Rescue ~ Rehab ~ Rehome

Bayo

Our sweet boy Bayo, AKA Boogie was laid to rest on May 4th..he was the best dog anyone could ever have! My husband and I (and his brother, Murphy the pug) miss him so much. I was apprehensive to bring a foster dog into our home, but we knew the minute we picked him up that he was home! I love him so much and my house is empty without him...anyone that has the opportunity to rescue a dog, seize it because you will never be let down by the unconditional love and companionship! Rest in peace our sweet boy. ​

Teke

IN MEMORY OF TEKE

Teke came into our care in September 2013 at 9 years old and very overweight. His owner had to go to a nursing home and Teke had to find a new home too. When our intake coordinator first met Teke, it was at his home where he lived with many cats and all he did was bark at her for attention. At 192 pounds, he was so overweight that it was difficult for him to even walk very fa r and even more of a trip to get him into her van, but he was such a good boy. He endured a bath and vet appointment without complaint. When he went to his foster home with Teri (which turned out to be his forever home), he couldn’t make it up the stairs. It took a month until he lost enough weight, gained enough strength and confidence, and had a ramp built for him and he was able to make it into the main living area of the home. It took determination and courage not only on Teke’s part, but on Teri’s part too with the coaxing and patience he needed to help him become a real dog again. He moved in to not only her home, but her heart as well.

His foster mom not only made a big difference in Teke’s final year, but this one-of-a-kind boy made a big difference in her life too, having an effect on her like no other dog had before. Though he was only with her for a little over a year, he helped her through the loss of her own senior dog and showed her what courage was in how he lived his life. He welcomed another foster dog into the home, helping to “train” her for her forever home. Known as Teke the Clown, he always made Teri laugh. Another volunteer who knew him described him as: stubborn, super sweet, loving, determined.

A recent trip to the vet was scheduled when he began to be less energetic and have some digestive problems. A tumor in his stomach was the reason for his loss of joy of life. The decision was made to help ease his suffering. 

It’s taken Teri awhile to be able to talk about Teke, but this is what she shared on her personal Facebook page and we’re sharing it with her permission: “on the  19th of January , I lost my gentle giant... my loss of Teke is going to let a huge hole in my heart for quite some time. He was such a brave, courageous, opinionated & stubborn dog!! He lost 50 lbs, learned to go up & down steps, "run away" from home (including playing catch me if you can at  5AM ), get in & out of the car, play in the snow (jumping to catch snowballs!), play with the kitty's bed (sometimes with the kitty still in it - kitty would sure get mad when he'd fling bed & kitty through the air!)....he always had a smile on his face & always put one on mine....it was never boring with him around....if only he could "sit" on my lap one more time.....Lock the Sheepdog was his buddy.....little Shady boy stayed close by & watched over him as he did with all fosters but we lost him last March - we were all lost without him – but Teke took over & helped us over our loss of Shady....then we took in another foster....Teke took it upon himself to watch over her. Teke just kept giving & giving....he loved & loved...I am so blessed to have had him live with me for the time that he did...though my heart may be hurting, if asked, I would do this all over again - this is what foster/rescue is about - the opportunity to meet & love the BEST dogs with the MOST personalities - these dogs just give & give & have more love than you could ever imagine.....”

Rest in Peace Teke, we know you’ll be waiting at the Rainbow Bridge to greet us all.

Boo Boo
10/7/2014 It is with great sadness that I must report to you that our beloved BooBoo passed away yesterday in his sleep. You wrote about Boo's Happy Tail in the winter newsletter or 2012. Last January we moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina but I am happy to report that Boo loved the South. He hated the cold (remember he had been tied outside the entire winter before we adopted him) and although last December he seemed a bit sluggish on our daily walks, moving to the South gave him a renewed energy. In fact one of our neighbors who had seen Boo when we first moved here thought after a few months we had gotten a new dog. He strutted three times daily around our block with his head held high and his tail wagging. He loved meeting other dogs who were being walked also. He loved spending time with our son's family dog who also lives in North Carolina. We always thought that Boo was younger than the thirteen or fourteen years Haven to Home thought he was when we adopted him. They had told us then to give him one or two happy years but we always thought it would be more. He was never sick and when he had his wellness test in May, he had an excellent report. We had noticed the last six weeks that he seemed to sleep a lot more and wasn't quite as excited to go on more than one walk a day, but he still loved to ride on my lap in the car and loved going to the Lowes close to us where everyone petted him. My husband called him a "chick magnet" because Boo always generated a lot of attention. We never knew he barked until a few months ago when suddenly one morning he barked to tell he wanted us to get him off the bed to go outside. During the past few weeks, he was waking us at night to go to the bathroom and seemed to be drinking a bit more, but we had no idea he would soon be leaving us. He brought such joy into our lives and I just want to thank-you for giving us this precious gift. I will be sending a donation to Haven to Home in Boo's memory to help other dogs like him.

Mater

About 1-1 1/2 years ago we adopted the best dog in the world. His name was Mater. He was a member of our family. When we got home anytime we left the house we couldn't wait to get to the door to see him :-). He did have a bad habit of darting out the door if you weren't careful though. Last weekend he did that thing he loves to do and he got out. My husband and myself chased him down to the neighbors house and as we were trying to get him he darted in front of a jeep on the road and got hit. I stayed with him and petted and talked to him until he took his last breath :-( We are so heartbroken my husband and I and our 2 children. We got Mater from Haven 2 Home and honestly he was the best dog I have ever been around. As I'm writing this I am crying. He is so missed in our house it feels like my son died. Thanks so much for giving us the opportunity to show Mater what it was like to be loved so so much. I know he had a not so good life before us. And while he was with is he had a very happy life. Always wagging his tail and just being himself. We were told he wouldn't be able to ever do steps right or run right but he was able to do anything he wanted to do. 

Cooper

4/21/2014

Two weeks prior we had lost our "Cooper" to a sudden onset acute disease. Only 4 years old and spiraling from a happy playful dog to a little guy struggling to hold onto life.  He left such a huge void in our lives, not because he was a perfect dog but because he was not.  If there was mud to get in - he was there.  If there was something on the floor to chew - he would get it.  If there was a mouse to chase - despite all of our best efforts he would not leave the scent. But how he made us smile.