In memory of Greta Naselli-Ortiz
In memory of Hiro
The most wonderful pup in the world -- gone from us, but never forgotten. -Nancy
Pepper came into our family's life in 1998. He was a spunky, loving and protective dog when it came to the family. Pepper was a dog who loved to run. He was virtually un-catchable because he was so fast. He was also a companion who never liked to be left alone. Wherever you went, Pepper wanted to be there. He also loved to relax in the pool on his special float and be with the family soaking up the sun and cool water. Pepper touched each of our lives in a different way, but he filled each of our hearts with love, joy and hope. Shortly after his 14th birthday, Pepper fell ill to IMHA (immune-mediated hemolytic anemia) and it was BluePearl Veterinary Partners that helped us keep Pepper around for another five months. Pepper taught us not to give up and to keep on fighting until the very end as he did. Pepper was a joy to have in our lives and an even better companion to share 14 wonderful years with. We will always love and miss him dearly.
- Joanna
Linus was the sweetest boy ever. Those who knew him, who welcomed him as a house guest, knew that he fit in anywhere with ease. He was my role model for taking what comes with a peaceful spirit and a sense of hope. My friend Gifford called him the Master of Surrender. Linus went with the flow better than anyone. He lived for the love of his people, too numerous to mention, and the love of his food. I honestly believe that he indulged me in taking walks only because he knew there would be biscuits at the end. I will miss him profoundly - the clicking of his nails on the hardwood floors and his nose in my face to wake me each morning. He was a gentle giant, a silly pup and my dear companion.
I am blessed that he was a part of my life.
-Christine
For those that knew Frosty, they'll remember he was one of a kind. He was a grand dog - full of spunk and personality. He was smarter than a dog should be and had plenty to say to me most days. He was a great talker and he loved his toys - the pink pig and the Wubba. More than anything, he was by my side through some very hard times - my constant companion in a very intuitive way. I have wonderful memories of him. He was my boy. - Christine
Dogs by Aaron Kramer Looking foolish next to the tree in a one o'clock rain: umbrella aloft, the leash in my other hand— I wanted my late-coming neighbor to understand that dogs are worth the expense, inconvenience, and pain;
their tails are truthful, no coiled rebellion beneath a loving look; they are quick to kiss you, and quick to fetch for you, and —should you raise a stick threateningly—they are quick to show their teeth;
and better still (but this I never revealed), when you bring downfall home, the death of a hope, their nonchalant manner does more for you than a drink; and best of all, when triumph's to be unsealed, such lack of respect they show for the envelope, —your fingers halt, the brain cools, and you think.
Mindy was a very special cat who received treatment thanks to the very kind people at your foundation, and we're just trying to give something back now. Thanks especially to Bonnie and Johnetta, who showed our family the utmost kindness and compassion at a time when we needed it most.
Beloved granddog, handsome Boston Terrier with a mind of his own; friendly, gentle, fun-loving and always to be remembered for everything he brought us (including his well-chewed toys)!
In honor of the anniversary of Buckeye's passing. Frankie's Friends, thank you again for the extra time we had with him.
Our beloved Shamrock was diagnosed with the terrible disease IMHA on May 24, 2012. He was treated by the best medical staff money could provide at LVSES (Louisville Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Services). They took excellent care of him and our family during that trying time. Shamrock put up a courageous three week fight to try to overcome this disease, but it finally took a toll on his body and he lost the battle on June 15, 2012. On that day, Shamrock’s pain and suffering ended and he went to a better place.Even though he is no longer with us, Shamrock will be always remembered as a wonderful companion and friend. He would always be the first to greet you in the morning and the last to tell you good night. He enjoyed being with his family and friends as much as we enjoyed being with him. Shamrock, you will never be forgotten. Pictured with his little sissy Anna.
Oliver was diagnosed with lymphoma and passed away in June, but not before the Minnesota BluePearl vets and techs helped him enjoyed two and a half months of feeling great. Oliver lived for eleven years. He was a night time sentry, a master Pong player, he liked to lounge on the edge of the dining room table, slept on his cabana and under furnace vents and he had feisty wrestling matches with his cat brother, Albert. Oliver loved food; his favorites were tuna, Cheerios, and toast. Once he ate giant chunks out of an angel food cake that he knocked off the counter and onto the floor. He will forever be known as bunny bun-bun. Cheers to Oliver! Laurette and Luann
Jax, since we took you home 12 years ago as a scared 8-week-old pup, you were wrapped around our hearts from that moment, even when you chewed dad's new glasses that first day home. I think your first 24 hours you had three baths. We had 12 wonderful years, you stole a piece of everyone's heart from the moment you met them. Then the unthinkable happened, the C word, then, even when you lost use of your back legs, you still had life in you... you scooted around and got where you wanted to go... you were always one determined dog.
But that April 1st, 2012, you told us it was time for you to go to heaven. We were all with you 'til the end. We would all like to thank the staff of BluePearl (Florida) and Dr. Kane for doing everything to make your last 6 months the best they could be.
Enjoy the Rainbow Bridge, and we will all see you there one day as you are once again running around on all fours.
