​“Dog’s lives are too short, their only fault, really.” (AS Turnbull)
 
And this is so true about our recent intake, Ozzie (TN), who came to us at 13 years old and unfortunately, only got to spend a week with us in rescue.  
 
Ozzie was the beloved companion of his owner, but when she unexpectedly passed away and had no immediate family, her extended family made the loving decision to allow SEGSP to help care for her two loves, her GSPs, Ozzie and Ivy.
 
Ozzie spent a week with our long-time volunteers, Dr. Amy and Michael Shirley as the resident mascot of their vet practice, Family Pet Health in Murfreesboro.  All of the staff members instantly fell in love with Ozzie, and we are told he got lots of extra attention and cuddles.  He even went home for a night with one of the vet techs.  She said that Ozzie was the sweetest baby ever, followed her everywhere, loved cuddling under blankets and was just a love bug.  
 
Unfortunately, after some extensive tests, it was determined that Ozzie was very, very sick and his quality of life was suffering.  Not all decisions we have to make are fun, but we knew that to honor Ozzie’s former owner, that we could not let Ozzie suffer and we had to let him go.  
 
We take great comfort that Dr. Amy, Michael and the entire staff team were there with Ozzie when he said goodbye.  He felt nothing but love and comfort to the end.  
 
Short as it was, Ozzie made quite the impression on the TN team as well as the vet staff during his time with our rescue.  And as our hearts hurt, we take some comfort in believing that as he crossed that rainbow bridge, his mom was there waiting for him. 

​We are sad to announce that our 2021 Alumna Maya has passed away from a tragic accident.
 
Maya came to rescue in 2021 and was found in a crate, left outside of a shelter and it was clear that she had been used for breeding then discarded.   During her time in rescue, she experienced all sorts of exciting new things, like her morning runs with her foster mom and cuddling on the couch.  And it was clear that this was the first time she was free to do fun things and thoroughly enjoyed the love she was experiencing.  She was now part of a pack, and her former life was a distant memory. It didn’t take long for her to realize, as well as her foster family, that she was home. Her foster family was her forever family. She was officially a Lambert.
 
She loved her siblings Taz (cat) and sister Annabel (dog) who would chase her around the yard.  She loved her runs in the mornings with her mom and cuddling up on the couch.  Her family is grieving the loss of this sweet girl, and we want them to know that our hearts ache for them.  We know they loved Maya so much, and they gave her the best two years of her life.
 
“No matter how hard the past is, you can always begin again.” Buddha.

​We said goodbye to our 2019 alumna Dottie last week.  Her family said she had a good life full of treats and sofa snoozes. 
 
Dottie came to rescue in early 2019 sick with heartworms. Her foster home with the Burgett family gave Dottie the love and care she needed to heal, adjust to a normal life and prepare for her wonderful forever home with the Tovey family.  The Toveys gave Dottie even more love and adventures and we were so sad when they notified us of Dottie’s passing.  Heather said, “Thank you so much for sharing her photos and helping us celebrate our time with her and thanks for helping GSPs across the southeast find homes!”
 
“The bond with a dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth can ever be.” – Konrad Loren

We are  so sad to let you know that we lost our precious Sambo (TN).  We thought that Sambo would be in foster care for a short few weeks until he found his forever home.  As you'll see in his dad's words below, however, Sambo came to us very sick.  We are so grateful for his foster parents, Will and Ashley, for not only fostering Sambo, but for agreeing to selflessly welcome him into their home permanently as a hospice foster, not knowing how much time he had left, and knowing that the outcome would be a difficult one.  They gave Sambo more love and acceptance and affection in the two months that they had him than he had experienced in his prior 11 years.  What a wonderful gift they gave to them, and it sounds like he gave them a lot, too, and made a lasting impression on their hearts.  

Sambo's foster dad wrote:  "Sambo came into our lives on a whim.  I'm not sure I even told Ashley that we were going to foster an elderly shorthair until I had already agreed.  I saw an urgent Facebook post asking for new foster homes because there was such an influx of new dogs with Southeast GSP Rescue.  There were several dogs specifically mentioned in the post, including Sambo.  Of course, I had my eye on a another dog in Tennessee because he wasn't too far away, he was younger, he just had a look I was drawn to, and I had a feeling he'd hunt.  
 
I had considered fostering several times.  We lost our eldest at 15 in July of 2022 so we were a dog down, I'd always had an interest in fostering, and the timing just seemed right.
 
Alas, Sambo needed us, not the young buck up the road.  We had a home visit from a rescue volunteer, and, pretty soon, Sambo began his trek from LA (lower Alabama).  I picked him up as a smelly bag of bones in Chattanooga.  He didn't look like much, but he seemed happy.  Over the next two months, we got to know and love Sambo, and we are so thankful for his short time with us.  
 
It was clear Sambo was underweight and unhealthy, and he couldn't see or hear too well.  Sambo's initial vetting revealed liver values that were quite literally off the charts.  Ultimately, an ultrasound showed a cantaloupe-sized mass on his liver.  This was tough news for everyone involved:  We knew his days were numbered.  Sambo was blissfully unaware so life continued, as did Sambo's fun.
 
From the beginning, Sambo had elder privileges just like Hyde (and sometimes Betty) - a seat in the front of the truck instead of the kennels in the back; choice table scraps like the biggest pork chop bones; extra noggin rubs, hugs and words of love (even though he couldn't hear them).
 
Sambo was as easy going and happy as a dog could be.  He loved to lope and patrol, and although he wasn't one to demand it, he was always noticeably grateful to receive love and affection. Seeing his occasional puppy-like bursts of energy and playfulness would warm the heart.
 
In Sambo's short time with us, he was able to experience so much - from boat rides to campfires and hiking, to wading in idyllic mountain streams with his new family, to knowing the security of love in quiet moments like cuddling.
 
I've long held a quote from George Bird Evans close in times of failing canine health and loss, and it’s uncanny how much it fits our Sambo:  "I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren't certain we knew better. They fight for honor at the first challenge, make love with no moral restraint, and they do not for all their marvelous instincts appear to know about death. Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to do their worrying."
 
The things I miss the most about Sambo are the way he looked up at me with his chin resting on my knee, feeling his coat against my skin, which was among the softest I've ever felt, and the overwhelming contentment he exhibited for being in our lives."

Rest in peace, Sambo.  We will see you on the other side of that rainbow bridge. 


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