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COLLIE MEMORIALS
Some collies come into our lives and change us in
some way because of a particular trait or behavior. Some are
exceptionally loving or loyal, some are goofy and remain puppies for
life. Some are simply "the best dog I ever had." Please join
us in memorializing your collie. If you would like to see your
collie here, please e-mail a photo and text to
Memorials@CollieRescue.com.
We will enter your picture and text at the next available update.
Please consider a donation to Tri-County Collie
Rescue as a memorial to your collie and as a way to assist TCCR in its rescue efforts.
"Lass" by Stephanie Fargo
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In 2000, I adopted a tri-color collie named Mustang. He was
found with a bullet in his shoulder, wandering on the western
side of the state of Michigan with his litter brother, Colt.
They were approximately 1.5 years old and were being fostered in
Fenton. After seeing Mustang at an adoption event in
Westland, my mother and I knew that he was "The One."
He had such expressive eyes. We adopted this poor, skittish,
scrawny collie and renamed him Maverick because that was the
name that would come out of our mouths....not Mustang. He
sprinted and bucked around the yard and house like he was a wild
mustang! He weighed 65 pounds and didn't have the typical
collie hair because when they found him, he was so matted.
Eventually, he became very attached to us and the house, no
longer fearing running water, loud noises, or other people. He
gained weight and because he was the larger breed collie,
weighed just over 100 pounds. His nickname became "Crazy Psycho
Dog" because he would pull me around the house trying to get the
scrunchie out of my ponytail! I also called him Spaz because of
his crazy, fun, colorful personality. He was my baby. I loved
him so very much.
He was with me when I was bedridden for one year because of back
surgery. He always knew when I was in pain because he would lay
down beside me and comfort me. He also was with me when I went
through my 3.5 year cancer battle. I almost died four times,
and each time he was right there with me glued to my side. He
was my motivation for making it through my battle and for
getting up every day. Without him, I don't know where I'd be
today.
I
had to put him to sleep in September, 2009; he was 12 years
old. This was the most heart-wrenching decision I've ever had
to make. His hip dysplasia became so bad that he could no
longer ambulate and the vet could not do anything else for him.
Any surgery would have just prolonged the inevitable and he
still would have had pain. I believe that in the end, despite
his pain, he still carried on for me. I miss him terribly every
day. I've had collies before, but Spaz was my special buddy. I
just know that he is up there doing what he hadn't been able to
do for a long time.....running around, bucking, sprinting,
jumping over everything......and this makes me smile. |
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Kim Lowande's Maverick "Spaz" |
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The VanderKlok's Brando |
Brando Made Us
Better People
Wasn't he
handsome? That's our Brando. Our best friend that came into our lives in
2000. Soon after purchasing our first home our desire to own a dog was
huge. I had such a great relationship with a Collie as a child, I knew that
was the breed for us. After much research, my husband and I found TCCR,
specifically, Pegi Hack. She told us she had recently rescued a sable male
(4 months old) that was abandoned on a farm. We couldn't wait to meet him!
We sat on the floor in Pegi's living room for 2 hours playing
with him, discussing Collie facts with Pegi, and dodging those sharp, puppy
teeth. Thankfully, we were given the green light to take him home soon
after our initial meeting. Brando instantly became our first "child."
That playful
puppy turned into an 80 lb. gentle giant. During our 8 years with Brando,
we also added two little girls to our family. We couldn't have hand made a
more patient, loving dog to be around our babies. He looked huge laying
next to them when they were infants but he was never anything less then
kind. Our vet appropriately called Brando..."a gentleman." We became
identified in our neighborhood not by ourselves but by our "beautiful dog."
If we had a nickel for every time we heard that - we'd be rich! We were
also probably known for the famous Collie bark. Brando always had something
to say! He was also a hit at parades. While attending one, someone took
his picture and he ended up on the cover of a local magazine. He loved
attending the annual Collie picnic. Our oldest daughter referred to it as,
"Brando's birthday party with his cousins." He enjoyed car rides with
us even if it meant just a trip to the store. He loved to lay in big piles
of freshly raked leaves. He loved PB & J and pizza and would poke at us
with his signature long, Collie nose while we were eating just hoping for a
crumb to drop. He was a real trooper when our girls dressed him up
in princess dresses or used him as a pretend "seeing eye dog." He enjoyed
running wildly in new fallen snow. He loved laying in bed with us. He was
so big and we were such suckers for him that we'd let him have most of the
bed even if it meant we were almost falling off of it! He always had us
wrapped around his big paw.
