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.

Panther
RIP Panther: I wanted to let you know we lost Panther this evening. She suffered a massive seizure and my vet was unable to stabilize her. I am heartbroken, she was truly my dog from the day we picked her up from you. She was my constant companion, would sulk if I left her or she could not come with me and was known to park herself next to the car in the garage and refuse to come in until she had gotten her way (a ride in the car). She loved riding around in my golf cart at work, was sassy, opinionated, and quite simply the most wonderful dog I have shared my life with. Thank you for all your organization did for her before she came to us. I think the last ten months of her life must have been something wonderful for her, Dana Diemer

Nugget
Nugget RIP: I'm afraid I have some sad news. On 11/11 we had to say goodbye to Nugget, the sweet black and tan dapple we adopted in 2006. I'm sorry this is a long email but I figured if anyone would want to hear about him it would be you. As Nugget got older he had several health issues. He had had bladder surgery twice for stones which left him increasingly "leaky" as he got older :) He had a heart murmur that progressed to cause congestive heart failure and was on 3 medications for that. He also lost most of his vision and some of his hearing. Despite all this he was still a happy dog who loved going for (slow) walks, sitting on the couch with Dad watching TV and most of all eating! In April he had an episode of pancreatitis and another one about a month after that. We changed his diet and he seemed to be doing well, although he gradually lost interest in walks and seemed to stay in his bed more and more. Last Sunday he had some diarrhea and vomiting. We took him to the vet and he got antibiotics and medications to settle his stomach. I cooked him a big batch of rice and chicken which he ate all last week. He seemed to be doing better until this Sunday. He vomited twice in the morning. Although he continued to eat all day Sunday he ate less and less at each meal. We took him to the vet on Monday and they diagnosed him with yet another episode of pancreatitis. They started treatment slowly, with the plan to administer fluids over 2 days so as not to stress out his heart. We took him home Monday evening and planned to bring him back Tuesday to complete the treatment. However, Monday it was clear he was not recovering like he did after his previous episodes. He was too weak to do anything beside lay in his bed. My husband and I tried to hand feed him but he wouldn't eat. This really worried us because we knew if he wouldn't eat he really was ill. He looked so frail and tired. We talked about his quality of life and that even if he survived this bout of pancreatitis he may have to go through this in the near future again. We decided that if he did not make a dramatic recovery Tuesday morning at the vet we would take him home for the rest of the day and then say goodbye after work. Monday night he slept in the big bed with us. Tuesday morning he was so weak. We took him to the vet and they gave him fluids and pain meds, but he continued to deteriorate. At lunch time my husband took him to my parents' house (where he normally stayed during the day). We set his dog bed in the sun on a beautiful Florida fall afternoon and he laid there for a while. I got home around 4pm and sat with him for a couple hours. At 6 pm the vet came to the house to help him say goodbye. My family surrounded him and he went to Heaven in my arms. It was incredibly peaceful. I only tell you the details of his last days so you know how we arrived at this decision and how difficult it was to make. I think his passing was as peaceful and comfortable as we could have made it. Instead of dwelling on his death though, I would like to celebrate everything he did in his life. He was a great dog! - Saw me through medical school and residency, and was my study buddy beside me on the couch while I studied for so many exams over the years - Volunteered as a therapy dog and touched many patients' lives at the hospital and nursing home. - Was there when I started dating my now-husband, and turned him into a dachshund lover after thinking he'd only have big dogs his whole life :) - Became a friend to Rufus, the dachshund we fostered in 2011 - Became a favorite of kids in our neighborhood and always let them pet him and even pull his ears. - Saw my family through the death of 3 grandparents and our other dachshund within a 1 year span - Became a reassuring presence for Hilde, my parents' new rescue dachshund, who suffers from separation anxiety. We always said Nugget was Hilde's "rock." - Graciously and kindly welcomed our baby boy on September 11. I never loved Nugget more than I did when he showed nothing but gentleness and love to this new crying baby that invaded his household :) So this closes a chapter in our lives with the loss of Nugget. He was there through almost all my 20's and it will be so strange to go on without him. We loved him so much and even though no one wanted him at the beginning of his life, his life mattered and he made the most of it! Thank you so much for rescuing him a long time ago and keep up your good work. I attached a picture of Nugget on his last afternoon with us, laying in the sun. Sincerely, Lauren McDonald

RIP Vasco aka Buster 3-24-14
"Buster was his previous name, but we decided to name him Vasco, honoring the conquerer Vasco de Gama, and he was a real one!! He came to our lives in May 2008, and he became a real protector for all of us. He had had a very rough past, he had been abandoned several times and abused before arriving at AADR. He spent a year waiting for adoption and until we saw him and decided to adopt him. We gave him all the love that he never had in his short life, We had the satisfaction that he was happy during last six years with us and his brothers until he died on the 24th of March 2014. We can definitely note the emptiness in the house........Vasco was a presence, a good one, and one that will be missed. We love you very much and we light a candle close to your picture every single night and pray!! We hope to see you in the future, just wait for us!!

Jake RIP
Jake came to us via AADR about 7 or so years ago. He had been a 'breeder' dog (I guess it was time for fresh stock). Jake was quite submissive for a long time. When approached, he would flatten himself to the floor, head down. He also had no clue about playing/chasing a ball; he'd just look at it like "What?" and walk away. Even watching my other two doxies go nuts and chase a ball until they were pooped didn't register with him. Jake did take to squeaky toys, though - he'd run through the house with one like it was his prize catch of the day. Sweet tempered and completely submissive to our other two (and later, three) weiners, he did have a very strong protective streak when it came to anyone approaching me, whether in our home or on the outside. While he never went after anyone, his aggressive stance and deep bark could be intimidating to strangers. I sometimes felt like he was saying 'Hey, I've got a good thing here and you better stay away!" He was quite a love sponge, almost to the point of being needy, but I think he was making up for his years spent in a run. Sweet, dependent, gentle Jake - we will miss him. God love you, little guy! And special thanks to AADR for bringing him into our lives.