Wild Rose Acres - Gone But Not Forgotten

The Rescuer's Final Reward

Unlike most days at the Rainbow Bridge , this day dawned cold and gray. All the recent arrivals at the Bridge did not know what to think, as they had never seen such a day. But the animals who had been waiting longer for their beloved people to accompany them across the Bridge knew what was happening, and they began to gather at the pathway leading to the Bridge.

Soon an elderly dog came into view, head hung low and tail dragging. He approached slowly, and though he showed no sign of injury or illness, he was in great emotional pain. Unlike the animals gathered along the pathway, he had not been restored to youth and vigor upon arriving at the Bridge. He felt out of place, and wanted only to cross over and find happiness.

But as he approached the Bridge, his way was barred by an angel, who apologized and explained that the tired and broken-spirited old dog could not cross over. Only those animals accompanied by their people were allowed to cross the Bridge. Having nobody, and with nowhere else to turn, the dog trudged into the field in front of the Bridge.

There he found others like himself, elderly or infirm, sad and discouraged. Unlike the other animals waiting to cross the Bridge, these animals were not running or playing. They simply were lying in the grass, staring forlornly at the pathway across the Rainbow Bridge . The old dog took his place among them, watching the pathway and waiting. yet not knowing for what he was waiting.

One of the newer dogs at the Bridge asked a cat who had been there longer to explain what was happening. The cat replied, "Those poor animals were abandoned, turned away, or left at rescue places, but never found a home on earth. They all passed on with only the love of a rescuer to comfort them. Because they had no people to love them, they have nobody to escort them across the Rainbow Bridge ."

The dog asked the cat, "So what will happen to those animals?" Before the cat could answer, the clouds began to part and the cold turned to bright sunshine. The cat replied, "Watch, and you will see."

In the distance was a single person, and as he approached the Bridge the old, infirm and sad animals in the field were bathed in a golden light. They were at once made young and healthy, and stood to see what their fate would be. The animals who had previously gathered at the pathway bowed their heads as the person approached. At each bowed head, the person offered a scratch or hug. One by one, the now youthful and healthy animals from the field fell into line behind the person. Together, they walked across the Rainbow Bridge to a future of happiness and unquestioned love.

The dog asked the cat, "What just happened?"

The cat responded, "That was a rescuer. The animals gathered along the pathway bowing in respect were those who had found their forever homes because of rescuers. They will cross over when their people arrive at the Bridge. The arrival here of a rescuer is a great and solemn event, and as a tribute they are permitted to perform one final act of rescue. They are allowed to escort all those poor animals they couldn't place

on earth across the Rainbow Bridge ."

The dog thought for a moment, then said, "I like rescuers." The cat smiled and replied, "So does heaven, my friend. So does heaven."

Gone But Not Forgotten

In memory of my dear friends

This page is to remember the special souls that have came into my life and touched my heart.

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Butch;

This is Butch the old timers of the group. At 16+ years . He too was a rescue. He was just a pup when I came upon him. While out riding I came upon, him and the guys that intended on using him as target practice. His story is a long and sad one. My vet said he shouldn't be alive, told me he more then likely wouldn't live to be very old, and that was 15 years ago. On June 26, 2003 Butch crossed over to Rainbow bridge. Be whole and healthy again my friend.

Missing

March 23 Cassy was taken from me.

Please if you see her let me know.

Cassy:

Well Shelby has a little sister now, so she is no longer the new pup. I would like you all to meet CASSY

She is a puppy mill rescue. She came with the name Ali, we didn't think it fit so have renamed her Cassy. Cassy is a Chihuahua. This is a photo taken the first night with us. Cassy is a little over a year old. Was born into a puppy mill, because of the bad conditions there, she has hair missing on many parts of her body.

Don't let the missing hair fool you this is one Classy little lady.

as you can see Cassy finds the computer a total bore.

Update, Cassy has now tripled her weight. When she arrived she weighed in at 1 pound 2 ounces, she now tips the scales at a whopping 3 pound 5 ounces.

Cassy has been to the vet and we now know she is 5 to 6 years old and has a few health problems. She has now regrown her hair and has learned how to run. As sad as it is since she was raised in a cage, and caged all her life she didn't know how to run. It took her a bit to master the skill, but now she zips across the yard after her friend the doxy and does a great job at the ambush and run game.

Will update more with new pictures soon.

As you can see now Cassy has grown all her hair back in and she is sooo beautiful. What a great little character in a small package. At this point in her life she is helping Bunny come out of her shell. She is trying hard to teach Bunny how to play, and I think she is gaining some ground.

Krystle;

This is Krystle. She is my sons dog. He brought her home when he was 6 years old. He is now in the Marines.

Krystle passed over to Rainbow Bridge today July 4th, 2004

She will be sadly missed. Be whole and free again my dear friend.

