2023 Angels

I adopted Max when he was 10. From the first day I adopted him he was my close companion. We walked every day no matter the weather. He had his rain coat and heavy snow jacket. He went with me to choir practice, church business meetings and to the Senior Center. When covid came he was even closer to me. He loved meeting his girlfriend on our walks but he would bark at other dogs. I’ll miss him so much.

Mocha Rexroad, 17 years old, gained her angel wings as she crossed the Rainbow Bridge. 

Mocha was an awesome rabbit hunter until her retirement. She was the first to hit the ground running and the last to be loaded in the truck to come home. She made us laugh over the years with some of her goofy antics and faces she made. 

She was preceded in death by husband Hunter, son Rex, and daughters Dixie and Shelby. She is survived by two daughters, Mollie of Chambersburg and Bailey of Martinsburg. 

We were honored to have her love for as long as we did. She will be missed.

Carley was a very loving dog, loved to go for truck rides and wanted to be petted by everyone. We will love and miss her forever, she was beautiful and had a heart of gold. Love Mom and Dad

Yoda was the sweetest cuddly kitty. He came to us as a kitten and lived his whole life together with our family. He loved stretching out in sunny places and teasing his dog brother Watson. He was a constant companion for his entire sixteen years and we will miss him terribly.

My sweet little puppy dog “roo roo” was absolutely the best. She was 6 weeks shy of 17. I loved that dog more than anyone can imagine. She kept me so much company especially after our kids moved out and when my husband would travel for work. She absolutely loved when the kids would come back home!! She loved everyone. When you would come to the house you would have to pick her up just for a few minutes so she would stop barking. She had the cutest little nose!! She loved chasing the squirrels out of our yard and just being outside sunbathing!! There were so many great things about Roxy. I will never have another dog like her. I can’t imagine a life without her. I look for her all the time. Unfortunately she was in kidney failure and was not eating and going down hill very rapidly. It was heartbreaking to come to the decision it was time to let her go. It truly was one of the hardest thing I ever did. But I also know she did not deserve to suffer or be in pain. There is no way I could have taken her to the vet to have it done. I am so fortunate that my husband found Dr. Girard. Speaking to her on the phone she explained how everything would work. She was able to come the next morning and she made a horrible and sad situation a little easier. She was so kind and gentle and again explained step by step what would happen. She respected our wishes and truly made me at ease with everything. Although I hope no one has to go through this I would highly recommend Dr. Girard I never thought a little dog would have so much impact on me but like I said she was one of a kind and so deeply loved!!

Mateo was our first together, born August 11, 2007, and was a great travel companion especially when moving out to Las Vegas and back. He had an attitude of his own and was a nurturer when we fell ill. He loved showing us his accomplishments on his puppy pads while training and fetching treats on his hind legs as he grew up. He loved so many and so many loved him. His Dad, Collin, companion, Mischa, and I were glad to have him in our lives for 15 years until we lost him on Match 24, 2023. You are missed my sweet boy.

It is difficult to find the words to describe Harley. I often called him my jerk, however, he truly was an amazing dog. I can only hope that in his almost 14 years of life we were able to show him love close to the love he showed.

We picked Roxie up at a shelter after we moved into our first home before my wife and I got married. She was our first baby. Roxie went everywhere with us, including our family vacation to Florida every year. Her favorite things were Frisbee, ball, hard boiled eggs, and peanut butter. Roxie was 10 years old when Lymphoma cancer came knocking on her door in October of 2023. She was loved very much and is very dearly missed. There will always be a place in our hearts for her. We love you sweet Roxie girl. Until we see you again.

Bella and I started our journey together in 2008 when she was eight weeks old and I was fresh out of college. Starting my career as a teacher, we lived together happily in a one bedroom apartment. In the next 14 years, Bella would grow from roommate and best friend to flower girl and big sister. I have a frame with a picture of the two us that reads, “To have a dog is to know unconditional love.” There is so much truth to that quotation. Bella was so loved, but she also loved her family…always supervising her furry brother and human brother and sister. While Bella knew love and snuggling, she was also feisty! She would take you for a walk, find a way to get any food left unattended, and bark, bark, bark. Luckily, she was full of life until suddenly she was not. In that difficult time, we found Dr. Girard. She came to our home and helped Bella find peace. She is the most perfect person for this challenging position. We were not sure what our young son could handle and she gave us guidance but also space to make our own decision. He ended up staying for the whole process as Bella crossed Rainbow Bridge, and seeing how peaceful it was, I think made all the difference in his closure and healing with grief. This loss was very hard for our family, and I’ve also had to learn to live adult life without Bella. I just can’t think Dr. Girard enough for all she did to make that difficult time so special and simple. If you’re reading this, eat something extra tasty today in memory of Bella!

Although Don was scared of his own shadow, it warmed our hearts when he would climb into our laps (as if he wasn’t 65 lbs.) for protection from a beep or the power going out. He knew he could count on us for anything, and it makes our hearts full to know we always provided that sense of safety and security for him. We’re so grateful that we were able to continue that same level of care in his final days, which was made possible in large part by Dr. Girard. Her grace, tact, patience, care, and love for animals made our final moments with Donald so much better than we could have imagined. We knew we didn’t want to drive our car-sick boy anywhere for any part of his final days, so we were so grateful to have made contact with Dr. Girard months back when Don’s health started to slowly decline. We cannot express how much this meant to us to be able to be home with Don in the shady spot he picked out for his final moments. We were able to snuggle him, give him roast beef, and love on him the way he deserved. It truly means the world to us.

