-Remi-

"My sweet Remi came into my life as a birthday gift when I was younger, and she has been with me for 10 years now. She has grown up alongside me through every stage of my life since then and has always been a steady, familiar presence. From the beginning, she has been an easy dog. Potty training was simple, she never chewed things she wasn’t supposed to, and she has always had a calm, natural way of fitting into whatever life looked like at the time. She never made things harder. She just fit.

Remi is very social and loves people in general. She is always happy to meet someone new and will walk right up for attention without hesitation. She leans into pets like she already trusts people, even if she has just met them. She is the same with other dogs. Friendly, confident, and relaxed, she has made dog friends everywhere she goes without effort. At home, she is completely attached to me. She has never understood personal space and always wants to be as close as possible. If I sit down, she is immediately leaning into me. If I am in bed, she is right there, stretched out and taking up most of it like she belongs there too. She does not just want to be near me, she wants full contact. She has always had her own little habits that make her unmistakably her. When she was younger, she carried a goose toy everywhere like it was part of her life. She loves treats more than anything, especially beef trachea, and even now at 10 years old she still gets excited the moment she thinks food might be involved. She will drop straight into her signature super-sploot sit like she is making her case for snacks.

Remi also has a habit of “talking back” with soft grumbles and little noises like she is responding to everything being said to her. It feels less like barking and more like she is part of the conversation.

She also loves going to the dog park, where she can run, stretch out, and be social. She enjoys being around other dogs and people and has always been confident in those spaces. One of her closest friends is a small Frenchie named Zeus. They have always gotten along naturally despite their size difference.

Remi has been a constant in my life for 10 years. She is part of everyday life in a quiet, steady way. Always close, always present, always herself. We do not know how much time we have left with her, but we are going to cherish every second of it and soak up every moment she is still here."

-Rachel Shields

"My husband Richard had always said that when we got a house with a yard, he really wanted a dog. I was a cat person and admittedly didn't really want a dog but I knew how badly he did. When we bought our house back in 2012, it didn't take him very long to remind me that it was time to fulfill his wish. We got lucky that a family member had a six month old puppy that needed a home and we were welcome to have him. When we met Apollo, he was about six months old and honestly was one of the cutest things I'd ever seen. He was so happy and such a little goofball and clearly smart. Truth be told, over the next several months, I'm not sure if we trained him or if he trained us. He excelled in his puppy classes and was a very quick learner, but with that level of intelligence also comes a lot of anxiousness. We all struggled with his separation anxiety and it led us to understand that he really needed a friend. About six months later, we found a derpy, cute girl named Talli, who fit right into our family. Where Apollo was high maintenance, Talli was the lowest of low maintenance and they were perfect companions for each other. I can't lie...while Richard loved him immediately and deeply ever since, Apollo and I had a really tumultuous relationship for a while. I was not used to having an animal that needed so much attention and he tested my patience to its absolute limit. He taught me to never underestimate what a dog was capable of. He was exceptionally clever and sneaky to a fault, and his appetite is a testament to that. He has a stomach of steal and there's no possible way that I can list everything that he has ever eaten because frankly, I'm probably not even aware of half of it. But suffice it to say the list includes probably pounds and pounds of trash, an entire angel food cake, countless sticks of butter, a large succulent, a K-Cup, oodles of dog and cat toys, a dozen chocolate cupcakes, a foot long meatball sub (including the wrapper), and part of a rug...and I'm pretty sure none of it ever even gave him the slightest stomach ache. He has also destroyed window sills, baseboards, various furniture and countless other things that I really wish he had left alone. Thankfully, as he has aged, he has calmed down a lot and is much less destructive, but be warned...you can't leave ANY food unattended. We might not have always been the most exciting pet parents in the world, but Apollo and Talli both have been a central part of our world. Camping trips in and out of state, road trips, long hikes, walks at Lake Thunderbird, swimming in Grammy and Grumpy's pool, throwing the ball in the yard, family pictures, pupcups, "cookies", kiddie pools in the yard, Christmas presents, Gotcha Day treats, a bazillion tennis balls, Santa pics, surprises from the store, and lots and lots of love from anyone who ever walked in our house...we've tried to give them the best that two inexperienced (and one reluctant) dog owners could. I would like to think that we've been alright overall, and I never heard either of them complain. Life has looked a little different in these last few years, esp recently. Talli blew out her ACL playing in Grammy and Grumpy's yard and had to have surgery, but recovered beautifully. Apollo developed arthritis and has been off and on meds the last several years. They both definitely slowed down and it's somehow made us appreciate them even more. It's made us closer, as we've slowed down too. The days get longer, but time gets shorter, as they say. But just a couple weeks ago, on a Monday afternoon, time stopped altogether when we found our beloved Talli had passed away while sunbathing in her favorite spot in the yard. Our hearts were instantly shattered, and it was a harsh reality check that our pets time with us is finite and we never know when it will end. It was a painful reminder Apollo's time would come soon too, as he approaches his 15th birthday this November. I had been wanting to get a new family picture of the four of us for several months and had just recently had him groomed so I could get it scheduled. Now, this is the closest I will get to that. The last 14ish years have not been all sunshine and rainbows as far as mine and Apollo's relationship was concerned. I did a lot of crying, he did a lot of destroying, and we both desperately tried to make the other one see reason for a long time. I grew up with dogs, have always enjoyed them, and thought I'd do fine as a cat-mom turned cat-and-dog mom and it would be effortless. Boy, Apollo took me to school on that one! He and I had many intense debates about who was right and why, but as it turns out, I was the one that really needed the lesson. Apollo taught me to be more patient and understand dogs on a level that I had not been able to previously. He taught me a different perspective on what unconditional love and acceptance actually meant. He taught me that it's okay not to be so dang rigid all the time and that some flexibility is actually a good thing. He taught me that sometimes you just have to be a silly, derpy dingdong and it's okay to not be perfect. He taught me to appreciate the calm moments, like his sweet sister we miss so dearly. Ultimately, he taught me what hard earned love looks like...it's not always automatic or easy, it's not always shiny and bright. But when you really want it, and make it work, it's the best. And he is our very best boy. "

