In loving memory

In loving memory

Howie

Terrier mix · tripod · Rescue Me Tampa · July 2025

Howie, a senior tripod terrier mix, came to us through Rescue Me Tampa in July 2025. I had been dreaming of a sanctuary where the hardest cases could stay forever; Howie was the dog who showed me what that promise had to mean in real life—not years of warehousing, but dignity in whatever time was left.

He had spent most of his life with an elderly couple who loved him. When they could no longer care for him, they brought him in for a leg injury that could not be saved. After amputation he was released to the shelter—suddenly alone after years in one home, with no familiar faces in the kennel run.

The shelter said he was not in great shape. I still wanted whatever time he had left—maybe a year or two—to be safe, loved, and spoiled. He came home thin and tired, but he leaned into quiet attention and seemed relieved to be off the concrete.

We had only thirteen days together. When he could barely walk, we went to a beach park so he could smell the world one more time; then to McDonald’s, where he enjoyed several plain hamburger patties with the focus only a very good dog brings to a very good treat. On better days he wanted to be near people; when his body could no longer keep up, he preferred the floor beside me—cool tile, soft blankets, no pressure to perform.

Our veterinarian team found he was critically anemic with a hardened gall bladder; at his age and condition, recovery was not possible. His gums and tongue were already turning pale. I lay beside him for the last two days, talking to him and offering steak; he ate very little. He passed quietly two days after that visit, with the same gentleness he had shown since the day he arrived.

Losing Howie was as heartbreaking as any dog we have loved—not a line item on a rescue spreadsheet, but a little dog who deserved more time. His loss broke our hearts and helped shape the haven we run today: the standard of calm, patience, and presence we still hold every dog to. How his story changed our mission.

In loving memory

Cliff

Akita mix · Remembered August 2025

Cliff came to us because animal control had recommended euthanasia. He had been badly abused and was terrified of people; officials believed he would never be safe in a home. I did not accept that outcome—not when humans had already failed him.

I planned to stabilize him medically and find an adopter within five or six months. The first day I brought him home, he bit me twice. Progress was slower and harder than I imagined. Over time he learned to trust me, though he remained wary of everyone else.

By four or five months he would tolerate visitors if he could stay close to my side—he allowed gentle petting, his tail would wag, and he sometimes offered a soft growl, as if to say he was willing to try but needed people to go carefully.

Near the six-month mark I promised he would not face another placement. Cliff became a permanent family member. He kept improving around people for the rest of his life and taught me that steady love and patience can reach dogs others had given up on.