It was so unexpected and I’m so incredibly sad. She was gentle, sweet, affectionate, goofy, and had a joy about her that made me smile. She joined our family about 3 years ago and her 2 dog sisters are missing her immensely. It’s all so heartbreaking.

I wanted to share her silly little face here and I hope that someone can tell me it gets easier. I’m devastated. Her harness and collar are still hanging by the door and I can’t bear to put her food dish away. If anyone has advice on how they handled this grief, please share! And tell me about your sweet dog so I know my girl is taken care of on the other side

We got him from a lady that lived in a tent in the woods in July of 2018. So many great years. And not nearly enough. Not even close.

He was my soul dog, he died in my arms in March from terminal cancer. He didn't deserve that. He didn't deserve to be in pain.

He was an angel. He made strangers smile. He lit up every room. He loved babies. He loved everyone. And he was loved By everyone. He was everything GOOD. Such a pure heart. I miss him so much.

Today I heard "Let him in anyway" on the radio driving home, and when he said "I don't never want to not see him again" I absolutely lost it. I cried the whole way.

Why him?? Apollo was the perfect dog. I rescued dozens of dogs and none can compare.

I just needed to get that out. Thanks for reading. Please hug your babies. You never know when you'll lose them.

I’m so upset with our law enforcement…. These dogs were born on this lady’s property, and she never asked for help to feed them…….. Her SIL posted them to an FB group and people started commenting on how skinny they were. She deleted it, but I had already been messaging trying to get them to safety.

Now the lady that has the dogs went ghost on me. So I called the sheriff to go to her property and help them. Lo and behold, Lubbock Sheriff Department DOES NOT BELIEVE THESE DOGS ARE MALNOURISHED!!!! I am fighting for fucking nothing if law enforcement thinks this is ok. I’m so furious. I’m still trying to get the damn dogs………..

We were so close to getting him out. We had someone who wanted to adopt him, but the shelter just could not wait even though we made room by getting 8 other dogs rescued.

Days like these makes networking dogs feel devastating. It’s like taking 3 steps forward and 10 steps backwards. It is definitely a rollercoaster ride with its highs and lows. Not enough people were networking this 4 year old gorgeous GSD. His light was snuffed out forever for being fearful. I know that someone out there lost their chance of having Bear as his soul dog and loyal friend. He deserved so much better. I wish I could have done more. The team of animal advocates that I work with has matched at least a hundred dogs to Foster’s and adopters this month. We have only lost a handful, but that doesn’t make our losses feel better. We know if the shelters would just grant us another day when we ask, then we would move mountains in order to get the dogs into a safe haven. The hands that get these dogs off the streets into safety are the same hands that end their lives. I wish we could get the system changed, but it won’t until people spay, neuter and take better care of their pets. Rest in Peace Bear. We loved you.

In June I picked up my little rescue dude from the transport service who brought him to me in the Midwest from Texas.

He was in a shelter and somehow I found him, actually clicking through a post here on Reddit for a different dog at risk of euthanasia at the same shelter.

I saw his photo and he spoke to me. It was a very difficult 2 months to get him here as he had a bad cough and had to be well enough to be neutered and transported. Somehow it all worked out.

He also had an historic leg injury and some other medical issues that did not seem serious. The shelter guessed that he was around 5 years old.

Once here his cough continued and I made an appt with my vet the first week. The vet said at least age 10..

The leg was an old femur fracture that was not fixable but he got around fine on it and it was not painful. His lungs were full of noise and crackles and that had to be resolved before he could have a dental. We did xrays and blood work.

Long story short (not really) after 3 rounds of different antibiotics, he had already been on antibiotics at the shelter and with his foster for 2 months, the lung issues continued.

Last month we had horrible air quality due to Canadian wildfire smoke and he began intermittent open mouth breathing so I took him to the er and redid xrays and bloodwork, consulted with the internal medicine Dr there and took him for an echo with the cardiac Dr the next day.

He had pleural hypertension and received meds for that. He was scheduled for a formal visit with the internal medicine Dr next Thursday. They thought likely lung fibrosis.

He had good days, happy and playful but always the cough, labored breathing, which he had had since he arrived, and regurgitation.

Wednesday he had a good day, full of beans and playing but around midnight began the open mouth breathing again. I slept on the sofa with him but he continued with this all night but gums stayed pink.

First thing yesterday am I called the Dr as his tongue was purplish and went right in. A half hour later he was gone.