Brando passed
away after a long battle of renal (kidney) failure on Sept 12, 2008. If you
didn't know him, you wouldn't have even thought he was sick. He was a
strong boy. He never wanted to let us down and ended everything on the best
note he could. Even on that sad day in the vet's office, I nudged him
gently with one of his toys and though he wasn't feeling good, he wagged his
tail, looked at me with those sweet, brown eyes and tugged back at it for a
moment. He really didn't want to play but I honestly believe he did it to
tell me, "It's okay mom. I'll see you again." He was always our source of
calm in an often stressful world.
I ran into a
woman two weeks after we lost Brando at a parade. At the end of her dog
leash was a 5 month old Collie. My heart melted and I HAD to go pet her
puppy. When she learned I too once owned a Collie she asked if I had any
advice. I said to her, "No. Not really. Just know you're probably holding
one of the best dogs you'll ever have in your life. So, give him lots of
love."
Thank you to
everyone at TCCR for all your efforts in helping to protect one of the best
dog breeds out there. Thank you, Pegi, for taking a chance on a couple
20-something's. I know you're having fun with our baby boy. Take care of
him till we get there.
Miss and
love you B.
~ Jennifer,
Dave, Teagan and Kinsley VanderKlok
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We got our beautiful Roxy in December, 1996.
Monica Glinski sent us to visit Roxy who was
being fostered by Barb Rose. Roxy was a beautiful 6 month old rough
sable girl who after originally being purchased from a breeder, had been
abused and neglected.
Roxy (original name “Kirsty”-my daughter said
she needed a new “tough” sounding name to help give her confidence)
thankfully ended up with TCCR. When we visited her she was very
frightened of pretty much everyone and everything, with the exception of
other animals. Barb and Monica both made sure we understood that Roxy
would never be quite a “normal” dog and that gaining her confidence
would be a long process.
Being a sincerely pet-loving family, we were
willing to take on the challenge. It was an effort to be sure, but our
sweet Roxy made all the patience we exerted more than worth the effort.
Our overly confident male Maltese, Scooter,
adored Roxy as much as we did! Roxy was quick to pick up cues from him
on what to do and who to trust. Monica came byto watch Roxy’s behavior
and give us some pointers on dealing with her fears.
We took Roxy to the TCCR Collie Day at the Park
the following August. She loved seeing all of the other Collies. You
could tell that she new she was amongst her own kind and thoroughly
enjoyed it! We took a great picture of her at the picnic and Roxy ended
up being the poster girl for TCCR for awhile.
My husband loved Roxy dearly and he was
definitely her favorite. The following summer he took a picture of her
to a tattoo parlor and had her face/head tattooed on his bicep! I
couldn’t believe he’d done it - he said “Roxy will always be with me
now.” That’s the only tattoo my husband has ever had.
We eventually got another dog, a mutt my husband
found by Tiger Stadium; another male dog joined our household. Roxy was
definitely the “Queen” and top dog in our house! It was wonderful to
see her true personality and confidence come out
when she was interacting with other dogs. Our three dogs had lots of
fun together over the years!
We had many other animals during the years;
rabbits, ducks, cats, guinea pigs, you name it! Roxy was wonderful with
all of them; she was always gentle and kind. Roxy was also amazingly
intelligent. I would have loved to have seen just how much she could
have learned if her fears hadn’t held her back.
We had to say goodbye to Roxy on September 5;
old age had caught up with her and there was nothing more that could be
done for her. Roxy was still fairly spunky up untilthe last 10 days and
was as beautiful as ever right to the end.
Roxy never was quite a “normal” dog; she was so
much more than that.
-The Buescher Family
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The Buescher's Roxy |
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Gretchen Alaniz' Ozzie |
Ozzie came to me as a foster boy when he was
around two years old, a 4th of July stray (fireworks!). He was adopted by a
family, but after a year he was returned - he no longer fit into their new
lifestyle (mid-life crisis!). I readily admit that I was secretly glad they
brought him back. I let him go once but I wasn't letting go again.
At almost 100 lbs, he was a beautiful big boy with one ear up and one
ear down, giving him such a charming look. He loved everyone, even those
that thought he was a greyhound-doberman mix (I know!). He had the sense of
humor and inquisitiveness often talked about with smooths, learning to open
both doors and then windows (we had locked the doors) and to say "I Love
You". He loved other small animals, but he loved skunks above all others
(unfortunately). And I'll never forget the day his "come see what I found"
barking drew me outside and there he was standing over three racoon babies
that had fallen out of the 40 foot maple. For one night, he was daddy to 5
baby racoons.
His favorite treat was bread and always knew when it was time for his
bedtime treat. He hated hardwood floors, loved walks in the park, always
tried to eat bees, his favorite toy a stuffed horse. All maybe silly things
to remember, but those are things all Ozzie.
