We are so sad to announce that Bo (formerly Tyler from FL), our 2020 SEGSP Alum, passed away peacefully Sunday night.   He was our Volunteer Coordinator, Amanda’s first foster dog.
 
From Amanda, “Bo solidified my commitment to SEGSP.  When he came into rescue, he was clearly malnourished and acted as if he had never known love from a human.  No eye contact and zero reaction when you went to pet him.  After a few weeks, he started to come out of his shell and slowly warmed up to people and would actually come up to strangers to be petted.  We had every intention of being foster fails as we had fallen in love with him.  Unfortunately, he absolutely despised our younger GSP.  As fosters, we struggled - it wasn't easy, but a huge thank you to the FL Volunteer Coordinators Gail and Manasi who continued to encourage us and give us hints on how to manage the situation.  We stuck it out and things worked out exactly as they were supposed to.  Once Bo was ready to find his forever home, I worried that it would be difficult to find him the perfect home.  Along came Nicole - I'll never forget our first conversation.  She told me he was hers.  She hadn't even told her husband yet.  I was hesitant (to say the least) since she told me they had other dogs.   I wasn't sure how he would do in a home with other dogs.  We scheduled our meet and greet with their pack and we all agreed it just felt RIGHT.  A couple of weeks later, Bo was on his way to his forever home.   While we were excited for Bo, it hurt leaving him.  My husband and I could barely even speak on the way home - We almost decided to never foster again.  Then...Nicole sent us updates - wonderful updates!  Bo was doing so well, going on adventures, learning to play more, and even sharing a bed with his fur brothers!  We knew he was home and living his best life.  Thank you to Nicole and her family for taking in this sweet lug and showing him how great life could be.  It isn't always easy taking in a senior dog, but it sure is worth the effort. Rest in peace sweet Bo.  You'll always have a very special place in our hearts.”
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Bo, at age 9, had been dumped at a NC shelter and Amanda drove all the way from FL to NC to pick him up. Bo was a very lucky boy with such dedicated foster parents and he was so happy and thrived with the Hemmerly family. And they promised him unlimited cheese treats over the rainbow bridge.

We don’t know what the first 9 years of Bo’s life were like, but we do know he was very much loved in his last 15 months…

Very sad news… We’ve been informed that our alumnus Miller passed away in February.  He came to rescue in 2011 from a puppy mill where he was used for breeding under terrible conditions. He came with 6 other GSPs that were rescued and they were all given names after towns in the area. He was rescued in NC, however fostered in AL.  Our records are sparse for that time period so we’re not sure who fostered Miller, but they chose an amazing family for him in Florida with our ‘now’ volunteers Richard and Marjie.  In fact, Miller was their gateway to volunteering with SEGSP (thank you Miller).
 
From his mom Marjie, “He loved to beg to go out to eat and we usually took him with us. He had his canine good citizens and we attempted agility but he never got over being frightened of a few things because of his early years before rescue. Miller always had a soft stuffed toy in his mouth and it seemed to comfort him when he got scared.”
 
Miller was loved and cherished – beyond words.  Richard and Marjie honor his memory by supporting SEGSP and we are so very thankful to have them as volunteers.  

We received very sad news... Our senior alumnus Louis has left this world, but he will never leave his dad’s heart.

Louis entered rescue in GA in 2020 after his person passed away.  Then his foster/forever dad, Steven, endured the sudden loss of his beloved Daisy Duke (also a SEGSP alum).   Updates from Louis’ dad were always sweet... Louis shredded a bed in his crate, so Steven got him a sturdier one. Louis was a bed hog (and could be cranky about it) when he wanted attention, but his dad just thought that was funny. We were reminded of the famous last line from “Casablanca” delivered by Humphrey Bogart’s Rick Blaine to Claude Rains’ Capt. Louis Renault, “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”  And it was…for a year and a half.  A short time together, but packed with love.
From Steven, He was a bed hog, an obsessive licker (of all things), a perpetual nap taker and a “damn good dog all around.”  
 