Paco, I had such great plans for you. I was hoping that my vet would be able to fix your leg, your cough and your teeth, remove those little growths and you would live a long happy and healthy life here even though you would have to meet this thing called snow.

I had all of this planned for you. What actual happened is that you received the soft landing that you deserved. You were so loved and provided for for these short 9 weeks. I truly did everything that I could.

When you received the first shot I could feel you relax in my arms, the most relaxed that you had ever been with me. I told you that the Dr was going to fix everything, you would indeed be perfect now. I really was going to fix this the only way possible.

When you received the second shot, your labored breathing stopped for the first time since I met you. It broke my heart but also made me happy. You were not suffering any longer. I cried. I am still crying. I brought you to your private cremation and waited for you there and brought you back home.

I don't know your story, Paco, the name that I gave you. I know someone loved you because you were so sweet and loving, even though they did not get you the medical care you needed. I don't know how you ended up as an unclaimed stray in exactly the wrong city to be that. I know that you were strong and resilient despite all that had happened to you.

Did they pass away? If so I hope that you are together now and you can tell them about this last big adventure.

I will keep you in my heart always. You are a good boy and I miss you.

Edited to add: Thank you. Thank you so much for the sympathy, empathy, kind words and most of all the love for this one little dog, my Paco. All of you are wonderful and I know you understand.

All of you have made me cry but not in a bad way. I am happy that Paco is seen and recognized here as the special soul that he is. I appreciate your making this a little bit better by seeing the grace he added to this world. This one little dog from Texas.. He mattered.

I spent a little over a year trying to rehabilitate this girl who just grabbed my heart in a special way. We had to put her down on Monday and I’m devastated.

This world is broken and not everything can be fixed. The sadness in my heart right now feels like a gulf that can never be crossed, but I know its just a river at flood stage and eventually it will be a trickle I can step over. I miss her snuggles and sliding her nose under my hand when she wanted to be petted just a bit more. I miss her contorted yoga poses she somehow found comfortable while napping. I miss her not so gentle nudging for me to put on 15 layers of clothing to go throw the ball for her even though its -3 outside. I even miss her annoying antics like jumping up against the glass door when she wanted to go out and barking loudly while running from door to door to announce the encroaching presence of any squirrel, bird or human that dared to enter her world. Mostly, I miss the way she looked into my eyes, seemingly peering into my very soul with warmth, acceptance, and love.

I don’t know the details of her first year of life, but I know the abuse left her severely malnourished and scared of humans. She learned to protect herself the only way she could and the snarl and teeth let you know that she wasn’t bluffing. Bear, our other dog, was the chief architect of the initial bridge. He’d bound onto the couch and cover me with kisses while Francie watched from the corner. Eventually, both my wife and I earned her trust, and she happily joined in the couch snuggle fests. She made amazing progress in a year, but never could quite get past her aggression to other dogs (other than Bear) or, to my heart ripping sorrow, occasional and unpredictable bouts of aggression towards people.

Like every living thing, Francie was complicated. She was 90% sweet and gentle and 10% broken through no fault of her own. It took months to bring out her sweet and gentle side and I tried so hard for many more months to fix the broken side, but I couldn’t. It took me a long time to realize that I could not heal her and I am profoundly disappointed by that truth. I kept focusing on the progress she had made from where we started, but eventually I saw her zone of tolerance shrinking even as I tried to deny it.

I know this is a bit anthropomorphistic, but I think Francie consciously tried her best to keep her aggressive tendencies under wraps. But like a balloon that was filled beyond its limits, occasionally something would happen that took her beyond her self control capacity and the balloon would pop. She couldn’t control it and I lay the blame squarely at the feet of whoever it was that abused her.

When the balloon popped and her aggression was directed at one of her most loved and trusted humans, her remorse was real and overt. It was painful to witness. A canine behaviorist I’ve known and trusted for years helped me see that it was time to let go. So we did. Understanding that it was the right thing to do and relieved Francie from constant triggers doesn’t make it any easier.

I feel like anyone who has read this far has a right to expect an ending with a positive uplifting message, but I don’t have that . . . maybe someday I will. For today, I’m just left with a Francie sized ache in my heart and a wish that we could mend the broken pieces.

I rescued my girl when she was 2. I only got 2 and a half years with her before she got a lymphoma diagnosis. She didn’t start showing any symptoms until about a week ago.

For context too, I got that dog at a low point in my life and even these past few months, she’s been there for me. I live alone, so it was just me and her. Through a family member getting committed & diagnosed manic bipolar and a terribly heartbreaking breakup these past few months, that dog was the only thing keeping me going.

