Chesapeake Retriever Rescue of Wisconsin A 501(c)(3) Corporation- Non Profit Rescue
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Chesapeake Retriever Rescue of Wisconsin A 501(c)(3) Corporation- Non Profit Rescue
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Rainbow Bridge
Dedicated To All Past Puppies. Please send us your stories to
Sue : Sue
Rainbow
Bridge
My name is Peggy Behnke. My husband Terry & I adopted Sophie in July of
2004. We want to write a tribute to our beloved Sophie. She went to the
bridge on April 6th, 2009. We lost our little sweetheart to cancer & I
think the main reason we want to honor her on your webpage is because of the
strength and courage she has shown the entire 5 years that we were blessed
to have her as a part of our family. She was a very strong girl right
up until the end.
She also had quite the personality! She made us laugh alot! We used to
''try'' to get her to fetch. She would retrieve the toy quite nicely, but
she'd only make it halfway back to us, lay down, and proceed to destroy the
toy by tearing it apart. She also loved her walks. I'd go to hook her up on
the leash and her butt would be wiggling so fast I could barely hook her up.
Boy, she would run out the door with gusto and we would start our walks with
so much energy. After we went about 2 blocks you could tell she was ready to
go home. She slowed right down and hung her head. We finally realized that
she just liked little walks, so we'd go around the block, come home, and she
was happy as can be!
Aother funny thing about Sophie was that she took comfort and relaxation very
seriously. (see attached picture). Boy, I tell you, she searched out the most
cozy place she could find (as long as it was near us) and lay down....letting
out a big sigh. We pretty much let her lay down where ever she wanted to.
She also used to wait patiently (well, not always patiently) while we finished
our meals. When we got up to clear the table she would literally race us to
the kitchen sink in the hopes of getting some of the leftovers. (She did get
lucky every once in a while). I have to admit that we spoiled her--but she
gave us so much love in return! She was very loyal.
Losing Sophie was one of the hardest things that my husband and I ever went
through. We loved her so much and she loved us back. In fact, she loved just
about everybody.....except cats!! She holds a very special place in our
hearts and she always will.
A very special THANK YOU to Sue and Merle for rescuing Sophie and for giving
us the opportunity to love her. We are forever grateful to you and the
wonderful work you do for Chessies.
With warm regards,
Peggy & Terry Behnke
HUNTER:
Hunter came into rescue about 1 week after Nestle left us for the Bridge.
When we went to pick Hunter up, it was love at first sight. He was a big bone
head, full of love and had the cutest big ol feet I ever saw. When he trotted
along he picked his feet up like a big draft horse. Some one had also
painted his toenails --so we knew he was going to be a good dog-what else but
a good dog would allow his toenails to get painted. Hunter never met anyone
he didn't love. He LOVED to swim, and he and Kona had many swims together
before she left for the Bridge the following Fall. Hunter loved rides, he
loved to retrieve, he loved to put his head on our laps and get his ears
"ironed" Hunter almost went to the Bridge one summer evening when he bloated
and torsioned-he had emergency surgery and barely survived. But he did pop
back and we don't know what caused the bloat-but we had his stomach stapled
during that surgery so it wouldn't happen again. A couple of years later he
was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease during an exploratory surgery.
He went on a special diet and did well for a few more years-then his back end
and back legs gave out on him-he lost his ability to get up and down and was
not having quality life -so we let him go to join Nestle, Kona, and Ernie.
Hunter was a sweetheart and he is missed.
Buddy,
Buddy, a friend of Chessie Rescue WI was fondly known as "Blind Buddy" . I
first heard of Buddy years ago when I was contacted to see if we could take
him into rescue. I said we could-but then was told that someone was coming to
see Buddy and they would let me know if we were still needed. Buddy was
adopted. Buddy had been found sitting near a burned out mobile
home-apparently he ran off during the fire-but his people left and didn't come
back-Buddy did come back and waited for his humans-but instead he was adopted
by a wonderful new family. Shortly after Buddy was adopted, I received an
e-mail from Buddy's new mom-Lauren-upon adopting Buddy it was learned he was
almost blind-and shortly after he was totally blind. Lauren became his eyes
and one of Buddy's favorite thing was retrieving-even though he was blind.
Through the years Lauren and I e-mailed back and forth about Buddy-I rec'd
great pictures of him-we always talked of getting together so I could meet
Buddy, but in this busy world it never happened-hopefully I will see Buddy one
day anyway. I was sad to get an e-mail to let me know Buddy passed away in
Sept. I will miss Buddy-I know his "mom" does.