Heading towards 15 yrs of age, he has been a joy to me in so many
ways, my pal, my best listener. Since May, he started to really have
problems, loosing all his muscle tone in his back legs and having so much
trouble walking. It was finally too much to watch him struggle and lose his
interest in all things doggy. He will be missed. I know many of you have
been through this as well. It never gets easier but I wouldn't ever trade
having Ozzie in my life to avoid the pain of letting him go.
See you later, pal.
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Devria St. Aubin's Noah
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Buddy Rex
was with TCCR for nearly two years. It turned out his permanent
home was with his foster home. Buddy Rex passed away peacefully
with his family by his side on September 1.
Buddy Rex
had a great and playful attitude. He found great pleasure in
fetching his toys (though not too far) and playing tug with his prize.
Buddy will be missed by all who knew him.
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Delta Dawg…
Nine years
ago we adopted Delta who was already almost one year old at the
time. A beautiful sable collie, she was found wandering around the
Delta air terminal at Metro Airport, she was thus named
appropriately. Initially, we thought a collie was much too large
and too hairy so we were a bit reluctant to adopt one. After a
couple of bad dog experiences, our trainer insisted that this was a
wise choice for a family pet.
This
gentle giant captured the hearts of adults and children alike. Even
people, who didn’t like dogs, discovered that they liked Delta.
Friendly to a fault, she did not have a mean or aggressive bone in
her body…unless, of course, you were a rabbit. She protected us
from the dangerous bunnies every spring season with her incessant
barking, making sure the rabbits stayed out of our yard. No one
entered our home without being greeted and nudged until they would
return the greeting to Delta.
She loved
to sit outside under a shady tree while my husband washed the car or
while I worked in the garden. She would “herd” our three children
to keep them together while they played and she always wanted to be
around the family.
Delta was
so much more than just a dog; she truly was a member of our family.
She succumbed to a form of lung cancer this past April, which was
producing holes in her lungs and causing her lungs to collapse. We
tried, unsuccessfully, to get her through this. At almost ten years
old, she still had a lot of puppy left in her. Playful and loving,
she was wagging her tail right up till the end. Our hearts are
broken with the loss of Delta and she will be missed.
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The Guastella's Delta |
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Carolyn Galloway's Molly
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I adopted Molly a little over 4 yrs ago and
she was the joy of my life. She climbed on the sofa the very first day
I brought her home and I didn’t have the heart to kick her off, so she
was the Queen of the castle ever since. The neighbor children all loved
her as she and I were regular fixtures on our daily walks. She was the
best and sweetest dog I could ever have hoped for. I sang “You Are My
Sunshine” to her every day and she would actually lean in and hug me.
The history I was given on her is that she was
found wandering the streets of Toledo and the owner on her tag no longer
wanted her , and said she was 6 yrs old. Well, since I’ve had her 4 +
yrs, that would make her 10ish but my vet placed her at 13 or 14, which
explains her deteriorating state of health. She could no longer walk
well and would frequently fall down so on June 5th 2008 I
had to make the very difficult decision to put her to sleep.
Her pain ended but mine began but I know the
memories of her and my faith will heal my broken heart. St. Francis of
Assisi knew the special place animals have in God’s heart and I take
great comfort in Romans 8:22 when we are promised that all of creation
will one day be redeemed and restored, and that includes our beloved
pets.
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This is Angus.
Matthew and Lisa
Trevethan adopted him in August of 2001 after Pegi Hack looked us up and
down and said "I have the perfect dog for you." What we saw was the
tallest and heaviest Collie we've ever seen.
Angus was almost
a head taller than all the other dogs at the park and was a muscular 100
pounds of love, he fit perfectly with his tall "mom" and muscular "dad".
We always said that Angus picked us not the other way around. While at
that collie picnic that we first met him he leaned up against us (the
collie hug) as if to say, "Pegi, I pick these two."
Angus had many
loves- his cats who he guarded like they were his own. If there were a
spat between the cats he would rush up between them to keep the peace.
He loved sourdough bread, and would sneak behind us like a ninja to
obtain his prize. Most of all he loved the family cottage in
Harrisville, MI on Lake Huron. Our beach had many places for Angus to
walk and dart his nose in the long beach grass. He smiled and played
with such passion, echoing that wonderful Collie bark up and down the
shore. Angus was a lion of a dog that didn't know the word quit, and
even as his body failed him his mind only knew how to please and love.
Everyone whose life he touched will miss him.
