy and we gave her a great home with two playmates and some humans that loved her dearly and showed her that love every day of her remaining life.

Sometime in the first week of July 2014, Idgie started to become winded on walks and slowed down considerably from her normal happy prance. We took her to the Vet and we found that she had some acute respiratory issues. With some meds, we brought her home, but she didn’t improve. Several days later, we took her back to the Vet, where she stayed in an oxygen tent for over a week as we hoped for improvement. Idgie’s chest x-rays appeared cloudier than the ones before and the prognosis was not good. As we struggled with the decision to put Idgie to peace, GOD took her to Rainbow Bridge.  Idgie left us on Sunday July 20, 2014.

We created a memorial book of Idgie to remind us of the love, laughter and sense of peace that Idgie brought to everyone that knew her. When we adopted her, we knew that she was an older dog that may not have many years left. Our intention was to make her part of our family and give her a happy life for the amount of time she had left. We never realized that we could gain so much love and adoration for a senior dachshund in such a short time. Seniors are special and I encourage everyone that reads this to consider these older babies. The love and perhaps appreciation they bestow on other household members is unlike any you may ever experience for a pet turned family member. Rest in peace Idgie. We miss you and love you dearly and will look for you at Rainbow Bridge.