Please read more about Blind Buddy and Progressive retinal atrophy on the PRA page here: PRA
Dear Sue,
My name is Lynn Flogstad. My husband Greg and I
adopted Honey from you four years ago. I don't think that she was with you
very long but I'm hopeful that you have some recollection of her. I'm writing
to tell you that we lost our precious girl last week after a year long fight
with cancer. I should have done this years ago but I wanted you to know how
very thankful I am to you for bringing her into my life.
Six years ago we lost our first dog and I mourned her
for two years. Right after we sent our youngest child off to college Greg told
me that he wanted to adopt a Chessie. I reluctantly agreed and we started
looking online. We both came across Honey at about the same time. He completed
all the paperwork and interviews and one Sunday we made the trip to Appleton
to "meet" her. During the entire process I prayed that it would be love at
first sight. We came to your home and were met with this slobbery beast who
drank water with her feet in the basin. A third of the water got in her belly,
a third landed on the pavement, and a third just kind of overflowed from her
mouth. She ran after the tennis ball you threw like a maniac and when she
brought it back to you, put her front paws on your lap and that slobbery face
on your chest. It was not "love at first sight" but then Greg said "I'm sold"
and home she went with us. (Cried all the way home in the crate.)
Well, it wasn't love at first sight but it soon grew
into a deep devotion. She soon became my best friend, my protector, my
constant companion. I couldn't leave a room without her making the same trek.
She loved retrieving tennis balls, chewing on bones, and going on walks (no
matter how often or how far we walked, she never did get any less "fluffy").
She couldn't get enough of going up north to the lake. When no one else would
venture into the water, Honey was standing on the shore waiting for her toy to
be tossed in. She loved standing in sprinklers and in her plastic swimming
pool (we would round the corner from a walk in the summer and she would make a
beeline to our backyard to lay in it). She loved bananas and popcorn. She
loved belly rubs and just being close to me.
A year ago we went in for Honey's annual checkup.
Since she had been spayed at about 5 years of age, I always mentioned it to
the vet knowing that her risk of mammary cancer was high. That day he found a
lump and we scheduled surgery. Two weeks later we got the news that she did
indeed have cancer but not mammary cancer. She had lymphoma. Without treatment
it would be a matter of weeks. We were at a point in our lives that chemo for
the dog was possible so we started treatment. For four cycles of four weeks
on, one week off Honey went in every Monday. What a trooper! She endured it
with only one bad day a week when she wouldn't eat and was less active. She
finished in February and had four months being cancer free. The beginning of
June I knew it was back and had to prepare myself for losing her. She slowed
down and got weaker but really did well until about two weeks ago. Last
Wednesday she couldn't bear weight anymore on her back legs and we knew that
we had to make the heartbreaking decision. We lost her last Thursday.
I will be eternally grateful to you for bringing her
to us. I will be eternally grateful to the 3 to 4 other people who didn't want
her and gave her to you. I will never understand how such a sweet being was
surrendered so many times. We did everything that we could to keep her with us
and though I know that in my head, my heart hasn't caught up. My house is so
quiet and empty. There's no brown nose waiting at the door when I walk in home
from work. There's no "assistant" helping me load the dishwasher. There's no
kisses in the middle of the night when I turn over in bed. I don't know if
there's another dog in our future- it's too soon. I do know though that I had
a very special bond with this Chessie and will be a tough act to follow. I
would still be mourning my first dog and what pulled me out of that was
getting Honey. I no longer have my girl, my sweetheart, my Honeybun. She's
God's girl, God's sweetheart, God's Honeybun. I just hope that he loves her
half as much as I do.
Thank you again and God bless you for all that you do
for this wonderful breed of dog.