A few months back I reached a point of wanting to end it, but she pawed at me and paced around me to the point where I knew I could never leave her. She depended on me.

She was a very reactive girl. But I put in the work to train her and really changed my lifestyle around to give her the best one possible. I just can’t believe she’s really gone. The diagnosis and the euthanasia came the same day. I just knew I couldn’t let her be stressed for a single day more. The vet alone was a traumatizing experience for her.

Man I loved that dog more than anything. She was my world. I can’t believe she was taken from me this soon.

Hi, everyone. This is my first post on this sub, but, I honestly did not know where else to post this.

I am a relatively small time networker with just under 1.3k followers on my networking page. I am not like most of the other networkers out there because I only network dogs for a maximum of 7 days a month and I only focus on one or two euthanasia listed special needs/medical needs senior shelter dogs. I follow these dogs from the moment I see their photo on the shelter website until they are either adopted or cross the rainbow bridge after being rescued.

Without patting my own back, I have an almost perfect success rate for my networked dogs which is what makes losing one so hard to accept.

Not only did this sweet senior nearly fall through the cracks despite there being HUNDREDS of networkers working on this shelter alone. He had been there 6 DAYS before I made him a post which gave us 3 DAYS to find rescue. I was the only one to make him a post.

The shelter gave us a euthanasia date of 9/23, but, they euthanized him on 9/20 without updating any of us that kept reaching out for updates. They said that he was suffering too much for them to even let him make it off the stray hold. This shelter is known for euthanizing dogs for any reason they are able to justify (if they have any reason at all) and simply being old will put dogs at the top of the euthanasia list.

So, this is a memorial post for the dog that I named Solomon for networking purposes. It means "peace and prayed for" in Hebrew. His intake photo tore at my heart because he had the biggest, saddest eyes that I have ever seen.

The shelter "named" him #A598128. I named him Solomon because he mattered even though they did not think so. I hope that wherever he is now, he is happy and whole.

I am so sorry I could not save you, sweet boy.

Rest in peace.

We want to start off by saying thank you to each and everyone who has read, shared, reposted and donated to this very special boy.

Chance is safe with Kiowas House Husky Rescue.

Chance spent his first night (Tues) with Nicole, the founder of Kiowas House Husky Rescue. Chance did not want to sleep in the brand new comfy dog bed Kiowas House bought just for him. He wanted to lay on the floor, back against the wall, perhaps so no one could sneak up on him. I think he did not want to sleep in the bed because: (1). He has never had a bed of his own (2). He can feel the vibrations of approaching footsteps better when lying on the floor so he can get an early warning and maybe get away if he recognizes the pattern of his abusers footsteps approaching. There is no doubt in my mind that he knows exactly what those footsteps feel like.

Nicole fell asleep sitting with him. She did not want him to be alone. He was a very good boy and did not move much all night. He did not have much of an appetite.

Chance was taken to his medical foster’s home early Wed morning to await the call from the vet to bring him in. He immediately bonded with his medical foster’s mom. He got up on the couch and lay quietly beside her, “watching” TV together as she draped her arm across his back to let him know he is safe and loved.

The “bring him in” call from the vet came just minutes later so Chase was brought to The Veterinary Center at Hunters Crossing. He was seen by Dr Andrew Kicers and his amazing team. The entire staff is wonderful, kind, caring and compassionate.

Even as we were picking up Chance Tuesday evening we were working to get him seen by a vet. The wonderful woman that answered our urgent call to the Veterinary Center at Hunters Crossing in Gainesville went to work immediately setting up our rescue account and reached the vet after hours to get Chance an appointment to be seen Wednesday morning. We could not be more thankful.

Chance was kept all day Wednesday at the vets. They needed to sedate him to better examine and evaluate him.

We did not know what to expect but we knew his body would tell a tale of repeated abuse. Sadly the news is not good. Chance is in far worse condition than just his eyes. Far worse than we feared.

He has a large mass above his badder. He has fluid on around his lungs. He has some blood work abnormalities. There are signs of healed wounds and bones. He shows signs of malnutrition…starvation. He is very underweight and needs a nutrition high calorie diet.

He needs to go to a specialist for additional testing on the mass and have the fluid around his lungs drained and tested.

His left eye is very painful and swollen. He was given meds for the pain and swelling.

He was able to go home to rest with his medical foster and is being scheduled for advanced specialist care.

His veterinary bill is listed in the comments.

Please keep Chase in your prayers…this boy does not deserve the hand he was dealt.