Shak;

This is my Shak. He is a rescue. Believe it or not when I first rescued him,he only weighed 35 pounds. Now a hundred plus he takes his job very seriously. He knows his Job and is very good at it. No one man nor beast is to touch his mommas chicks.

Update: Shak went to the vet for what I thought was a sprain or broken leg. I was told after the X-Rays that it is Osetosarcoma (bone cancer). Needless to say I lost it. That was the last thing I expected to hear. We now know it is all through the soft tissue in his body also.

So my big fuzzy is going to get the best I can give him for what ever time is left. I will miss him something terrible. He has been there when ever I have needed him. He would gladly give his life for me and has shown me this time and time again.

When you read this please send up a prayer for my big Fuzzy guy.

Last night Sept.6, 2004 my dearest buddy, my pal, crossed over to Rainbow Bridge.

In my mind it was way to soon. Be whole and healthy again, my Friend.

Feel no guilt in laughing

I know how much you care

Feel no sorrow in a smile

That I’m not there to share.

You cannot grieve forever

I do not want you to

I’d hope that you would carry on

The way you always do.

So talk about the good times

And the ways you showed you cared

The days we spent together

All the happiness we shared.

Let the memories surround you

A word someone may say

Will suddenly recapture

A time, an hour, a day.

That brings me back as clearly

As though I was still here

And fills you with the feelings

That I am always near

For if you keep those memories

We will never be apart

And I will live forever

Locked safe within your heart

Bunny;

This is Bunny on the couch with her friend Cassy and being silly in her new basket. Her story is a real sad one. The person I got her from got her from a lady who found her walking down the interstate. Melissa the great lady I got her from took her to the vet where they found a micro chip. With it we where able to find out she is 9 years old and has been used as a breeder her whole life. She has had so many C-sections she only has one set of tits on the lower half of her body. Her vocal cords have been cut so she cant make any noise. Her ribs have been broke, she is going blind, most her teeth are missing and she has a small tumor. That is just for starters. Its so sad that once people decided she wasn't going to make them any more money making puppies they just threw her away. Melissa didn't keep her as she wanted Bunny to get more attention then she could give. Having a young son and working full time she couldn't give her the time she thought she needed.

Melissa was worried about the first meeting as she told me how shy and scared Bunny was of new things. So when I went to meet her, and I took Cassy as Bunny was to be her friend. It was so weird as they acted like they knew each other. Bunny is fine as long as Cassy is near and goes into new things with gusto. They are the best of buds. Basket buddies ... I have baskets setting on the computer desk and while I am at the computer they lay in their baskets and sleep. Bunny loves having a basket to call her own and hide her goodies in.

Bunny has found a forever home here with the rest of the crew.

Update on Bunny, She has been learning how to play from her best friend Cassy. The sad update is we have found 2 more tumors on Bunny. The vets are refusing to operate as they say she would not make it though. So we will just cherish one day at a time.

Today Dec. 1st,2004

My friend Bunny passed over the bridge. I will miss you my little friend. You were only with me for a short while, but you gave so much love in that time. Be whole again, bark, run and be happy.

Know you are missed

April 2003

Here she is

Wild Rose Acres Poker Alice

Taken minutes after being born

Alice was born 2003

What a beautiful baby. I figure with so much color she needed a name to match. Keeping with the old west theme, and since her mom is Calamity Jane. Hence the name Poker Alice . Poker Alice was a real person in the old west, who lived a very colorful life and wore many hats. I think my Alice will live up to the name and then some, she is already showing independence and character.

It hasn't taken Alice long to make the front cover of the local magazine.

Don't worry the big mean looking one in the picture is Alice's worried friend Gretta, who for the life of her can't figure out why she has these spells, but thinks she need to see a doctor for them ...Hehehe

{Note this is not a real magazine }

Here is a photo with Alice and her first born. She had a little doe. We have named the baby Raven. April 2004

Sorry to say Alice crossed over the bridge, on March 18th a day and a half after having triplets. One of the babies had punctured her uterus wall. I had to pull 2 of the kids. I will miss her terribly.

Sadie Mae;

Here we have Sadie Mae. We found her in a ditch in the middle of a Blizzard about 12 years ago. She's great with kids and tough on critters.

Today June 18th, 2005 Sadie passed over to Rainbow Bridge. She was 16 years old. Be whole and well again my friend.

Coty;

Today August 13, 2005 Coty went to rainbow bridge.

I don't understand why he was taken so soon, I will miss him so much .

Meet Coty, He too is a puppy-mill throw away, He is a cute little guy. I have to say the first photo I ever seen of him [the photo on the left] he was the saddest little dog I had ever seen. Him and Shelby are buddies and spend hours playing. It was fun to watch him learn how to stretch out and run. Being born and raised in a cage he hadn't learned that. It was a bit painful to watch at first as he didn't know enough to stop or turn and ran into my shed. Then he got to the point he ran so full out he would scrape bottom. He literally took the hair off his chest by rubbing it on the ground when he ran. Needless to say now he has it all under control and loves nothing more then to just run wide open with a big doggy grin on his face.