Sincerely, Lynn Flogstad
Nestle-1991-2002
Our beloved rescue Chesapeake, Nestle, went to "The Bridge" on May 25th, 2002. He was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) on January 2nd, 2002. Although he was originally given only about 2 months , he lived for 5 months, and was pain free during that time due to pain meds. The pain free time ended about two days before he left us. The end came very fast-as we vowed to not let him lose the quality and the dignity of life he had loved. Our vet came to our home, so Nes was able to fall asleep in surroundings that were familiar to him. Nes came to us from a rescue where he spent 2 years of his life-and before that he was in and out of shelters. He was a dog that was given up by his owner-because he barked when left tied out to a tree 24/7 . To say that Nes had a strong personality is an understatement. He was always in charge-but no dog loved as completely as he did. He became my friend-my heart dog, and my confidant, and my protector. He was always there for me-always by my side. We had many days when Nes first came that we wondered if he would ever work out with us-he was demanding and dominant and always pushed as far as he could push. He was not tolerant of strangers, so we would put him away when people came-then when let out he would usually be fine. He would defend his property with gusto and although we never had to put it to the test-he would have defended me to the end. Nes' personality was complex-he would bark and growl at strangers--and most strange dogs-but still had the gentleness with a small puppy we fostered for a few months. The puppy would hang onto his collar, and Nes would walk him around the yard-putting up with play biting without so much as a raised lip. Quite a contrast in behavior-but that was Nestle. We were very lucky that Nes came to live with us. He taught us that even though a dog has a strong personality and other problems--there are ways to deal with it. He sure taught us what unconditional love was all about. He is the reason we started to do Chessie Rescue-each dog we save is a tribute Nes. Til we meet again-----
On October 15, 2002, Kona went to be with her "brother" Nestle. We miss her
sweet kisses and her wonderful zest for life. Kona never met a person she
didn't like. Her "papa" was her favorite though -she was never far from his side.
Kona came to live with us over four years ago. She was our second rescue Chessie. Kona was our "roooer" She had a wonderful "rooo". It always brought a smile to my face to hear her do that. She brought some baggage with her, like most second hand dogs do. She loved to devour paper products-she was introduced to a shot glass of peroxide the day after she came-after eating a box of Kleenex. Other goodies included dish rags, paper towels, envelopes, and her favorite-"kitty crunchies" She was also always scouring the yard for "goodies". When she first came , she was very food possessive-you could hardly be in the same room with her if she was eating-she became a better with that with much work as the years went by. Kona was our alpha dog as far as other dogs went. She was the boss and the peace keeper. She did become a lot better with that as the years went by, but if another dog got rowdy-she would step in and put a stop to it. Kona's favorite thing was to get apples from the apple trees. She could stand up and pick them off the lower branches. Then after that her papa would have to shake the branch so one would fall down. Each morning it was her ritual to look for her "appie" When the tree was bare-she was so disappointed-so we bought a bag of small apples-then the tree would be shaken, and an apple tossed up into the tree to make it look like it had fallen from the tree. This went on for four seasons. She probably caught on-but she was happy to get her appie just the same. Kona loved people-kids, adults, it didn't matter to Kona. She loved them all. She loved to ride, she loved to swim, and she loved to kiss you awake in the morning. We will miss her-but she is free from pain now-and that is the only thing that makes the heartache bearable. Run free of pain, sweetie-and give our love to Nestle--- Til we meet again---
In memoriam:
Ernie-Honorary Chesapeake Extraordinaire-but actually a huge Lab/Dane mix-has crossed the bridge to be with his many fur friends. Ernie was born New Year's Day, 1993, and came here to live in Feb of that year. When Ernie was around 5, we adopted our first Chesapeake. From that day on, Ernie was our ambassador dog. He would always be the first one to share the yard with a new foster dog, making then feel at ease and not lonesome. Because Ernie was so submissive, he was never a threat to new dogs, which made it easier for them to adjust to new people and a new situation. Ernie helped many dogs in his years with us. Ernie passed away peacefully on April 7th-reaching the age of 12 years and 4 months. We miss him-he was one of a kind.
Many of you who have come to the different dog shows we attend every year have met Goober and most know that he finally went to the bridge on August 3rd. Goober was a Chow Chow not a Chessie and he was the heart of my heart. He absolutely loved to go to those shows. He loved watching people go by and to take his little trips outside he would go thru the crowds and around people like he had been doing it all his life. Goober was a genetic disaster from bad breeding. I knew this from the day I adopted him but he was such a cute little goober I had to take on the responsibility of meeting his needs. He was born without regular hips. His were mushroom caps and I was told that a hip replacement would most likely not work because of the deformity. He also had genetic problems that resulted in an auto-immune disease called skin lupus, or lupus of the skin. As he got older, it got worse and we treated it with an immuno-suppressant called Atopica. One of the hazards of completely destroying the immune system is the side effects it can cause. He lost teeth, had surgery for that and when we thought we had everything under control he developed a tumor at the base of his tail. He was having small seizures of some sort and it was with a heavy heart that I had to make the decision to finally let him go. I miss that little fat boy something fierce. So does his lil sister Dazy. Goob fell totally in love with her the day I brought her home. I have included my favorite picture's of the two of them.
So your a sister? Ok you run I'll watch Yep, it's a big scary back yard at at night!!
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