My husband and I adopted our son Star in 2023 at 3 years old. He came with a lot more health issues than we were told he had (kidney disease, gallbladder disease, liver disease, chronic ear infections, allergies, polydipsia, and polyuria) but we fell in love with him and took as good care of him as we could. We worked diligently with regular vets and an internal medicine specialists for 3 years to stabilize him on a large medication regimen that made him comfortable and happy. Honestly we have a lot of debt from his medical care

In early October something changed after some medication changes and he didn’t seem right. We took him to the vet and they found a low grade heart murmur. We reversed the medication change and were waiting to see its impact before getting into see the cardiologist. He started showing signs of respiratory distress that weekend and he wasn’t well so my husband rushed him to the ER where they found out Star was in heart failure and his murmur had gotten a lot worse. I rushed home from a trip and we brought star home.

Star never got better, even after they got him through the first episode of heart failure. They told us with all of his concurrent issues, it was likely he would go into heart failure again, even if they could try and treat it. He did the next afternoon. We didn’t want him to suffer anymore, he had fought for so long and so hard all of his life. He had a really hard life before we adopted him.

I don’t know why I’m even writing this all out other than to say i cannot cope with this loss. We knew he was sick and would pass away one day, but we thought he would be old and gray. We simply weren’t ready. How am I supposed to get through this. How are we supposed to get through this. I miss him so much and I just feel like I can’t breathe every single day.

This isn’t my first time losing pets, my childhood dogs passed away at a nice old age. We don’t want kids. Star was our baby. He was with us in our first house together and there on the day we got married. It feels like no one understands how big of a loss this is to us.

Edit: I’ve spent most of the day reading all of your comments. Thank you so much for helping me feel less alone. I’m sharing them with my husband too. For everyone who also shared their losses, I’m so sorry we are going through this together. I’ve been lighting a candle for Star every night and will light an extra candle for all of your babies tonight too. Thank again for helping me feel the love. I can only hope to share it back.

Picked her up 12 years ago from a local shelter. She was the sweetest, smartest, and most loving dog I've ever known. My heart is broken

I am so scared I am trembling in this scary kennel! I will be gone forever in few hours and I am so scared !!! Why do I deserve it ? I did nothing wrong ! Please help me !!! I deserve another chance in this scary life !!!

Ramit 305 -9349848

ramitny@gmail.com

I recently rescued a dog with a leg wound so bad that all i could see was a bone and flesh hanging out from the side. He had about 200+ maggots eating his flesh. He was also twitching and had nasal discharge which I didnt notice that very instant. as we bought him to a vet, they instantly realised that this dog was facing from distemper, he was weak and couldnt even get up.

No hospital admits a dog with distemper than 1 in my city. I got him there that very night, he was there for 4 days and his condition was deteriorating even after iv and canglobe D. he was not eating and had blood stools with continuous twitching. There was nothing much i could do but make him suffer less.

I went gave him treats before be put him to sleep, he had hand on my lap the entire time, he got so excited when he smelled the treat. I cant get his face out of my head, I randomly cry thinking about it. I dont know what to do.

This was him just before i put him to sleep

She was an exceptionally good girl. She touched so many hearts. She loved and was loved by so many people in my life. She guided me through my 20's, helped me and others through so many dark times. She was truly a once in a life time dog, and I don't think I could actually write enough words to honor her. Hazel, you were a good girl, you were the best of girls, it was your time, but we have an incredible empty hole I do not think could ever be filled by anyone else. Sleep well, we love you.

My beautiful rescue boy Duke (or his shelter name Bogey). Duke passed in June of 2024 at the age of 2, I held him while he passed and I will never forget him. He was my best friend and had such a big personality. He enjoyed being a guard dog for his family, loving his family despite being clearly traumatized by his previous home situation, and running.

I want everyone to know how beautiful my Duke was and that he was the best dog ever.

I am 16 years old and I was dumped at the shelter by the people I loved the most ! I don’t want to end my life like this !! I don’t ask a lot ! Just a small corner to put my head downs to feel safe !!! What are my chances to make it out alive ?

I am at Carson Shelter LA 310-523-9566 216 W Victoria st Gardena CA California! Please come and get me out of here!!

These 3 really did not have a chance. Suge was “too energetic” as the shelter put it. They did not give us much time to network this beautiful boy! The shelter said that Sandra “needed an assessment.” She was very popular. Cheeto was extended all week, but he was put in a kennel alone after an altercation with another dog who had chased him during playtime who he had been scared of. Prior to that day, the shelter attendants noticed Cheeto “backing away and keeping his distance” from the other dog who had been approaching him. Why the shelter put Cheeto in the same kennel that Cheeto was clearly afraid of, we will never know. These dogs were perfectly healthy and should have been given more time.

