​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!

Our 2009 SEGSP courtesy listing alumna, Grace.  She was adopted in Florida at 2 years old, full of energy and sweetness, and spent her lifetime giving and receiving an immense amount of love.
 
Grace had bladder cancer that had spread and her body just couldn’t handle it any longer. She is no longer in pain and no doubt is waiting at the rainbow bridge with a smile on her face.  Our heartfelt condolences to the Robertson family.

We have very sad news to share. Our 2013 alumnus Bo has passed away.  Bo came to rescue as a stray and was heartworm positive. He was fostered initially by our founder Beth Cochran, then by Ted Threlkeld.  Ted fell in love and happily foster failed and became Bo’s forever dad.  We don’t know anything about Bo’s life before rescue, but we’re certain his life on earth after rescue was the best life ever.  He will be missed immensely by his family, including his rescue family at SEGSP.
Run pain-free sweet Bo…

We’re received some very sad news yesterday…  our 2015 alumnus Apache left this world.

From his forever mom Sheyla, “I don't remember when we adopted him because it feels like has always been a part of the family. Loyal and brilliant! Today we laid him to rest in the backyard. Your organization gave us a priceless gift, a life with joy and a family member.  He was an amazing dog. Thank you for selecting us to be his family.  May he be remembered as the noble gentle giant that he was. With love, Sheyla”

We don’t know what Apache’s first 5 years were like, but we know he spent his last six years hiking, going on trail walks and enjoying the outdoors with his family, including his blue tick sibling Meadow.  What every dog desires – to be included and loved.​

Farewell Apache…you will be loved forever and deeply missed.

We’ve had another tragic loss in rescue – our 2019 alumnus Harnett sadly has left the world. 
Harnett came to rescue in January of 2019 at about 2 years old as part of the “NC 6”, a group of dogs dropped off at a shelter for not hunting.  Despite his background, he loved kids, his furry companions and a soft bed. With the Hammonds, he found an amazing family including little humans that adored him and his very own canine brother. Both Harnett and his GSP brother were even mascots for their human siblings’ running club at school.  No doubt Harnett was loved.
From his mom Tammy, “Harnett succumbed to lymphoma cancer and has been freed from pain and suffering. He's in eternal sleep and peace. He was truly an amazing boy and we are so heartbroken that he has left us at such a young age. Although his time with us was short, he gave us an abundance of happiness, love, and wonderful memories.  Thank you for all the love you gave to him so that he could find his forever home. He was truly an amazing dog and will always hold a special place in our family.”
Harnett will also hold a special place in the hearts of those who helped him along his short journey in rescue. Forever.

​A sad ending to the day… Our 2015 alumna Nutmeg has crossed to the Rainbow Bridge.   She came to rescue at 7 years old and her new forever family gave her 7 more happy, loving years.
 
The start of her new life as a Held family member started with a scare of possible cancer but thankfully that was not the case, however she later struggled with several bouts of pancreatitis and other issues.  Through it all her family took care of her, and gave her an adventure-filled life with lots of love and making beautiful memories.
 
From her mom Patty, “My precious Nutmeg left us on June 18th after a month-long struggle with dietary issues. She went peacefully at my Macon Vet’s office surrounded by me, my husband and her favorite stuffed bunny.  Nutmeg was 14, and for the last 7 years she was an integral part of our family. We traveled to Marietta last month where she spent the day with my son, daughter and son-in-law as well as their dog and her best buddy, Lilly. My son-in-law was also her Vet, but his practice is in West Cobb. When the time came, I did not want to stress her by traveling 2 hours in the car. She was very familiar with my Macon Vet’s office as she had monthly “Spay Days” with her groomer, Sandy.  Words are lost when describing the emptiness as I know you understand. It is of great comfort that she is out back.  She was greatly loved.”
 
