|
Rescued Tails Animal Sanctuary
|
HomeAnimalsAbout UsContact Us |
|
|
The Rainbow Bridge Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... - Anonymous
Grieve not, ~Isla Paschal Richardson 
We sadly had to say good-bye to our feline friend, Willie, after a battle with lymphoma. Willie came to us from animal control in 2007 as a 3-month old kitten, along with his brother, Waylon. They were a tightly bonded pair, and we did not want to separate them. The two loved to run around and play together, and could be found curled up napping with each other well into their golden years. Both Waylon and Willie were very leery of strangers, so adoption centers and adoption days were too hard on them. That made their chances of finding a home together all the more difficult, and they ended up becoming long-term foster cats.
Waylon was by far the more social one with his foster mom, Theresa, while Willie was more of a cats’ cat and seemed content to just hang out with his brother. They were pretty inseparable. When Waylon passed away three years ago, we weren’t sure how Willie would handle the loss. He eventually decided that Theresa wasn’t so scary after all, and he actually became quite the cuddler. Willie even befriended another long-term foster cat, Collette, curling up with her for naps and letting her give him a bath every now and then. Willie’s favorite things to do were to oversee the backyard high on his cat tree, nap in the sun spots on the carpet and run to the water dish whenever he heard it getting filled up. You could set a clock by Willie, and when it was time for meals and bedtime treats, he would be patiently waiting under the kitchen table. Willie would
notice where the other cats liked to nap and would soon be found sleeping in their favorite spots. Everyone liked Willie, so that was okay with the others, and often times they joined him in slumber.
Willie was very content with his quiet life and even up to his last day, he was soaking up the sun and watching the birds out the window. He left a huge hole in our hearts and will be deeply missed.
"The most difficult thing about having a dog is the goodbye"
Written by King's amazing foster mom, Theresa, of nearly 10 years:
We pulled King from MACC, a local animal control, back in 2014 when he was nine months old. He was surrendered by his family because they said they couldn’t keep him. King was super sweet, but had no training, so we put him in our Rush to Rescue prison program. Despite everyone’s best efforts, the environment was too stimulating for him and not a good fit, so he was removed and went into a foster home.
It was obvious that King needed some serious training. He would jump up on people, was mouthy, grabby, and didn’t like to be handled. King was hyper focused on any bedding (cat, dog, pillows), determined to destroy them, and any kind of correction made things worse. During walks, King constantly tried to chase vehicles and bicycles moving past him. With the help of some private training, as well as lots of practice and yummy treats, King developed manners and really thrived in his foster home.
King was the type of dog who loved everyone he met. When he went for his walks, which was his favorite thing to do, he assumed everyone outside was there solely to pet him. He had his favorites, especially Duane and the neighborhood kids, and always looked for them when he walked by their houses. He loved going to the vet because he knew he was going to get a lot of attention there.
King’s favorite snacks were cucumbers, watermelon and apples. When he heard the smoothie machine, he made sure he was in the kitchen to wait patiently for his dab of peanut butter. When he came in from being outside, King knew to either sit in front of the cupboard with treats or the closet with his food, depending upon the time of day. He loved napping on the couch, although it often took several spins and a bunched-up slipcover before he found the perfect position. The resident cat adored King and he was always extremely tolerant of her rubbing up against his face, licking his ears or curling up beside him.
There were few things in life King didn’t like, but on the top of that list were vacuum cleaners, weed whippers, windshield wipers and getting wet in the rain. King had been available for adoption since he was pulled from MACC almost ten years ago. He attended adoption events, fundraisers, and pet festivals and was always a huge hit with everyone he met. King received adoption applications and had meet and greets over the years, but for one reason or another, no one ever wanted to make the commitment to adopt and nothing ever materialized.
King waited for over nine years to find his forever home. Little did we know, he already had.
Rest easy, King. You were the best boy.
“Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.” ― Zelda Fitzgerald In September of 2009, a fawn-colored, petite canine chunk exploded into our world. I was in the process of completing an adoption of an older dog, Frida, into a loving home and all of a sudden -BAM! A brown ball of fuzz on four legs came whipping around the corner, straining at the end of her leash, trying to greet us. Molly came to Rescued Tails as a transfer from a shelter in a town which had enacted a pit bull ban. She was a shelter favorite there, and they had contacted us asking if we could help save her by taking her into our program. And we said, “Yes, we can”. After spending months caring for and taking Molly to dog training our bond grew so deep, and we could not let her go. We made it official, and she was in her forever home with us here at the sanctuary. Molly enjoyed her days with us playing ball (her favorite hobby), rolling in the long grasses, snoozing on the couch with her canine sis Dot and others, going on long walks/ runs in the fields out back, chomping on bones, making AMAZING nests in her blankets (we think she was part bird) and even dipping her paws in Lake Superior (which she really did not appreciate). Looking back, these years went by much too fast. Molly, thank you for showing us how to live life 120% and more. Your abundant joy made us smile and laugh and brighten our days even on the gloomiest. Thank you for your unwavering kindness and gentle ways to all your humans – especially the little ones. Even towards the multitude of veterinarians who poked and prodded you over the years – you were always the perfect patient - so very KIND and forgiving. You loved your canine counterparts SO much - your canine communication skills were impeccable when meeting other dogs. Thank you for being a wonderful “helper dog” to new dogs that came into your life. We were beyond blessed to share nearly 14 years with you, Molly. Wish it could have lasted forever. The last 2 years and 10 months, after your cancer diagnosis were a rollercoaster of sorts, especially near the end. You were a champion through it all, and thankfully you were still able to enjoy your days doing things you loved. When your pain became too much we set you free from it and helped you cross over the Rainbow Bridge. It ripped our hearts open wide, but you peacefully went to sleep next to us, at home, licking your frozen doggie dessert. For that we are so very thankful. There are very special animals that come into our world that become our heart animals. They become intertwined deep within our souls. Molly, you were/are that and so much more. Go run and play with the others (Rudy will be happy to see you), and we look forward to being with you again. Love you to the moon and back a million, bazillion times my little girl. To honor the life and memory of Molly and all our other four-legged friends, above all, be kind. For that is one of the many gifts they give to us – kindness. 
Our hearts were broken as we had to say good-bye to Waylon. Waylon was one of our long-term foster cats who had ongoing health issues - urinary stones, diabetes and was diagnosed with lymphoma a few months ago. He was really bonded with his littermate, Willie, and the two of them could always be found curled up together throughout the day. He also loved hanging out with the foster dogs, often brushing up against them and sharing the sun spots for naptime. Waylon's favorite sport was chasing the laser pointer and he would come running as soon as he heard it being taken out of the drawer. He also loved checking out the heat coming out from the floor vent and could always be found sitting right in front of the space heater. Whenever Waylon heard the water dish being filled with fresh water, he was right there to get the first drink. He could also be heard playing with the bowl, as he always liked to move it out a little further from the wall. While Waylon was really shy with people he didn't know, he loved snuggling up with his foster mom, Theresa, who took such great care of him and getting his face rubbed. Waylon was very loved and will be terribly missed. |
