Wally RIP
Wally passed away at his home on January 16 with his forever family. Wally joined our family December 2014 and was the love of our lives. Wally loved his sister Lily, his blankets, big bed, sitting out in the sun but most of all he loved just being at home with us. Wally taught us to slow down and enjoy life. We are thankful to AADR for all they do every day and Wally looked forward to the AADR picnics. Wally will be missed always. Wally will be waiting for all of us to be together again. Until then our sweet boy - run fast and free, take deep breaths and enjoy the sun. Love to you always, your family.

Rafee aka Rafe RIP
My wife and I adopted senior dachshund Rafee (formerly Rafee) from AADR in the fall of 2016 after losing our previous little love to cancer. His adoption profile stated that Raf was a couch dweller and that's really all we needed to know! Our other doxie, Chloe, was 13 at the time and needed another buddy to snuggle with after losing her previous cuddle buddy the month before. Rafee and Chloe IMMEDIATELY hit it off. It was clear that Rafee had led a life of neglect prior to AADR. He was very thin, afraid of men, and hated small spaces. We gave Raf the time and space he needed to develop trust and love for people again. After a full month, we had earned our first kisses from him. He didn't have many teeth left when he came to us, so the fact that he wanted to open mouth kiss us was less intimidating. We quickly got used to it and looked forward to his "bitteds." Haha. Rafee spent his days lounging in sun spots or taking naps in bed. He became the most affectionate, cuddly dog we've ever had. Towards the end, he struggled with dementia (although it was well managed with medication), but passed suddenly from splenic hemagiosarcoma, an aggressive form of metastatic cancer. We are grateful for every day we got to spend with our Papa Bear and hope that he, and all of our other babies, are pain free and romping around together across the rainbow bridge. Thank you to AADR for taking him in, giving him a second chance at life, and for choosing us to be his moms! He was so loved!!

Ortho aka Oscar#16 RIP
It is with a heavy heart that I write to inform you that Ortho (Oscar #16) went on to his next great adventure on January 6. Ortho had developed Canine Cognitive Disfunction Syndrome within the last 6 months, but his condition rapidly deteriorated over the past 2 weeks. While exasperated by his blindness, we had been able to mitigate his cognitive failings through strict routine and adapting to what worked best for him. Rob and I were in denial for a quite a while about his prognosis, chalking his behavior up to being old and blind and stubborn, but we were forced to face reality this past weekend and accept that the quality of his life was quickly diminishing. We visited his vet on Friday looking for any relief we could find for him, but the news was not what we had hoped. We spent the weekend being present with Ortho, attempting to ease his discomfort and agitation with medication, and ultimately made the decision to ease him into his next life on Monday. Ortho was not afraid of death, but because of CCDS he had become afraid to live, and he deserved better than that. Monday morning we drove out to the beach for a last hurrah, and as was Ortho's way he gave us the sign we needed to know that he was ready. He had not been able to truly go for walks for a long time. He would lose his way and walk in circles. He had to be led on a short leash to get anywhere. However, while on the beach, he charged straight ahead, then turned around and made his way back to Rob's and my feet to see if we were still there. He did this several times, charging ahead then looking back. It was as if he was telling us that he was going to go on ahead, but he wanted to be sure that we were okay. In the Episcopal tradition of which we are a part, January 6th is the Feast of the Epiphany. It is the day we set aside to celebrate the magi following a star to find the Messiah and ushers in what we call the season of light. I can think of no more fitting day to move into the next life, following the light of hope without fear into a place where there is no pain, no suffering. Rob and I stayed with Ortho until the end. He was never alone, never without the love of his people for whom he had done so very much in the far too short time we had with him. When we came to pick him up you told him to go have the best life imaginable, and I would like to think that Rob and I gave him that. In the amazing 4 years we got to share with him he lived in the mountains, he lived on the beach, he was loved by everyone who met him. He was my constant companion and provided me with the comfort I needed to survive the loss of my father, my multiple miscarriages, a difficult pregnancy, and finally the birth of my son. I truly believe that God placed Ortho in my life for a purpose, and I have no doubt that he fulfilled that purpose and God was calling him home. Perhaps you're wondering why I'm telling you any of this, and the truth is it's purely selfish. I needed to tell someone and other than Rob, you're the only other person I know who has ever had to tell Ortho goodbye. You cared for him for months while he waited for someone to take a chance on him, and when the time came you let him go so that he could have the best life possible. As much as I wish there had been another decision that I could have made, another course of action to ease his suffering, I, too, had to make the decision to allow him to move on to a better life. I hope you know how much Rob and I will be ever grateful to you and All American Dachshund Rescue for allowing us to be a part of Ortho's life. He was the greatest dog, the best friend we could have ever hoped for, and made the last 4 years of our lives brighter and more vibrant than we could have ever hoped. We will miss him every day, but we find solace in the sure and certain hope that we will see him again when we move on from this life and follow our own light without fear. The traditional Epiphany hymn "As with Gladness Men of Old" says it best of all: "As with gladness men of old Did the guiding star behold As with joy they hailed its light Leading onward, beaming bright So, most gracious God, may we Evermore be led to Thee" Thank you for Ortho. Thank you for sharing him with us and for trusting us to be his people. We are forever indebted to you and your organization for rescuing him and letting him rescue us. With thankful but broken hearts, Davis and Rob Donehue