 
“We don’t love people and animals because we will have them forever; we love them because loving them changes us, makes us better, healthier, kinder, realer.  Loving people and animals makes us stronger in the right ways and weaker in the right ways. Even if animals and people leave, even if they die, they leave us better.  So we keep loving, even though we might lose, because loving teaches us and changes us.”  Glennon Doyle

​We have very sad news to share…  Our 2017 alumna Miley has passed to the Rainbow Bridge.  Miley was 14 ½ years young and before coming to rescue had been in six homes. Her home with Norm and Sylvia was her 7th home – her lucky number.
Miley had mammary tumors removed in March and by May they came back full force.  She left this world in her favorite place…on her bed in her forever home with her mom and dad beside her.  She’ll be buried alongside their little boy – their first GSP.

From her parents, “She is 14 1/2 years old and we have had her for 6 amazing years of her life. She has filled our hearts with love and joy.  She wasn't your typical velcro GSP but she had to be where we were. She was an in-your-face loveable dog. It was hard for her to trust humans, but once she did, you knew you had a best friend.  Her snoring and wild running dreams made us both very relaxed during the night when she slept between us, because she knew we protected her while she slept so she could let her guard down.  I will miss my coffee buddy in the morning and my drinking buddy at night. Whatever I was drinking she wanted it too.  Every time Miley got in the pool, Pete would go in after her thinking she needed to be saved from her barn ball that she loved to swim for in the pool. We will be alright, it's just gonna hurt pretty bad for a little while.  We didn't rescue her, she rescued us and brought love, happiness and joy from a pet back into our home."

Miley, you will be remembered forever and loved for eternity.
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“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love.  It’s all the love you want to give but cannot. All of that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in that hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go.”  Unknown 

A sad announcement… Our alumnus Duke passed to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday with his family by his side.  After a long battle with Pulmonary Hypertension starting in early 2020, all of the resulting complications caught up with Duke and his family had to make the difficult decision yesterday to say goodbye.
 
Duke came to rescue in 2016 as a stray in south Florida.  The shelter said he was 7 years old, however we believe he was a bit older than that.  Our volunteers Chris and Nicole jumped in to foster Duke (formerly Bradley), and helped him recover from severe kennel cough, horribly long nails and rotted teeth.  Duke was such a great fit for their family so it was an easy decision to adopt him.
 
From Chris: “If it were not for the rescue and the work you put in on a daily basis, we would not have had the pride of our home over the last 5 years. Thank you for you all that you do and thank you for providing us with an absolute joy whom we will never forget. We began fostering him with you when he was found at the local shelter as a senior maybe 8-10 years old. He quickly dug deep into our hearts and became a foster fail. I don’t want to remain too sad because it’s not at all what he would have wanted.” 
 
Run pain-free Duke and know you will always be loved and remembered.
 
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It is with incredible sadness that we must report the passing of our sweet boy Bob at approximately 2:30 AM this morning due to breakage of his brain shunt, which likely occurred during a seizure. He was one week shy of his first birthday (May 18th).

Bob came into rescue at age 8 weeks from his loving breeders, who knew he required the specialized medical care that SEGSP Rescue could provide. Although Bob was tiny, he made up for it by loving BIG. Bob was born with congenital hydrocephalus, which causes cerebrospinal fluid pressure to build on his brain. Last December, Bob had a procedure to remove excess fluid from his brain. He received medication to slow CSF production while his neurosurgeon, Dr. Jason King, sourced a brain shunt that would serve to permanently regulate his fluid pressure. One month ago, Bob received his brain shunt, which Johnson & Johnson generously donated. The surgery to install it was successful.  

Bob was never one to feel sorry for himself or let his disabilities slow him down, and he was recovering well from his shunt surgery for the first few weeks. He showed across-the-board improvements, with progress in potty training and fewer behaviors we affectionately call his “Bobisms” - nipping his foster mom’s bottom to get attention and “going gremlin” on his foster siblings when they intruded on his loving. However, he recently developed seizures (the most common complication from shunt surgery) and had to be hospitalized at the ER on Mother’s Day before transferring back to his neurosurgeon in Savannah last night (a 6-hour drive). His original temp foster mom, Vanessa, and foster mom Leanne made the trip down with him yesterday and loved and comforted him on his final day.