This might be a long shot, but I’m hoping Reddit can work its magic. I’m trying to find my old dog, Blue, whose original name was Kazmo. My family adopted him when he was about a year old and renamed him Blue. Unfortunately, in April 2025 my mom returned him to the ACC in Queens, NY. I’ve always wondered what happened to him afterward, whether he was adopted again, and how he’s doing now.

I’m not looking to take him away from whoever has him now or interfere with his current home. If someone adopted him and he’s happy and loved, that’s exactly what I hope happened. I would just really love to know that he’s okay, see a recent picture of him, or hear a little about how he’s doing.
I’ll attach pictures of Blue/Kazmo from when he was with us. If you adopted a dog named Kazmo or Blue from the Queens ACC around or after April 2025, recognize him, or know someone who might have adopted him, please DM me. Please don’t post anyone’s private information publicly.

I know this is a long shot, but you never know who might see it. I’ve thought about Blue so many times since he left, and knowing he ended up somewhere safe and loved would mean a lot to me. 💙🐶

Today I have to do the hardest thing about being a dog owner. I have to say goodbye to my best friend, my soul dog. Chance has been the best boy since I’ve found him on the side of the highway almost 13 years ago. He has been the best dog I’ve ever owned. I will never be able to find another like him. He has shown my son, fiancée and I unconditional love since day one. Cancer is a bitch. Hug your doggos extra tight today. I’ll see you on the other side buddy. 🌈 🐾 ❤️

Almost made it to 16. Feels like things will never be ok. Miss heem so much.

I brought my Foster home Wednesday from Cleveland, Texas, which is notorious for dumping dogs. I took her to the clinic at the Rescue. I volunteer and Foster with and they diagnosed her is being extremely anemic and heartworm positive. She was improving a little, but this morning was significantly worse. I took her to the vet and it turns out that she had been given slow release rat poison. They are hopeful she can be saved. I will never understand how people can harm animals. If anyone feels inclined to donate to the Rescue I am with it is Three Little Pitties in Friendswood Texas. Her name is Lyric and she is at family animal Hospital in Friendswood.

Princess is only 10 months old. A baby. But instead of growing up in a safe, loving home… she was abandoned by the only family she knew and dumped at Downey ACC, a high-euth shelter where time runs out fast.

Princess is sweet, playful, affectionate. She greets people with soft eyes, a wiggly body, and a wagging tail. She still believes in people. She still leans in for love. She still has hope.

But that hope is fading. Because Princess is scheduled to be euthanized. Tomorrow morning.

🆘She is past her deadline. Her final notice expired 8/12!!! 🆘 Why does this shelter have no support at all!? If she doesn’t leave, she will lose her life.

This is the reality of shelter life: happy, healthy, young dogs like Princess are euthanized simply for space.

Princess #A5707770 10m Tan S Germ Shepherd 54 lbs

Her owner, who dumped her at the shelter, claimed, she nipped him while trying to hold her back from someone who was antagonizing her. She’s very mouthy but at the shelter she was nothing but sweet and affectionate. Princess is a sweet, energetic pup with a big personality and a love for human affection. She greets people with a wiggly body, soft eyes, and a happy tail wag. While she gets excited and may gently mouth during greetings, she responds well to gentle correction and loves being petted all over. Princess has a puppy-like charm and is eager to bond with a family who can match her joyful energy and affection.

➡️➡️📣If you can foster or responsibly adopt, please message me or email Isabeldesiree8@gmail.com immediately.

👉 If you can’t take her, PLEASE SHARE this post. Sharing can save her life.

Princess shouldn’t lose her life at 10 months old. She should be chasing toys, snuggling on the couch, and growing old with a family who loves her. Please, please don’t let her story end in heartbreak. Help us save her.

📍Downey ACC 11258 Garfield Avenue Downey, CA 90242

urgentdog #puppyinneed #adoptme #shelterdog #fosteringsaveslives❤️🐶 #saveshelterdogs #california #fosterdogmom #seenequalssaved

Our almost 13-year-old baby will be put to rest in a few hours. After battling a month’s long mystery illness this past summer, developing vestibular disease a few months ago, having scary seizures, some neurological issues, and more recently developing a large mass in her belly that got bigger despite more drugs, we know it’s her time even if it isn’t ours.