Opie

Grace

A.J.

Oliver

Clairee

Stinky

Chipper

Carson

The call came a mere three weeks after Trooper joined Maggie and Chipper at the Rainbow Bridge. "Could you please foster a dog for us? He's very overweight, he's heartworm positive, and he's in bad shape. He's very depressed, and the vet is afraid if we don't get him out of boarding and into a foster home, he won't make it."

I knew then and there that my "BridgeKids" were at work, sending yet another special needs Golden Retriever my way. And "special needs" doesn't scratch the surface. Formerly known as "Max", this dog was morbidly obese at nearly 130 lbs. and could not walk without collapsing. He would crawl into a corner and hide from the world. He wouldn't make eye contact with anyone, and if I reached out to stroke his head, he cowered and submissively urinated. He had been kept outside in the brutal Florida heat his entire life. I had the challenge of teaching an 8-year-old dog who couldn't walk not to urinate or defecate in the house.

For the first few weeks, my roommate Christal and I literally had no sleep. Max could only hold his urine for two hours, so we had to take him outside regularly. And it took both of us, with a sheet underneath him, to help him move his massive frame down three steps into the yard. Max was so matted, his fur in such bad shape, that we decided to shave him down and give him a fresh start. He was broken in body and spirit, but I was determined to help him heal. Each day I did my best to help him learn to trust people.

In a moment of clarity one day, I knew Max wasn't going to be my foster. I knew that he was home. And on July 23, 2005, two months to the day that Trooper went to the Rainbow Bridge, Max became Opie, a permanent resident at Chipper's Haven.

Opie continues to heal. After months of hard work and a special custom diet, Opie weighs a svelte 70 pounds. He has completed his heartworm treatment and is heartworm negative. He runs, he plays "bitey face" with Gracie, and each day he does his best to overcome yet another fear. Opie has become a spokesdog for our local Golden Retriever rescue group. Once a month, he and I join another volunteer and her Goldens at a local pet supply store where we do our best to educate the public about Golden Retriever rescue and the importance of keeping your dog slim and healthy. And soon we hope to make therapy visits to a local home for special needs children.

Opie must have suffered physical and emotional abuse before he became a member of our family. He has countless fears. Ghosts of his past still try to haunt him. But now I can see the gentle soul of this beautiful creature. To see him play, and swim, and enjoy life makes my soul sing. Opie is a treasure. He is the best thing that ever happened to Gracie, and if dogs can have soulmates, they have found theirs in each other.

When he's in a particularly playful mood, he gets a mischevious look on his face and has Trooper written all over him when he takes his massive paw and whacks at you. And just like Maggie, he loves to sneak around the house when Gracie and Carson aren't looking, collect all the toys and stockpile them for his personal use ... conveniently "buried" under the bedding in the back of his crate.

Welcome home, Pooh Bear.

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She was only to be a foster. The overweight, shaven bundle of nerves then known as Murphy. What was to be a temporary situation has turned into an ongoing life lesson ... in her case, not to judge a book by its cover.

Murphy was not an easy dog to like. She trusted no one, would snap at my beloved Maggie ... she was not the warm fuzzy Golden Retriever that I had expected her to be. She was like the proverbial bull in a china closet. The local rescue group labeled her "unadoptable" and I was left with two choices: Adopt her or turn her in to be euthanized.

Three and a half years later, Murphy is now "Gracie", my lovely 8 year old gal. She's a svelte 59 pounds with a beautiful flowing tail and coat. While she will never be a "dog park dog", she has learned to love and accept other dogs that have joined our family. Her grief over the loss of Maggie and Trooper so close together was gut-wrenching. Opie has been her shining star. In Opie she has found her soulmate. He teaches her how to play ... she has taken him under her wing and is showing him how to trust again. She has a purpose.

Gracie suffers from retinal dysplasia and nuclear sclerosis, two conditions which have nearly robbed her of her sight. She has a heart arrythmia and suffered a mini-stroke two years ago. But she plugs away in her true goofball fashion ... and she has, in the process, stolen my heart.

I love you, my huggy bear.

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"What was that!" my friend and I exclaimed as we saw a bright orange blur fall from the 3rd-floor balcony of his apartment building. We suddenly realized that it was an orange-and-white kitten, approximately 8 months old. He had on a collar, but had no tags and was not microchipped.

My friend took him into his home and he was named A.J. And A.J. lived happily until life circumstances forced his guardian to leave the Orlando area and be unable to take A.J. with him.

So... A.J. came to live with me.

A.J. is the 10-year-old feline that self-professed "cat haters" love. I've remarked on more than one occasion that he is the spirit of a little mischevious 8-year-old boy in an orange-and-white tabby cat suit. He seeks out the companionship of the dogs, sometimes much to their chagrin. Wherever the activity is... well, that's where A.J. wants to be.

He's truly one of a kind, and I feel very blessed to have been entrusted permanently with his care. I adore him... as does everyone he meets.