Skittles, oh what a fun little spirit she was. Skittles was the very first Meyers baby I ever hatched. She is so special to me. Meyers are over looked gems they are quiet, clever , and so lovable and loyal. Her colors don't show through to& great in these photos, as they were truly beautiful in person.Rest in peace my friend.

Rudy :

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I write this with tears in my eyes and a very heavy heart.

Rudy was put to sleep this morning.

If you all remember I got him April 28,2006. He came to me severely underweight, with a tumor, open frontanel, and retained testicle.

After talking to his breeder , and having some major misunderstandings, I now understand that the vet that seen Rudy in GA. did him a injustice. She missed all the things above. Had these been pointed out to the breeder Rudy would have never been sent. Rudy was put to sleep because of Hydrcephalus. This condition usually affects pups way younger then Rudy.

After he had the surgery for his tumor he seemed to be doing good. Gained almost a pound. He was a little wobbly and I passed it off as him being so underweight and weak. My vet now thinks his thinness could have been partly caused by his condition, as dogs with Hydrcephalus will commonalty stop eating. Hind sight. Now that he is gone and we know why. We can see allot of things differently.

Yesterday he was walking like he was drunk so I call the vet and away we go. She says there where fluids building on his brain (Hydrcephalus). Gives me predisone (spelling?) and tells me we can try this to see if it helps. Last night was awful. He cried out in pain most of the night, he kept trying to put his head over his back. When I say this I mean, lay his forehead on his back, by putting his head straight up and over. My vet told me they do this to relieve the pressure of the swelling, and fluid. I stayed up with him all night trying to comfort him. This morning he wasn't much better, I call the vet she has a couple other meds she says we can try. I go and get them. When I got back home Rudy was having seizures. He was so stiff and shaking and trembling. So back to the vet we go. When we got there it was bad. He couldn't stand his little neck was so stiff. If you touched him or tried to move him he screamed in pain. My vet told me his chances for recovery where very slim. So I made the heart wrenching decision to do what I thought was best and stop his pain. I am a mess. This whole thing has been horrible.

Rudy was only with me for a few weeks, as he was put to sleep on June 19th, 2006.

I know he was only with me a short time, but boy do these little guys have a way of wiggling into your heart.

Especially when you have to doctor and care for them.

My only saving grace is, I now know he is not in pain anymore.

Rest in peace my little man. Be whole, be happy,

BJ she was my baby. BJ was my very first big bird. She was wild caught and came from an import station in California. She is bonded to me in an unbelievable way. Most people do not believe she was wild caught. Well they were not there in the beginning, I was and have a few scars to prove it {smile } I have had BJ for around 14 years now. She is great, the perfect friend, not to clingy and always good for a chuckle, full out belly laugh, or just quiet time.

Here is Petunia

This is Petunia, the Pot Bellied Pig.

She was given to a friend of mine, who gave her to me. There was just something about her look and personality that I really liked. Elmer-Fud took a liking to her right off also.

Today Petunia passed over the bridge 2/14/2006

Today my long time companion passed over the bridge , She was 15 years old and was there for me though allot of bad times as well as good. In her lifetime she changed allot of peoples minds about the Rot breed .

She will be missed more then words can say , my only comfort is in knowing she is no longer in pain , as age had taken its toll on her body. She was willing and ready to do her job right up to the last day.

Know you are missed an will be in my heart forever , run and be whole again ,my friend .

Gretta Dec.26 1991 to July 31,2007

Gretta She takes her job very seriously....Guarding her momma and the flock.

Gretta's mom was used for back alley fighting, her and her siblings where taken by the animal control in the area after a raid. Her mom had to be put to sleep and the pups where adopted out to good homes.

Here is a photo of her as a wee pup.This photo was taken Jan 1992. What a face. The photos below are of Gretta and some of her friends. She is a great baby-sitter.

So this is where we part, My Friend,
      And you'll run on around the bend,
Gone from sight but not from mind,
      New pleasures there you'll surely find.
I will go on, I'll find the strength,
      Life measures quality, not its length.
One long embrace before you leave,
      Share one last look, before I grieve.
There are others, that much is true,
      But they be they and they aren't you.
And I, fair, impartial, or so I thought
      Will remember well all you've taught.
Your place I'll hold, you will be missed,
      The fur I stroked, the nose I kissed.
And as you go to your final rest,
      Take with you this -- I loved you best.

author unknown

Reily passed this morning Aug. 7th ,2007

Your time with me was way to short .I know you are whole an healthy now . Reily loved to just be free and run . IT was great to watch her run , her look was transformed . You could see the dog she was suppose to be . I know we are not suppose to wish bad upon any one . But I hope the person that did the nasty things to Reily has to pay at some point . This beautiful girl had her days shortened because of the treatment she endured. You are now free of your earthy problems and can run free and play with the others waiting at the bridge . I will miss your gentle soul more then words can say . Be at peace my dear friend .

