Octavio
Octavio came to us from a shelter in central California. His owners had been jailed and he was taken by the police to the local animal shelter. Fortunately, the shelter workers called us and we brought him to our program. He was a beautiful boy, confused and depressed when we got him, but he adapted well in his foster home. He had “cherry eye” with an infection and it took two surgeries to correct it, but he could finally see. That really seemed to perk him up and he showed interest in everything and really seemed happy. We had many people show interest in adopting Octavio, but then something seemed just not right. He started losing weight, lost the gloss in his coat and seemed listless. The doctor confirmed our worst fears, Octavio had a large tumor in his liver and spleen. He was terminally ill and declining rapidly. He was getting extremely uncomfortable and there was nothing else that could be done. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge surrounded by friends and in the arms of his foster mother that next day. It is always sad when one of our babies leaves us, but it is always harder when they didn’t get their forever home first. Octavio's ashes will stay with his foster mother, the one who loved him until the end.

Tessie
We just wanted to let you know that the dog known as Bella to you, has gone to the bridge. I and Carole want to thank you very much for giving us Tessie (Bella) We will always love her and miss her so much. We know how hard your work is. And thank god for you and all the rescue people. God bless you all. Tessie's life with us was great she had everything that a dog could want. She loved us with all her heart right to the end. She did not have pain or stress. We had the best 5 or 6 years of love from a great friend. She became the rock of our family. When we lost Logan and Jake last year. She stepped up to the plate. She made sure we were ok. I swear she did. She never left my side, went everywhere with me. When she got cancer in her hip, she stood steady as if to say its going to be alright. Man our hearts are broken. We have never ever loved a dog so much. Well, may god bless you and thank you again. Simon Carole Tessie Logan Jake

Shady
Shady came into rescue after being turned into the shelter by her uncaring owners saying they were moving and couldn’t take her. She was horribly thin, with a sparse unkempt coat, badly cropped ears and a very depressed attitude. It isn’t unusual for us to see dogs in this condition, and we thought good food, love and a warm bed would do the trick. She was spayed, given her vaccines, and micro chipped and then ready to be picked from the shelter. We took right to the vet to have a check up as we always do, and when the vet listened to her heart, she looked up at me and shook her head. Shady’s heart was beating at an extremely rapid, life threatening rate and had a really severe murmur. X-rays showed her heart so enlarged, that it literally filled her chest compressing her lungs. We took her to the cardiologist to see if there was something we could do to help her, and received the bad news that even with medication, Shady was in end stage heart failure, she might only live a month or so. We decided that we would find a home for Shady even if it was only a short time, so that she would know love, good food and a soft bed before she died. A wonderful family adopted Shady, knowing that she was terminally ill, but knowing that she needed a home just the same. We are happy to say that Shady lived over two years in their expert care and she thrived. Each time they took her to the veterinarian for a check up they would say, it won’t be long now. But Shady surprised them all, she had so much to live for now that she wouldn’t give up. Neos are amazing creatures, they are tough and rules don’t apply to them, Shady showed us that. Rest well, we miss you, and love you dear Shady.

Mia
Mia came to us from South Central Los Angeles animal control. It was one of the worst cases that I have seen during the 10 years I’ve been doing rescue. She was skin and bones, and didn’t have a healthy spot on her poor skin. She had a horrible, generalized skin infection which had erupted into open, bleeding sores. Again, we took one look at her and just dug in to begin treatment. Our wonderful veterinarian shook her head, sighed, and began treating her. It took several months for her fur to grow back, and through it all, Mia remained happy and grateful for every bit of kindness she received. She eventually gained weight and began to look like a real dog. Unfortunately, and very sadly, Mia died after a short bout of fever and another skin infection eruption. It was determined that the cause of death was cancer. It was heartbreaking...as hard as she fought to get well, she eventually died from the cancer. We will always remember Mia.

Angelina
Angelina was yet another emaciated, horribly neglected dog that we pulled from the South Los Angeles shelter. Because she was so thin and weak, she was taken immediately to an emergency veterinary hospital. There we had blood drawn, started her on fluids, tested her for parasites, listened to her heart and all seemed well. She was a bit anemic, but otherwise appeared healthy. She was ravenous and ate well and started gaining weight. She was adopted by a wonderful man who cooked for her and loved her. She flourished and then was finally healthy enough to be spayed. When they opened her up to spay her the vet found several very suspicious looking tumors. Biopsies were taken and we were prepared for the worse. The biopsies came back showing a very aggressive cancer. Her new owner was devastated, but determined to make sure that any time she had left would be filled with love and all the good food she could eat. We can honestly say that thanks to her wonderful adoptive family because Angelina knew nothing else but love and safety, for the rest of her days.