“We’re given many gifts as we go through life. Some we enjoy for a long time, others only briefly. But each gift has the power to change us, enrich us, to make us better people.”  Unknown   

We are very sad to announce the passing of our 2010 alumna Penny.  Her family fostered her, healed her body (neck wounds) and soul, and loved her for almost twelve years through good times and bad, and  were with her when she said goodbye.
 
From her mom, “Penny was one of the sweetest dogs ever. She loved chasing birds and squirrels. She loved eating and snuggling. She always thought she was a lap dog. She has always had a limp. This past year she stopped walking on her right front leg - the pain was so bad. After trying multiple pain medications and acupuncture we had it amputated. It came back with osteosarcoma. We knew our time was limited but we also knew we were lucky she found us!!! I know that she is running free chasing the birds now….”
 
Penny’s sister, 2019 alumna Ivy, has been grieving also and sleeping in Penny's favorite bed.   Our hearts go out to the Robinett family and we thank them for the love they gave Penny. 
 
“Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day…  unseen, unheard, but always near, still loved, still missed, and very dear.”  Unknown

​“Hershey was a 2013 alum of SEGSP Rescue. I’d recently discovered the breed and was searching for a running buddy… thankfully I stumbled upon SEGSP and was hooked when I read his bio. My sister and I picked him up from Laura in Chattanooga and he immediately became part of the family. We ran almost nightly after work together, and he even did some 5-12k races with me over the years. He was the biggest baby - loved to cuddle, wouldn’t go to sleep without being tucked in with his blanket, and would ‘cry-breathe’ when you weren’t giving him enough attention (heaven forbid you try to clean the house or get some work done - he needed ear scratches!!). When Daniel and I met, he was the first person Hershey ever allowed to come close to me without barking his displeasure. I think it was the treats being passed out behind my back! He loved our friends who visited, but also made it clear when it was time for them to go home by dramatically flopping down on his bed with his back to the party. He was our old man even early on, keeping us on a tight 5 AM breakfast schedule by stomping next to the bed until someone responded appropriately. 

Before Daniel and I married we bought a house with a great fenced backyard, perfect for Hershey and his love of squirrel/bunny/bee/bird stalking as well as sunbathing in our raised garden bed. Despite our best efforts, Hershey also loved to go for an unscheduled run every now and then. He had a knack for sneaking out at the holidays and between the legs of friends and family taking care of him for a weekend. Often I’d get a phone call from a new ‘friend’ Hershey had made down the street - stealing tennis balls from their pups and plopping down on a sunny front porch to take a break after his romp through the neighborhood. Once he was even caught by a middle school football team at practice! 

Last week he had some small growths removed, and everything seemed to go smoothly. A few days later his appetite disappeared and his breathing became labored. We took him to the overnight vet and thought pneumonia, but later scans showed what we think now was a tumor bleeding in his esophagus or lungs. He hid any illness or discomfort from his cancer from us as long as he could, even hiking 5 miles with me the day before his surgery and making his first puppy friend, a 150-lb Newfoundland belonging to my cousin. He always had a sassy, sneaky streak that when we saw it, we said he was being a punk. We saw his sweet side, and also his playful, sassy side on his last day, and he said goodbye to us before we went to the emergency vet, in his favorite place, our backyard. While he must have been sick for a while, he only put us through it for a very short time. He passed on Friday, October 15 and will not be forgotten. “
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“Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry.” Dr. Seuss

We are very sad to announce that our alumnus Joey, formerly JoAnne, has passed away at the age of 14. 

Joey came to rescue in 2010 emaciated after having a litter of puppies in Georgia.  She was the Flugman family’s first foster dog, and was an immediate ‘foster fail,’ adopting her within days.  As Joey was getting older, her human brother Travis was devoted to her and we’re sure the feeling was mutual.  Joey was so much more than her family’s GSP. She had a perfect temperament and they adored her.  She was there for her family during the good times, but also the tragic times.  When her dad passed away 3 years ago from cancer, she mourned with her family and helped ease their pain with her love.  She was called her dad’s ‘girlfriend’ because they adored one another and it’s a comfort to her family knowing Joey is reunited with him.  