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Matthew and Lisa's Angus |
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Freddie
Loved by Kathy
and Stan Gralewski and
Deborah, Dave,
and Stephanie Fargo
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So Long Freddie
What could a dog
tell you about life and survival on the streets of Detroit. This is
where Freddie was found wandering by the Detroit Humane Society. Pegi Hack picked
him up and he became our foster collie.
We soon learned that Freddie did what he
could to survive, like surf, as in counter tops. He would help himself
to butter, pizza in a box, chocolate cake, whatever.
One day
when he wanted water, he went in the bathroom and lifted up the
toilet seat with his head, to drink water out of the bowl. (We learned
to keep the bathroom door closed). Yep, that was “Self Serve Fred”.
Freddie,
a name no one really liked, but the only one he would answer to. He was
adopted by Kathy & Stan Gralewski, who gave him a wonderful home.
Freddie, whose gums were unusually large, found comfort in a new home
with a lab mix named Cody. Freddie, who had Stan wrapped around his paw, could do
no wrong. If there were hot dog buns missing from on top of the counter
or pillows thrown off the couch, Kathy would ask Stan if Freddie did it.
Of course he would say, “Why do you think Freddie did it?” In the two
short years they had Freddie, he lived a lifetime. Freddie succumbed to
liver problems, hip problems and had a stroke! His life was cut short
two weeks ago. He will be greatly missed by Kathy & Stan, and us as
well, his foster parents. But we know full well that our dearly departed
Pegi, was there to greet him once again, at the Rainbow Bridge. |
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For Sasha
The Dog I Never Wanted was our
first foster collie,
Her owner brought her -- a dreadful
mess of matted fur.
Another casualty of war – divorced
from each other,
They had no more room for her in
their hearts.
Thanks to heartworm and human
indifference
She was very sick for months -- but
rallied,
And never lost her sense of humor.
Although I may have – once or
twice.
Not charming to look at, she seemed
Hardly a collie at all - shaven,
pudgy and short.
In her Elizabethan collar, with one
leg bandaged,
She looked like a mutant canine snow cone.
The Dog I Never Wanted flunked
adoption.
Not once, but twice.
The last family called her vicious.
And so she came waddling “home”,
Once again 10 pounds overweight.
With a bad back.
Rescue Clubs have rules, and so a
choice,
To keep her as our own, or have her
put to sleep…..
I didn’t want another dog, but --
put her down?
That’s no choice at all.
The Dog I Never Wanted
Was an eager teacher, a reluctant
student,
Never without her own opinion,
Never hesitant to lend it voice.
The Dog I Never Wanted
Loved her humans, her cats and her
dogs.
She blessed us with ten years of
total devotion.
Accompanied by frequent deafening
commentary.
The Dog I Never Wanted
Died today. We buried her behind
the house,
Where, in happier days,
She rolled in the grass, waving her
paws at the sky,
Barking – at what, only God knew …
And I realized -- in the sudden
silence,
That the only thing I really want
Is to have her back forever. |
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Christa & Jim McElroy's Sasha |
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This is a picture of
Caleb. Caleb came into TCCR's life in 2002 when a woman found him
after being hit by a car. She was kind enough to have him seen and
worked on by a veterinarian. Once he got better, the woman adopted
Caleb out to a family under the auspices of TCCR. Late in 2005,
TCCR received a message that Caleb could no longer live with that
family.
We found Caleb in dismal
condition--his coat was matted, he had an infection on his skin, he was
underweight, and he could barely walk on the hardwood floors because of
all the hair between his toes.
Of course, Caleb got cleaned up right
away, thanks to the groomers at the Dog's Bow Wow. Caleb lived
with his foster home for a couple of months, but never gained enough
strength or weight back. In the end, Caleb lost the ability to
walk, and it was determined that he had cancer of some type. The
sad decision to let him go was made.
Caleb will always be remembered by
his foster family for his gentle manner and sweet disposition. |
| This is Harley.
Harley was rescued by a kind-hearted woman who found him for sale for
$50, tied to a tree. He was just a year old. He was promptly
brought to TCCR where he was placed with a foster home following a short
stay at Gasow's Veterinary Hospital.
While at Gasow's, a heart murmur was
heard, and so Harley was scheduled for a echocardiogram prior to being
neutered. The echocardiogram found that Harley had a severe heart
malformation called "Tetralogy of Fallot." This heart condition
meant that Harley could not get enough oxygen-rich blood to his system.
Despite his beautiful coat and sweet collie-ways, Harley was very ill.
Unfortunately, Harley passed away
soon after his test. His sweet and gentle personality, his
beautiful collie coat, and his playful personality will never be
forgotten by this foster family.
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