-The Brand Family

"We rescued Baby in the winter of 2022, right before a big freeze. We saw her and another girls picture and she looked so defeated. She had given up. It took no time. We drove down to the lady that was currently “fostering” her. We later discovered that Baby was forced to live in a mass pen. A bunch of other bigger dogs were left in a big gated pen. Food, if given was thrown on the ground. When we picked baby up, she was covered in road burns, and other small wounds. She flinched every time we touched her and was still so defeated. We took her home and scrubbed her up, gave her a warm bath and got her set up in the big bed with her own little robe. She was still scared but she was an old Baby girl. Hence her name. We had three other dogs at the time, so to make sure they all mixed well, we gave her time to decompress in our bedroom. We would take turns sitting with her and the other dogs, so the smells could exchange. After she had some time to decompress we finally introduced Baby to her pack. After some nerves they all mixed! Kitt, Blayze, Shadow and now Baby. They became their own little pack. They eat together, sleep together, and when she has enough energy, they play together. She’s grown rather fond of the smallest of the bunch, Shadow. He’s a miniature pincher mix. They frequently cuddle and hang out together. She hates being away from them now, they’re definitely her doggy family. 2022 went and now we are in 2026. Over time, her color has faded as one would expect. Shes gotten slower, and doesn’t like to eat much. Semi recently, she had a first episode. She couldn’t walk, was scared and confused, and threw up all over herself and the floor/bed around her. She was really upset and hurting. Throwing up through the night we decided it was enough. We rushed her to the vet, we found it was a sad but more common thing older dogs go through when they get closer to the end. Through lots of sobs and big hugs, we took Baby back home, with the very real possibility she might not be able to walk straight by herself again, and might not be around much longer. Well thankfully, Baby got around to being able to safely walk on her own again. Her appetite that all but disappeared returned, though not as much as it was. She was better, and the fear of losing her dimmed…until she had another episode. My girl didn’t start throwing up yet, but she couldn’t walk. She would fall over or collapse, same as last time but with genuinely no control over it all. She was afraid, confused, like she didn’t know where she was, and began to vomit again. We headed it off with some medicine, but after she refused food, even her favorite for three days. She lost some of the precious weight she was able to gain back after the first episode, and hasn’t been able to make progress in walking like she was last time. It dawned on us that she might have to say her final goodbyes sooner rather than later. Thankfully we found the rainbow bridge project. I contacted the nice lady with a smaller version of Baby’s story and she scheduled us immediately. We will be taking baby in this Friday, with heavy hearts and tears, but lots of unimaginable thanks."

-Jordan March

"I adopted Waldo in December of 2016. 

I was only about 6 months out of drug treatment, working the first job I got in veterinary medicine. He was being boarded at the clinic I worked at. Two wonderful women rescued him off the euthanasia list from the Fort Worth animal shelter.  I was hesitant at first—he was a crazy boy, he was so tired of being cooped up in a kennel—and I had 2 cats. I got the courage to cat test him, trying not to get my hopes up in case it didn’t go the way I wanted to… he surprised me by play bowing, sinking to the floor, gently sniffing and backing off when the cat told him to. I was overjoyed. The crazy dog had a gentle side. I immediately got him into obedience training and shortly after he earned his Canine Good Citizen title.  Showing such promise with training and behavior, he was enrolled in a professional service dog training program and became my task-trained service dog by the next summer. He took his job seriously and was happy doing so. He even had to wear his own lab coat and shoes in my chemistry lab! Unfortunately, he has severe storm anxiety, and eventually it became too much for him to continue working. Despite that, he still tasked at home and continued being my little shadow. We moved back home to Oklahoma and into my first apartment, our first apartment, on our own. I never had to worry about my safety with him around. 