Reily:

Let me introduce you to Reily. She is another throw away pet. Why anyone would throw away such a beautiful dog I have no clue. I was told she is 8 months old or so, (this turned out to be a lie, she is 3 to 4 years old according to the vet and her teeth). She is way under weight and has a few issues and problems we are working on. I have to say she is a fast learner. Shak is helping with her training and she is learning fast what her duties will be as she get older and stronger.

Although these photos don't show it, she is about 30 pounds or so underweight at this time.

Check back often to see how Reily changes as she grows.

Here is the latest photo of Reily. She has gained some weight but, we know now she will never be a heavy dog. Her abuse in the beginning of her life has made it so she cant gain and retain a lot of weight. She looks better then before, but will never put on the weight the way we think she should. At this time I can only hope she will get to a point where she doesn't look so thin all the time. At this time she is dropping her old dead coat and getting in a new one, will post new photos once the new coat is in. So check back to see her in her new duds.

Stumpy, Oh my little Stump. He was one of the first whiteface chicks I ever hatched. Due to a slip up he escaped his cage as a weanling and was crawling up the side of another cage, when the birds in that cage attacked and bit his toes off. So stump stayed and has become my little buddy. He has a very large vocabulary {speaks more words then BJ} He is so cute, when I am feeding babies he loves to help. He sits on my shoulder and yells FEED UMMM...FEED UMM. He is such a hoot. Or if he hears them start to stir when its close to the time they are to be fed, he will hunt me down and let me know they need fed. He is allot of bird in a small package.

In this photo Stumpy has just finished eating Spaghetti

February 2 , 2008

Today is a sad day for me , Zeke passed over the bridge . I know he is now with his Gretta . But I will miss him more then words can say. He was my friend and my helper . His death was needless as he was poisoned . We tried in vain to save him , but couldn't . The people that did this will have to answer for it in the end , as no bad deed goes unpunished .So rest in peace my friend .

Zeke:
Let me introduce you to the newest member of the pack.

Zeke, This is Zeke & his sister

Zeke and his sister come from the Von Yaminae Kennel in Sioux City, Iowa.

They breed beautiful dogs of direct German decent.

Zeke & Heidi's Parents are:

Samson Von Der Eichentals is their father.

Patience Von Yaminae is their mother.

I went looking for a pup after learning my old Shepard Shaq had cancer, you can read more about that on my Gone But Not Forgotten page. I had thought I had a pup, but due to unforeseen circumstances he was taken from me. As fate would have it I looked in the local paper to see a ad for German Shepard pups. I made a appointment to go see them. There was 3 litters to choose from. I spotted Zeke right off. I looked at all the other pups, but kept going back to him. There was just something about that look in his eye. It said I am the one.

I brought Zeke home on the 2nd of September. 4 days after bringing him home, my old Shepard passed away. I was hoping he would be around longer to help me teach the new guy the ropes. But it wasn't to be. Before he passed Shaq laid in the yard with Zeke. I do believe he had a long talk with him, as Zeke does things that are so like Shaq it's about scary. I hope if what they say about the spirits are true, that Shaqs hangs around awhile to give me a helping hand with Zeke.

Come back often and watch as Zeke grows.

This next photo was taken on Christmas day 2004. After everyone had left I took the dogs for a run to unwind. We have a bottom that has a stream that runs through it in the summer. It was frozen over at this time of year. I was feeling nostalgic as a friend had given me a framed photo of Shaq, my beloved fuzzy dog, as a gift for Christmas. I was snapping photos as I always do while running the dogs in the hopes of getting a few good ones. When I got home and unloaded them I found this next photo. I am a believer in the spirits, and that I am having help with Zeke's training. What would you think. If you look to the left of Zeke's face you can see the image of a dog head. This is in the frozen ice. The face looks allot like my Shaq before he passed as he had grayed. I truly believe it was him letting me know he is still there and watching over me, helping me with Zeke.

Well its been a while since I have updated Zeke. He has been growing and learning allot. Helped killed his first coon the other night. I was so proud of him. He can be as gentle as a lamb with the baby goats, but a very ferocious opponent for any critters that are not wanted or allowed.

Here you see him with his sister whom he still goes on outings with. Also him just watching. He is very alert and protective of what he perceives as his. He is turning out to be a great dog that is as versatile as I hoped. He has many jobs and does them all well. Even though he is still in the training phase. He is more then willing and eager to please.

I can not believe the changes he has went through. Even his looks have changed since first coming home.

robinev@netins.net