In Memory of
our beloved GSPs
2023
We discovered our 2004 alumnus, Sam, passed away in 2017. Here is Sam’s story from his mom Mary…
“Samuel Adams Harrison, a.k.a., Sam came to us as a big, goofy guy, he was about 2 years old. I had found out about SEGSP from a family member in NC. I fell in love with the breed. When I saw pictures of Sam on the website, I knew immediately that he was the one for us. My husband and I drove to Alpharetta, GA and picked him up. I remember my first walk on the way home, rather Sam, walking ME across a field! Sam quickly became a huge part of our family. He loved riding in cars and checking the perimeter of our backyard. Even with a permanent limp from a break, I guess as a pup, he did not slow down. Among Sam’s favorite activities were hunting and catching a multitude of lizards and even a squirrel every now and then. AND being in or on our laps, touching us, leaning against us, following us wherever we went…. true to being a GSP, a Velcro dog for sure. We loved every minute of it. Sam captured the hearts of everyone who met him, and he loved them right back. Especially the ones that would sneak feed him treats! Sam was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma at age 12 1/2. After surgery for tumor removal, we were lucky enough to have him for another year and a half. He passed away in March 2017. Without SEGSP, I would have never had Sam. Thank you to everyone who volunteers and supports SEGSP. You make stories like Sam’s a reality for so many families.” Thank you, Mary, for sharing Sam’s story with us. We know he brought your family so much love and happiness – but we also know you gave Sam a life he could never dream of before he was rescued. "So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good." — Helen Keller
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We received a very sad message that our 2019 alumnus Bo, formerly Buddy, has passed away. Bo came to rescue in FL with his sister Lady and was fostered by our volunteers Tonya and Matt. Bo had lived his entire life in a kennel however he adjusted quickly to indoor living and being loved and spoiled. His foster family chose a wonderful forever family for Bo with Pam and Randy, and he was loved dearly.
His forever dad Randy said, “I’m writing to let you know that Bo (AKA Buddy) passed away today, he was diagnosed with Cancer about a month ago and it was very aggressive, he lost 20 lbs. in 4 weeks. Bo was a laid back GSP that loved kids and other dogs. Our hearts are broken but we know he’s in a better place.” “Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the best things that will ever happen to us.” Paul Millsap We start the week on a sad note… Our 2010 Alumna, Gretchen, has passed away. She was diagnosed with two tumors on her liver in May and was humanely put to sleep on Oct 27th at her home.
Gretchen came to rescue emaciated with a horrible coat. But she was fostered by our longtime volunteer, Roxann, who helped her heal, gain weight, and find her forever home with Joe and Lisa. Roxann said, “Gretchen lived the best life ever with Lisa and Joe. They loved her dearly. In fact, when Joe deployed to Japan, Alumni Lily and Gretchen accompanied them! They lived in Japan for 5 years and returned to the States. And believe it or not, Lily is still alive! She was my first foster and must be 17!” We know Gretchen will be waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for her forever family. We also know her family is heartbroken, and we hope they can feel the love and support from all of us. “Love is worth waiting for, because when it finally arrives, it brings the purest happiness and fulfillment.” Unknown Our 2022 Alum Doug has left this world but will always be in our hearts. He came to rescue in November as a stray in Miami. He was temp fostered by Brittany and Jay, and then Alli, and was described as an old man that seemed like he was a hunting dog that became too old for his job.
In April he had major surgery to remove several masses which tested negative and recovered nicely. However, last week he started having cluster seizures which were so severe he was unable to walk. The emergency vet was very discouraging as to the outcome, so they made the heart wrenching decision to say goodbye. Doug was known for his typical GSP Velcro personality. He loved checking the yard for possible critters and even though he suffered from arthritis, it didn’t keep him from keeping the yard safe. He was hearing-impaired but definitely not love-impaired. He may not have been with his family long, but we have no doubt he was loved more in that short time then during his life before rescue. Our hearts go out to the Lebaron family for their tragic loss of Doug. “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. #segsprescue #GSP #GSPseniorsROCK #rainbowbridge We are sad to announce that our senior alumna, Lexi, has passed on to the Rainbow Bridge. She came to rescue with her sister Mercedes who passed away in Dec. 2020. Lexi and Mercedes came to rescue in 2019 at the ages of 12 and 11 and were bonded. We were so lucky to find not only a foster home that would take both of them (thank you Sydney and Cole) but also find a wonderful forever home for them with David and Cindy. Davis said, “Lexi, about a month before she passed, was still flying around. She never walked anywhere, and she was a great doggie.”
Run free Lexi - we'll see you at the Rainbow Bridge. Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget. G. Randolf We are all heartbroken that our 2014 alum Miss Money Penny has left this world. We received his beautiful note from her mom Heidi:
“We wanted to let you all know that our Miss Money Penny crossed the rainbow bridge on Tuesday 09-12-23. We contacted the rescue in 2014 and sent an adoption application in and a couple of months later got an email and a picture of Penny. We agreed to meet her foster mom on Memorial weekend at a park to see if we would be the right fit for her. The moment we saw her we fell in love. She was so gentle, so calm and looked at us with those serious eyes that we told her foster mom we would love to adopt her. When her foster parents came to our house to drop her off and let us sign the adoption papers, they gave us her SEGSP surrender agreement that the previous owner had filled out and signed. We still have it, and I was looking at it today laughing and crying at the same time. What does your dog like best: Petting Like least: Livestock Fear: gun shoots Where does the dog sleep and spend the day: outside Anything else you’d like us to know: kills chicken, attacks hogs That was their description of Penny. It took her a couple of months to realize she was safe with us and cared for. That walks were great, and baths were ok. A dog bed was heaven, that food was available, and you didn’t have to be hungry all the time. She started to trust us, and her personality changed to a happy and silly girl. She was terrified about thunderstorms, fireworks and anything that sounded like gunfire, but we figured out where her safe spots were in the house. I called her my weather girl because she knew when a storm would come a day before and looked at me with those serious eyes to make sure we were prepared. The last couple of months her mobility got worse and on Tuesday she was letting us know it was time for her to say goodbye. My husband and I are heartbroken and will miss her terribly. We told her it’s not goodbye, that we would just see her later. She brought so much joy to us over the last 9 1/2 years that it is tough to imagine a life without her. Without the SEGSP rescue we would never have had the opportunity to adopt her! Thanks to all the coordinators, the foster families, the volunteers, the people who keep this rescue going Penny got a second chance! And for that we will be always grateful to you all! Heide, Hermann and her sister Pepper.” 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 |
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