Dixie RIP 12-06-19
I was an empty nester with physical issues which greatly limited my ability to work or even volunteer. My husband Dave had been praying for me because our children were grown and I was home all day by myself day in and day out. He came home one day and told me he thought I needed a puppy but he did have 2 requirements: 1. It needed to be like Sadie who is our oldest daughter’s dachshund and 2. Don’t expect him to love it or pet it. This would be for me. My daughter Chelsea hooked me up with AADR that very night. I didn’t know what to say in my application other than I just wanted a fur baby that would be happy in my lap and my slow pace at life. God gave my application to Scarlet Lancaster and boy did she lead me in the right way. Within a week or so I had my Dixie girl and we were bonded heart and soul on the first day. She knew she was home when she found me and I knew immediately I did not rescue her rather she rescued me. My lonely days were over! The only places I went without here was to the doctor office and church. My friends and family quickly learned if I couldn’t bring Dixie, I wasn’t going. She slept every night touching my middle section as I slept on my side. Every day if I wasn’t feeling good, she laid right by my hip soaking up the belly rubs. Remember that #2 my husband gave me? Yeah that lasted about two weeks because he gave out treats every day when he got home from work. After the treats of course, there had to be belly rubs. I could tell you about all her medical problems but let’s just leave it at she never wore that silly cone because I would stay awake and watch her for however long I needed to and she knew when I sad, “no, no sweet baby” she would stop. She was so obedient and I will always think it was because she wanted to make me happy as much as I wanted to make her happy. She crossed the Rainbow Bridge 3 days ago and my husband is mourning almost as much as I am. I have forgotten how to sleep without her touching me. I’ve forgotten what I did with my hands before I started rubbing her belly. What I haven’t forgotten is we were connected in a way that words cannot explain. She was my baby and I was her human and that’s all that really mattered. I had to tell her it was ok to stop fighting and that I would be ok without her and we would be together again. My head knows that but my hurt is empty without her. I cannot thank AADR and Scarlet enough for trusting me with this precious little baby. Her urn will be put in my casket and her pic will be put on my head stone. I am old enough to know this connection is a once in a lifetime kinda thing and I am so thankful Dixie rescued me. Penny Bochicchio

Gus
Dear AADR, It is with a very heavy heart, that we write to tell you of Gus' (formerly Jasper 2) passing. It has taken a while to even be able to write this, and it still breaks our hearts to say that he finally lost his battle with Congestive Heart Failure. Gus was the most amazing pup in the world, and we were so blessed to have had him in our lives - even if it was not for nearly long enough. He was gentle, sweet, loyal and more loving than any other pup we've ever known. He was a fighter - when he was first diagnosed with CHF early this year the vets predicted he likely had a few months. Our Gus was so strong and brave, and with care and medication he made it almost nine months. For which we are so grateful. Although they had warned us, you can never truly be prepared to lose one of your best friends. His loss was and is devastating, but we are forever grateful to have had the honor of being his furever home. We all miss him so much every day, he made our home and family complete. We'd like to thank you for the amazing work you do and all the love and help you provide to the many dachshunds who need it. Thank you for saving Gus and completing our family by uniting him with us. - Jennifer and Patrick Keenan