Her family is grateful they have Mary Kay (also a SEGSP alum, who just turned 11) to help them through this loss. Mary kay is grieving too…   We are all so sad that Joey is no longer with her family on earth, but we can only imagine the joy of the reunion with her dad at the Rainbow Bridge.
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“I am not gone, I’m just gone from your sight.  In the blink of an eye, I’ll see you again when the time is just right. Wipe the tears from your eyes, and watch for the signs that I send to remind you that love never dies.”  Jack McAfghan  

Sweet Hope came to rescue at 8 weeks old in November 2020.  She had been taken to a North Carolina shelter by a breeder due to a congenital neurological condition.  Sadly, after 6 months of therapy and evaluation by specialists, it was determined that her neurological challenges were not surgically correctable. 
 
We are forever grateful to everyone who cared for Hope during her short life…the Germantown Humane Society who took such good care of her at the shelter and contacted SEGSP, her first foster parents Sarah and Andrew and then her second foster mom Tracy.  From Tracy, “I miss her a great deal and am ok with her name standing strong.”
 
We will always be thankful for the love and care that all of these people showed Hope during her short life.  Her name was so appropriate… she gave all of us hope, and regardless of all her struggles, she was still able to give us many moments of joy. There is no doubt she is at the Rainbow Bridge with all who have passed before her – running, playing and enjoying it all like a normal puppy.
 
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”  Desmond Tutu

​Sweet Carter came to rescue in 2009, before the start of our database, so we have no information about his past life.  However, as with our other rescued GSPs, we’ve learned that their past is not important.  It’s their life after they are rescued that counts – and Carter had an awesome one!
 
Carter’s SEGSP alum sibling, Su Su, passed away last year, and Carter was actually older than him.  We are sure that Su Su greeted Carter at the Rainbow Bridge and they are both happy and playing pain-free.  Our hearts go out to the Priesing family…it is always, no matter how prepared you think you are, devastating to say farewell to a loved family member.
 
“The world changes from year to year, our lives from day to day, but the love and memory of you, shall never pass away.”  Unknown   

​Our beautiful alumna Olive Rose left this world yesterday.  She had been undergoing tests for her liver function, but her condition worsened and her dad Dennis said she told them she was ready… but they were not. 
 
Olive came to rescue in 2014 as a stray and was pregnant, emaciated and heartworm positive and after having 10 puppies began her time in rescue. Our founder Beth Cochran treated Olive for heartworms, then Dennis fostered her and showed her what it was like to be loved and adopted her.  Her family adored her and for seven years she enjoyed a love-filled life.
 
“The pain of grief is just as much a part of life as the joy of love; it is, perhaps, the price we pay for love, the cost of commitment.” Colin Murray Parkes 

We said goodbye to another alumni, Tucker (formerly Turtle aka Teo).  Tucker had two bad habits - eating socks and stealing food. Tragically, it was his penchant for eating socks that caused his death. He had just undergone surgery for an obstruction and was doing fine, then the next minute he was gone. His family is having a hard time trying to understand what happened and they had no words to describe how much they loved their giant sweet boy. 
 
From his mom Tonya, “We had come so far. His thievery was becoming such a rarity. Even though he was resourceful enough and sneaky enough to get things if he really wanted to. He learned to open doors and lids as quiet as a mouse. He was just amazing. He didn’t even try to come into the kitchen when we were cooking anymore. He was such a smart playful loving boy and we are devastated he is gone.”
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He will also be desperately missed by his entire family including his Granny who he loved visiting at the beach, his siblings Avery and partner in tearing up toys Jazzy plus the neighborhood kids he adored.  He came to rescue from an Alabama shelter and we are forever grateful to our volunteers Ellen and Mike for fostering Tucker, meticulously determining his needs and finding his perfect forever home.  He may have had a short life, but it was an amazing life!