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Note to self: Stay away from Petsmart on SPCA Adoption Days!

I had gone to pick up some supplies and our local SPCA had their cats and kittens in cages just inside the door. My eye caught sight of an orange and white kitten. Nothing special about that ... except that he was an exact replica of A.J.

I'll give you the "Readers Digest" version and just tell you that Oliver now resides permanently with us here. His foster mom and I have become wonderful friends ... perhaps that's the reason I was so drawn to this little guy.

Oliver was a handful. He showed no fear toward the other cats from Day One. He was thrilled when little Chipper came to live with us ... finally he had a pal who wanted to play with him.

May you have years of play and fun, my little Oliver Buddy.

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Little is known about Clairee, other than the fact that she was rescued at 5 weeks of age from being used as "bait" in a pit bull fighting ring. Her first few weeks were touch and go....she had a terrible upper respiratory infection and had to be monitored very closely.

She's probably one of the cutest Maine Coons I've ever seen ...the orange "spot" on her forehead is so endearing, as is Clairee herself. She is truly a Momma's Girl. For some reason, she worships the ground I walk on and makes no bones about it. I am rarely able to visit the restroom without my little shadow following me. At night, her loud happy purring lulls me to sleep.

Clairee suffers from vision problems and overactive tear ducts.

But in my eyes, she is perfect ... and she will always be my little "Peanut", my little "Princess".

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"Pam, please come take this kitten to the Humane Society. Her mother was hit by a car and the neighborhood bullies want to use her as a baseball".

How could I say no?

What I brought home (since, of course, the Humane Society was closed) was a kitten that was only 3 weeks old. What was I to do? I had a 7 month old Golden Retriever (Maggie) in her first heat and was anxiously awaiting that to be over so she could be spayed. What happened next is something I still can't explain, nor could Maggie's vet ... but it just goes to show the love that animals possess.

Maggie went into a false pregnancy, produced milk and nursed Stinky. (Aptly named because after Maggie would groom the kitten, she would promptly drop her in the litter box as she had seen me do ...and I think the rest is self-explanatory).

For nearly 14 years, Maggie and Stinky were inseparable. When Stinky become critically ill in the fall of 2004 and was hospitalized due to a bladder stone, liver disease and renal failure, we honestly thought she would not survive. She only made a turn for the better when I took Maggie, her "mom", to visit her at the hospital. Three days later, Stinky was home.

And nearly 1.5 years later, Stinky is still with us. She misses Maggie terribly, as we all do. But she is a feisty old gal of 14 and every day with her is considered a blessing.

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This is Chipper....he is a 6-month-old kitten who was being fostered by a member of Team Trooper. This wonderful foster mom said she knew that he would have a good life here with my canine and feline crew....but, she also knew that financially I wasn't in a position to accept another resident.

So...she has graciously offered to "sponsor" Chipper and he will live out his days here with us.

Interestingly enough, "Chipper" was his name prior to his coming to Furville. And his birthday is around May 8, which is the date of my Golden Retriever Chipper's journey home to the Rainbow Bridge. Little Chipper is a love muffin and he has bonded with his buddy Oliver beautifully. To watch them tear through the house in hot pursuit makes me laugh. It also makes me realize that Chipper is exactly where he should be.

Welcome home, Chipper :)

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Carson was unceremoniously dumped at a shelter during the Christmas 2005 holidays. The all-too-familiar "allergies in the family" reasoning. I cannot fathom how he must have felt to have lived with a family for seven years and to have suddenly found himself on a hard concrete floor ... alone.

I had been evaluating a dog at Animal Services across the road... I'm still not sure why I even ventured over toward the shelter. Divine intervention perhaps? I'd like to think so. Carson was the first dog I saw... he seemed so happy in spite of it all. I spoke with him for a few moments, and then I walked away.

But I couldn't get him out of my mind. My head argued with my heart..."Are you nuts? You don't need another special needs dog. You don't have the funds to care for him. Chipper's Haven is supposed to be for Goldens... He's a Lab!" My heart won out. I saw a senior dog with a mangled foot whose chances of being adopted were slim to none.

On January 10, 2006 Carson became the newest resident at Chipper's Haven. A consultation with an orthopedic specialist revealed that his left front leg was broken in two spots when he was quite young. And it appears that it was never treated. The leg is full of bone spurs and arthritis, but in spite of the pain I know it must cause him, Carson is truly the poster child for the phrase "Don't Worry—Be Happy". He is a puppy in a 7-year-old Labrador Retriever suit. He worships the ground Opie walks on... you rarely see Opie without his little white shadow. And Carson has grown to understand and respect Gracie's lack of vision. He gives her wide berth, and she has accepted him into the family.

Another orthopedic consultation is scheduled after which I will begin to apply for funding through various Labrador Retriever agencies. Nothing is a guarantee, but I will do whatever I can to ensure that my Wiggle Worm, my Mexican Jumping Bean, my happy little guy gets to live out his years here as painfree as possible.

Welcome home, Carson.

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