We love and miss you, Don! Give Daisy big kisses for us! We’ll see you again someday, sweet boy!

Clyde was our 15 and a half year old bichon and the cutest guy in town. Clyde loved long walks, hikes and zooming through the house! Back in his younger days, he could do several miles on the Appalachian Trail with no problem. Those short little legs were strong 🙂 I am a teacher, and Clyde accompanied me to school for many years. Because of that, he had quite a large number of friends. Clyde put a smile on everyone’s face and raised spirits just by being Clyde. His eyes and hearing failed over the past year and his overall health declined, but he still brought so much joy. We will always miss our little guy.

Lucky was a part of our family for more than 14 years. Our kids grew up with her, and I think she taught them good life lessons.

Miss Doodle was everything you would want in a basset hound. Lots of love to share, a bit too much drool, a bit loud, lots of wrinkles, a bit stubborn. When you walked in the room she greeted you like you were the most wonderful thing she had ever seen even if you were only gone an hour. Doodle blessed is with 13 years as a constant loyal companion. There was no where she would rather be than at our side. She will be greatly missed by her parents Preston and Mary and the other fox hounds. She was the queen and all are a bit lost without her.

I got Amber from a rescue in Clemson, SC on January 19, 2011. On my way home from the rescue Amber put her paw on my arm telling me she knew that she was safe and that we belonged to each other. Amber enjoyed playing with her squeaky pig and would sit pretty when asked.

Amber has been my protector. She always wanted to be by my side and would not let anyone close to me. This was definitely a case of “who rescued who”! I needed her as much as she needed me! 

I appreciate Dr. Girard so much for her patience & compassion for both of us. Amber was a fighter & my stubborn girl to the very end!

Chloe beautiful inside and out, loyal, and sweet. My companion of 12 years traveled everywhere with us, she loved car rides. She was rescued from a shelter and loved everyone. She loved running, chasing herds of deer, chasing the fox. She loved food and could be picky and we allowed it. She was so loved she was part of every minute of my day. She loved going to the farmers market and getting pets from adults and children. She loved being social always asking to be pet. Her tail never stopped wagging and she smiled always. Chloe was perfect.

Strider was a sweet, intuitive, kind companion. He was gentle in a way that if you put your hand between his mouth and the food bowl while he was eating, he just looked at you as if to say, “What gives? This is a random inconvenience.” At the same time he was protective and fierce in his ability and desire to ensure the safety of those he cared about.
There are many stories of how he was the most amazing friend, companion, protector, playmate, etc that showed how well he read people and other animals and how much he comforted those of us in his ‘pack’. However all I can think of now is how much I miss my best friend and roommate. How we was arguably the truest love I’ve ever experienced on this earth and I thank God for letting me have the most enriched decade of my life with Strider.

What isn’t there to say about the sweetest, most goofy, and loving boy on the planet? I’ll start by saying nothing better has ever come from Craigslist. From the day we brought Gunner home 10 years ago until the day he went to his forever home, we were never without love, laughs, and all of the drool you could imagine. His personality was one of a kind and to know him was to immediately love him. He loved squeaky toys meant for 5-10lb pups, playing fetch with empty water bottles, & riding with his head out of the window during every car ride. He took his role as a little brother very seriously and always made sure to taste test new vegetables before they were given to his big brother, Camo. We miss his wiggle butt, stinky breath, and the sound he made flying down the stairs every day more than words can even begin to describe.

Thank you again Dr. Girard for being the angel we truly needed during the hardest day of our lives.

Until we meet again, we love you Gunner.

Our sweet Jujubee, immediately after we read your post we knew we needed you. Dropped off at a shelter on Christmas 2019, you were sad, neglected, scared, and needed a safe home. We were expecting a challenge, but you quickly settled into living the good life. We are heartbroken, but thankful we were able to spend your golden years with you. We love you forever sweet Jubba girl.

Forever in our hearts and minds. Our dog sitter said it perfectly – “When I first met Cash a year ago he was the first to greet me and stole a piece of my heart. His big brown eyes seemed to look into your soul. My husband and mom frequently mentioned how highly I spoke of Johnny Cash from day one and how he was my favorite client. He was a special, special boy. The type of dog friend everyone deserves to have. I’ll never know why I got lucky enough to meet him and be blessed with his presence and leans and big smile but I’m thankful our paths aligned in time.”

We had 9 out of her 13 years with Heidi. She was a rescue that was a little jittery at first but quickly warmed up to us. She was a loving, playful, and energetic girl who loved going for walks and playing with her squeaky babies. We will miss her greatly and her loss is deeply felt.

Tucker was one of the most loving playful dogs. His life was playing frisbee and he never met a stranger. He always met me at the door with a toy in his mouth and loved going for walks. I couldn’t have asked for a better dog. He will be missed by so many people. I am very grateful to Honor vet hospice for helping him cross over in such a kind, relaxed and loving way.

Chlo-bug was our favorite hello and our hardest goodbye. Until we meet again…