Willy
Willy's is a heart-wrenching story about a dog whose despondent spirit and physical pain were too much for him to bear. Willy was originally given to folks who had no business taking in a dog. He was eight years old, had only three legs, and the third stroke against him was the fact that he was an unneutered black pit bull boy. Taken to the pound by the family who falsely claimed he was a stray, Willy seemed to give up hope the first day at the county pound. He didn't eat, and didn't mess his kennel run. A quick trip outside by a volunteer brought him great relief, but he had no one to walk him the next day. The third day at the pound, now not even lifting his head from his curled up position on his Kuranda bed, he was taken in by a loving foster family who observed that he was unable to empty his bladder even when taken outside. In pain, unable to eat, he still showed his appreciation to his fosters by licking their faces and snuggling close. When an emergency room veterinarian told us his bladder was filled with stones to the point of bursting, which had completely blocked him, and that he was in excrutiating pain, we made the only decision possible for this boy: to let him cross the Rainbow Bridge. Robin, his foster, sat with Willy during the painless euthanasia procedure and comforted him in his last minutes of life. Rest easy, dear Willy; we will see you on the other side. 2/21/10

Cookie
Of course we love them all as they come through the door but every once in a while one so special comes into our care who touches the heart of every person that comes in contact with him. Cookie is that cat. Cookie came to us over two years ago as part of an effort to assist a citizen with an out of control cat colony at her home. We quickly discovered that some of the cats were feline leukemia positive so we were forced to hold all of the cats from the colony who has previously tested negative so that we could retest them prior to adoption. Cookie had originally tested negative but we were devastated to learn three months later that he tested positive. Our staff had gotten so attached to Cookie's crazy antics, and his quirky personality that no one could bear the thought of euthanizing him. We set off on a mission to find this clown a home. Two years later Cookie finally walked through the doors of a real home. It was an extremely stressful transition for this boy who had never known what a home was like. He didn't eat for many days but after a week or so began to get a little more adventurous. Unfortunately, shortly after, the stress caught up with this already immune compromised love and he became critically ill. Thanks to one of our staff members who absolutely REFUSED to give up on Cookie he received top notch care including a blood transfusion and a very expensive new drug specifically for feline leukemia cats. Even though the efforts were valiant, Cookie's condition began to deteriorate and the decision was made to let him humanely cross the bridge surrounded by people who loved him, including the one who refused to give up. We will miss Cookie greatly and are deeply saddened that he was not able to spend more time in a real home. RIP crazy Cookie. 2/19/10

Carl
Carl came to us along with three of his siblings when they were only 4 wks old. Our volunteers worked hard to keep them all healthy while teaching them to eat on their own. As they grew strong, so did the bond of our volunteers to this special boy, Carl. He quickly became a staff favorite with his kitty kisses and his love for snuggling into anyone's arms. After a long wait, it was finally time for Carl to be neutered and go on his way to a new start in a real home. Sadly, Carl passed away during his surgery due to complications. With heavy hearts our volunteers said goodbye to one of the sweetest boys in our care. Carl's love and snuggling will certainly be missed!

Archie
Archie had a long history of placements gone wrong. When he was uprooted to come to Virginia from Tennessee, it was his undoing. He couldn't take any more. Archie begged us to let him cross the Bridge so he could be happy and healthy once more. We will see you again, dear boy! RIP 2/09/10

Snapple
Snapple stole the hearts of several volunteers who just thought this boy was the most goofy, loving little thing. He made us laugh with his snuggly silliness. Snapple became suddenly ill during the weekend of December 12th. After being examined by a vet, it was determined that he was battling an infectious disease. He became so ill and declined so rapidly that upon the advice of our vets, the decision was made to let this boy cross the bridge. We will miss you Snapple!