He was bored not working though, so I was able to introduce him to lure coursing, unsure if he’d enjoy it or even care about the lure. It became his favorite thing. I’ve never heard the noises he made during lure coursing come out of a dog before that! Over the years, he ran countless times, never left without a qualifying run, earned title after title and was even the 5th fastest American Staffordshire Terrier in May of 2018. He currently has more letters after his name than I do, by a landslide. Beyond that, the entire story would be a novel. He’s been with me through so much, a typical “dog I got in my 20s” love story. He’s been with me through two colleges, two states, two apartments, six jobs, RVT school, through a serious relationship and a new house with a backyard just for him, through a breakup and unfortunately even a suicide attempt. He has helped us raise 10 foster puppies and took it in stride. He helped me through the loss of my kitties and childhood dog. He was with me when I adopted his could-be twin from the same shelter he came from, and he helped us through the traumatic loss of that dog while he healed from his own trauma associated with it, having to retire from sports altogether as a result.  He has been my hiking buddy through thousands of miles in hikes and adventures. 

He has accomplished so much since I adopted him—Advanced Canine Good Citizen, multiple lure coursing and trick titles… he’s so smart and so willing. 

He has kept me grounded and sane, as much as he could. He’s been my shoulder to cry on more times than I’d like to admit. He has been my reason for getting up every day when my depression was at its worst. He has been my sleeping buddy, my car ride buddy, my hiking buddy, my protector, and most of all, the bestest friend I could’ve ever dreamed of. I cry over how much I love him. He has been the most perfect dog I could’ve adopted as the first on my own. I’m so happy I made the decision to bring him home because even though he has his naughty moments, he has brought me so much joy and happiness and light to my life.  I’ve celebrated every birthday and Christmas so far, from 21 to 31, with him. What a gift. He has no idea how everyone I meet knows about him.  He has no idea how many friends I’ve made through internet dog groups who love him like their own. 

He has no clue that the best part of my day is coming home to him—even now, weak in his hind legs and ataxic, he still runs to meet me at the front door. But I know, and every day I have with him I will do my very best to show him how much he means to me and to the world.  My ride or die.  Fort Worth’s Fugitive on the Run CGCA CAA BCAT TKI

-Lindsey Weir

"Hailey's full name is Hailey Mayfield Smith. We adopted her after her 92 yr-old owner passed away. He fed her steak every night,so she refused to eat the first three days she was with us. She was about 20 pounds overweight when we got her! Hailey's middle name is "Mayfield" because I'm a huge football fan (& former Sooner) and watched Baker Mayfield win his first NFL game for the Browns on the weekend that we got her. (It had been 19 games since they had won!) We only call her by her full name when she's in trouble, but that rarely happened! I adopted Hailey for my daughter's anxiety and to get her to sleep in her own bed. She is the most amazing dog anyone could ask for. She doesn't bark, has had play-dates with cats and loves laying outside in the sun, facing south. We have no idea why it's south, but she'll usually do this at anyone's house where she's staying. She even stood, and faced South when I let her out this morning! My daughter, and I agree that we will never have another dog because there just couldn't be as good of a dog as Hailey."

-The Smith Family

"Molly came into our lives in a very dark time. It was April 12th 2019 the day of my stepdads funeral. I don't remember much of that day but I do remember holding that tiny puppy the whole 3 hour drive home. She didn't fix what had been broken in me but she brought comfort. She was so fluffy you could barely see if she even had eyes. I remember her first little groom soon after seeing her beautiful human like eyes and being shocked! It was a few weeks later we felt like something was off and we took her to the vet. Unfortunately we learned then she had a heart condition called sub aortic stenosis. Her prognosis was bleak, they told us with how severe it was we'd be lucky to get a year. We reached out to the breeder who told us we were welcome to return her for a refund and they'd have her put down. That was not an option for us. Molly had already chosen my husband as her person and he was equally attached. So we accepted that our time together may be short and moved on. Year after year we make jokes that she's incredibly spunky for a girl with a bad heart. They told us she'd slow down, she didn't. They told us she wouldnt play, she did. They told us one year and we got seven. She has been by our sides for some of the biggest milestones including our wedding, the birth of our first child, becoming her best friend and guardian "momo" and nearly the birth of our second child. I remember being nervous about how she would do with our new baby bc she had never been particularly fond of children visiting our home. I was surprised to see her so curious and watchful. She would press her nose to the bassinet mesh and watch her sleep at night and then curl up underneath it. She has been incredible with our growing toddler and all the chaos they bring into a dogs life. Shes incredibly smart, well behaved and everything we could have asked for in a family dog. I continue to be impressed by her. We are grateful to have loved her and will love her always."

-The Bouk Family