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Bringing senior dogs and people together.
We have done some wonderful adoptions.
Please view our
smiling faces below.
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Our Stories:
Dora, Diva and Marilyn's life together
 
Marilyn
Johnson uses our Complete Care package. She wanted a companion dog and Dora, who was 12 years old, loved living in her home. They were together for Dora's last two years and it was a blessing for both of them.
Marilyn recently took in Diva, a cocker spaniel, to be her companion and they are doing great together.
David comes to her house once a month. He delivers any needed dog food, dog treats or medication. He gives the dog their monthly Heartguard and Frontline. He cuts their nails and brushes them and cleans up the yard. He also takes the dog to the vet and groomer when needed.
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A second chance for Chance
Gizmo, a 4 year old Shih Tzu came to us from a rescue shelter in central Missouri. Gizmo isn’t a small Shih Tzu, he is one big boy weighing in at 18-20 lbs., but he sure is cute!
His original story is that he came from some folks who only had him a month or two. They turned him in because Gizmo didn’t do well with their 3 small children. He had been living outside because they were obviously misinformed and thought Shih Tzu’s were suppose to be rugged and outdoorsy. (Anyone, who knows anything about Shih Tzu’s, knows Shih Tzu’s are indoor dogs and they need attention and love.) Before that he belonged to another woman who had rescued him a couple of years before. The story she told is Gizmo was a stray that ended up in a vet’s office after someone tried to set him on fire. We can’t confirm this, but he does have a full coat and doesn’t have any obvious scarring that we can see.) What had happened was her mother moved in with her and didn’t like Gizmo, so one day while the daughter as at work the mother arranged to give Gizmo away, (apparently not caring what type of home he went to). The daughter said she wouldn’t’ have given Gizmo up and certainly wouldn’t have given him up to a family with small children, but she couldn’t take Gizmo back because her mother wouldn’t allow it. However, she did confirm that Gizmo didn’t like rough-housing and didn’t like a lot of physicality.
Anyway, we were contacted by the shelter, where Gizmo ended up, and asked if we would want him. They said they couldn’t put him up for adoption because he was dicey with kids and really needed some help to get over his trust issues. We decided he needed a chance, so we took him in and hence the new name - Chance! After a few days his foster mom reported that he was a fantastic and very cool dog. She felt like he must have been misunderstood. Chance didn’t have one accident in her house, so it was apparent that he was potty-trained. Also, very smart because he was easily taught to sit-up, shake hands and to speak when he wanted to go outside. He also got along great with her four other Shih Tzu’s. She discovered he had a fantastic and very cute personality. He loved chasing his light-up football in the yard and playing chase with it. He was really just a big teddy bear! He loved it when his foster mom would rub his belly and hug on him! She fell in love with Chance and decided she would make it her mission to make sure that his next home would be his loving forever home.
We would like to report that Chance was adopted by a wonderful family who has 2 other Shih Tzu’s and they all love him very much. He has his own bed (indoors), and they give him all the patience and understanding he needs, as well as treats and lots of toys. He gets daily walks in the country and gets to visit the local dog park where he has lots of fun with the other dogs! They have also reported he is definitely full of personality and gets along great with everyone in the household. Chance is finally home!
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Robbie's New Life after Purina
 