Bob was loved by the entire Live Oak Veterinary Neurology staff, and they tried their best to save him when he went into cardiac arrest during the night. In the end, his little body had fought all it could, and Bob went to Rainbow Bridge with a fully restored brain to go with that beautiful, sweet heart of his and his 32-lb frame. His surgeon examined him after his passing to determine what happened. He discovered the shunt had snapped in two at a pressure point due to its design. Bob’s surgeon says he believes this model of shunt works well in humans but presents complications for dogs and that he will not install that model again. He is sharing Bob’s case with his veterinary neurosurgeon listserv so others know. Other dogs will benefit from the knowledge gained from Bob’s loss.

From Leanne:  Bob lived a very happy, VERY busy life, like any other GSP puppy. He loved to run, was a master jumper, and played tug with his humans and foster brothers. His foster siblings (3 older GSPs) didn’t quite know what to make of Bob at first, but he grew on them over the months.  His favorite toys were chew toys, tugs, and (most of all), my old flip flop.  Bob was a big-time Velcro pup. We spent the entire pandemic year at home every day, where he helped me to telework and snuggle.  He was the most loving little boy, and would sleep between me and his foster dad, Paul, every night. He was always next to us and he had to be touching us always. He loved to help in the garden and would consistently carry the empty grower’s pots back to the house (or all over the yard when he chose). No matter how tough a day we had, Bob was ALWAYS happy, and he was very smart!  He could open the food bin to help himself (and you’d never believe how that kid could eat!). He could sniff out any hidden toy. All you had to say is “hey, sweet boy!” and he would bathe you in a million kisses. I think his sweet kisses and silky soft snuggles will be missed most of all by those who got to experience them. Bob didn’t live long by GSP standards, but he lived BIG! He savored every moment of the time he had here in our world. He certainly made it brighter! He was always happy and never had a bad day until the very end. Bob was loved so much by so many, and he knew it. Even in his final days, he didn’t hesitate to lick my hand and lie his little head in it as he rested. Bob took his turn for the worst Sunday, on Mother’s Day, and we decided that should the impossible decision have to be made for Bob, or should he not seem capable of recovering, that we wanted to adopt him so he would know he was forever our sweet boy. Because he had to be rushed to the ER that day, then to Savannah yesterday, we didn’t have time to get the paperwork submitted at that time, but we did this morning, dated Mother’s Day. Aside from our two human children, Bob is the best Mother’s Day gift I’ve ever been given. Bob was a selfless pup who blessed our life every single day, even when he was being naughty. The house is too quiet, too empty, without Bob there.

Bob was fortunate to have a whole tribe supporting, helping and loving him. The SEGSP Board and other volunteers -- Cathy, Jordan, Vanessa, Gail, Linda, and many others. His breeders who knew he was a fighter from birth and never gave up on him. His foster family - human, GSP, and feline. The neuro and ER teams at Blue Pearl Sandy Springs who stood in the gap for him and kept him sedated and comfortable when things got bad. The phenomenal team led by Dr. Jason King at Live Oak Veterinary Neurology in Savannah. Johnson & Johnson who donated his shunt. The hotel staff at Home2Suites in Savannah who waived his pet fee and prayed for his healing. And certainly not least, his social media warriors, who sent up thousands of prayers, gave sage advice on everything from training to tips for taking his meds, and who encouraged Bob and his caretakers throughout. You all are Bobby’s angels.

For years, Leanne has always said, “dogs don’t live as long as humans because their hearts are already so pure. It takes us longer.”  Bob was a blessing straight from God. He has returned to Him now. Bob will be loved and remembered every minute of every day until he reunites with all those who cherished him at Rainbow Bridge. Fly high, sweet boy. We love you always and will never forget you. 
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