Dear Friends and Family,
I am very sad to share this news with you. Yesterday, my little dog Robbie passed away. Today the house seems so quiet and empty without his presence.
As most of you know, my little man was a working boy who spent his first 12 years as a food taster for Purina. If you ever got between Robbie and his dinner bowl, you know he was very good at his job! Through serendipity, I met Robbie at a pet adoption day and one month later he moved in, June 22, 2008.
Robbie always made me smile . . . whether watching his ears flap up and down when he pranced up the driveway, seeing his goofy off-balance attempts to navigate the curbside, hearing him bark the very first time, bumping my leg with his nose when I wasn't getting the food dished up fast enough, licking my hand to wake me in the morning, nosing between my legs to stand there and lean against me, putting my hand on his side while he slept, listening to him breathe and dream . . . there are so many wonderful memories. He was a sweet little soul who taught me much about the meaning of love.
He was an old guy and had his share of serious health issues, but we managed to celebrate birthdays 13, 14 and 15 together. Yesterday the little guy just had too many things working against him, so I decided it was best to let him go.
Thanks to each of you for being a part of my little man's life. It's time for me to start a new chapter now.
Be well. Be happy.
Connie
p.s. Attached is our first and last pictures together . . . 6/22/2008 and 7/18/2010, Robbie's birthday.
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Holly Has a New Forever Home
Diane,
It has been so long since we last spoke and I have wanted so many times to contact you about our Holly. Dennis and I have been so blessed by having Holly in our lives. She is our constant companion, absolutely spoiled rotten and we don't know how we ever got along without her.
You may remember Holly had bladder stones when she came to you and just had surgery when she came to us. Holly has been stone free ever since and still sees Dr. Sanford at Heritage on a routine basis for her care. The special diet dog food prescribed by Dr. Sanford keeps those bladder stones away. She is also only allowed plain Cheerios as a treat but she thinks these are the best dog treat in the world.
Shortly after coming to live with us Holly discovered a plant in the back yard she just had to taste. A few hours later we found ourselves in the emergency vet hospital in West County with a very sick Holly. After blood work and tummy x-rays she received medication, iv therapy to prevent dehydration and an overnight stay at the hospital. Dennis removed the offending plant/bush as soon as we came home. The next day I insisted that she come home, they said she wouldn't eat and needed to stay. I said I wouldn't eat either if I were in this noisy place. Holly and I came home to Dennis preparing boiled chicken and rice and voila instant appetite. Holly has been well ever since.
This year when we took Holly for her annual checkup she had a stage 3 gum disease that required surgery and unfortunately the loss of 5 teeth. Dr. Sanford assured me 5 teeth are nothing to a dog and it would not affect her ability to eat. She was right of course and Holly doesn't seem to miss those teeth at all. We are now doing Oravet plaque prevention treatments every two weeks. This is a lifetime commitment but it really seems to be working and Holly is very tolerant of her treatments and even seems to like it.
Recently Holly was having sneezing and coughing so off to Dr. Sanford we went. I am now the owner of a dog who has allergies, which is rather ironic since she, the Bichon, is the perfect dog for people with allergies. She was given an allergy shot and will get boosters as needed. Holly stopped sneezing and coughing almost as soon as she received the shot.
Since Dennis has his office in our home she has a bed in his office where she spends most of the day. She also has a bed in my craft room, and has claimed the most regal chair in the living room as her own and of course we don't stop her.
Each morning she barks at me at 6:00 to remind me it's time for her breakfast, in case I forgot. She does what we call 'The Doggy Dance" down the hall until we get to that magical place where Holly food is kept. If I am the least little bit late coming home from work she will not stop barking at me as if she is saying it's dinner time did you forget. Who ever gets home first feeds Holly but when the other one comes home she tries to trick you into believing she has not been fed. We have the same routine each night, we go to the kitchen where we each have a snack, she follows me to the bathroom, sits and waits while I get ready for bed then hops on the bed as soon as I'm finished. When either Dennis or I are out of town she is not completely settled it's as if she is thinking someone in the pack is missing I must be on guard until they return.
You may also remember the blue blanket/rug she came to you with. She still has her blankie and we have discovered it is when she is very playful and very relaxed that the blankie becomes her companion. If she is on guard the blankie is left behind but when we are all together, reading and relaxing she will go get her blanket and sit with us, relaxed.
Diane as you can tell she is our best friend and we hope we are hers. You truly blessed us by bringing this little girl to us and there is nothing we would change about Holly. We will take her with gum disease, special diet, allergies and anything else that comes along. As I said we don't know what life was like before Holly and know that she is a joy to have around and the perfect companion, always by my side.
Attached are photo's of Holly so you can see how good your Holly looks.
Sincerely,
Denise and Dennis Sahrmann
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Bernice the thin Bernese
by Diane Pierce
 
Amanda called me and asked if we would be interested in taking a Bernese Mountain Dog from a breeding facility. I have never been around a Bernese and thought that it would be fun to see what they are like so I agreed to take her.
When trying to come up with a name for a Bernese, I instantly thought about the name Bernice, which was the name of my mother. When Bernice arrived she was strikingly beautiful with her tri-colors. She wasn’t feeling well and would quietly lie in the kitchen all the time in the same place by the stove. She would be affectionate if you approached her but otherwise just laid there looking sad. We put a real nice throw rug where she liked to lay so she would be a little more comfortable. She was very thin and we learned why. She would immediately vomit after eating each time.
Debbie and Denis Phillips had applied to adopt Bernice. We told them about her problems and they were still interested in adopting her. We brought Bernice to meet them and they both thought she was wonderful and they were okay waiting for her to get better. Debbie is a nurse and was ready to take on the job helping this girl.
We took her to see Dr. Kim Sanford at Heritage Veterinary Service in Creve Coeur. We tried different medications and special dog food and we would hold our breath and cross our fingers that she could keep something down, but the vomiting continued. Finally Dr Sanford opened her up and found that her common bile duct was blocked. Dr Sanford called me and said that she was not certified to do that type of repair surgery and she could close her up and we could have a specialist do it or she could continue and do her best but we needed to know that we could lose her. Of course, we told her to continue. We had already spent so much money on this girl we didn’t know how much further we could go. Well, she came home after the surgery and there was no more vomiting! It was wonderful to see her slowly gaining weight and moving around more.
Debbie and Denis came to Petco on January 30th to get her so that they could spend the whole weekend with her. David and I went out to their home in Union, MO on Sunday. Bernice seemed pretty happy and settled in already. She now has a brother, Gus, who is a german shepherd.
Here is a note from Denis, Debbie, and Gus Phillips:
Where do I begin about Bernice? She has captured our hearts. She has joined our family and has become the "missing piece" that we were looking for. She is so affectionate and loving and to think about everything that this sweet sweet girl has been through in her short life. If only people could learn from dogs. Bernice and her "brother" Gus love to go outside and explore the backyard. She rolls in the grass and is playful now that she is healthy. She weighs 85 lbs and loves!! to eat. She especially enjoys evening snacktime. Denis and I cannot thank Diane, Dave and the rescue group enough for the fantastic work that they do!!.
Sincerely,
Denis, Debbie, Gus and Bernice Phillips
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