We all love you and you will always have a piece of our hearts,
Mommy, Daddy, RJ, Winnter, Grandma and your favorite person, Grandpa
Bianca passed away in April 2012, almost 4 months to the day after being diagnosed with lymphoma. Going bravely through round after round of chemo, she fought. And we believed. A few days before she was due to participate in an experimental study at UPenn - our last resort - the cancer took over. We lost the fight.
She would have turned 6 in June.
Here is how we will always remember her, written by my daughter Clara :
"She ate wallets, shoes, and umbrellas. She slept on her back, with her legs running through the air. She winked, sat at the dinner table, and was genuinely convinced she was human. She ate from our plates, and learned how to open the fridge. She unwrapped her own presents at Christmas. She wound her way into all of our beds, leaving a trail of white hair behind her. She drank from the toilet bowl and liked to hang out in the bathtub. She shredded water bottles, yogurt cups, canned goods, and toilet paper all over the living room. She barked with fear at bath mats, balloons, and almost any dog that came near her. She nibbled feet and yawned to show off her missing teeth. She left her ‘mark’ on every carpet. She didn't swim or fetch the ball, but knew to be in kitchen at dinnertime. She was a snoozer, a sunbather, a treat eater - a lady who wriggled her behind with mischief.
If she didn't want to walk, she didn't. If she was hungry (which was often), she let you know. If she sprawled out over you, she felt no need to budge.
She was no ordinary dog. And she will be missed."
Frankie's Friends received this wonderful thank-you after we funded treatment through our Zeus Varis Fund for Mindy, who has since passed away following treatment for her aggressive cancer: Dear Dr. Varis and Frankie's Friends,
Words cannot express the gratitude my family and I have towards you for helping us to pay for my cat, Mindy's cancer treatment. Without your help, we never would have been able to afford the treatment she needs.
We first got Mindy about eight years ago, and we think she may only have been a year old at the time. She was certainly playful and mischievous, even for a cat. But more than that, she had a certain comical nature about her, and it was very funny to watch her interact with my childhood kitten, who was a much older, grumpier cat by this time. In many ways, watching the two of them interact was very much like watching an old episode of Abbott and Costello.
Like a human being, Mindy matured as she got older, and that was especially the case after she gave birth to her litter. Once they were born, it was almost like she knew her time of carefree, childhood playfulness was over. She became a more reserved, more serious cat, and devoted her full attention to them.
It was a big disappointment to us when she was diagnosed with one of the most aggressive forms of cancer, and we didn't know how we would ever afford the treatment she needs. Of course, the vet suggested putting her to sleep, but I've always found it particularly distasteful to put an animal to sleep when the technology exists to save its life. Thanks to your kind help and the help of the people at Frankie's Friends, we are able to afford all the treatment Mindy needs. The people at Frankie's Friends have shown my family extreme kindness and understanding of what we have been going through. Words cannot express our gratitude to them, and to you.
I have enclosed a recent picture of Mindy. She's still recovering form her surgery, but she's been taking it very well, and we've been extra appreciative of her these past few weeks. Without her, a piece of our family would have been missing.
Thank you again for all your kind help.
Kindest wishes, Mindy's dad
We lost our beloved Jackson on 6/16/2011. We think about him and miss him every minute of every hour of every day. His loss has left a hole in our hearts. My hope is that he is right now, right at this time, lifting his head high to smell the flowers and basking in the warmth of the sun, and will do so for all of eternity. Until I see you again, my boy, please know that you are so dearly loved and missed.
Boo and Lily came into my life unexpectedly and changed my world forever. They were intelligent and beautiful and sadly, they died 18 months apart. The years with them were wonderfully memorable and losing them has left me without the greatest friends I've known. I am so thankful these two amazing creatures came into my life. With love from Barbara W.
Our beautiful Bitty was diagnosed with lymphoma in August 2011. Devastated by the news, we decided to treat him at BluePearl specialty hospital in Tampa. He was doing so well, that we thought we might have beaten the odds and he would be fine. This was not to be and Bitty lost his battle with this dreaded disease on 1/21/12. We could not have asked for better doctors and staff at BluePearl,who were so wonderful to Bitty and to us. We miss him terribly, as do his canine and feline siblings.
He will always be in our hearts and memories.
Love, Susan and Ron T.
In January, 2000, most of my family went to the county pound to pick out a playmate for my current dog, Charlie. New arrivals - eight part husky puppies - were in a pen together. Seven of the eight did look like husky puppies....then, there was one odd looking puppy, nearly all white (unlike his brothers and sisters) and pretty small. My eight year old niece keyed in on him immediately and thus, Miller Eugene Marler joined my family. Miller was always my sweet boy; quiet and introverted. He was a follower, not a leader. Playful as a young dog, he mellowed in mid age and became a wonderful companion to me. We would work outside in the yard together or watch TV together - Miller never complained about anything but taking a bath and stayed by my side whenever I was home.
I will miss my sweet boy, as others before him, but, Miller holds a special place in my heart. Miller understood when I was happy as well as when I was sad and reacted like a best friend would; smile or cry with me. He always understood me and probably was my best friend.
Miller died of cancer on September 26, 2011....only 11-1/2 years old. Much too young to go for his size. He was cremated and now rests beneath a beautiful red azalea in my back yard.
Stay sweet my little boy - I will always remember my dear friend and companion.
by Kathy Orchard Edie was a little terrier mix who came to live with us in the fall of 1999 when she was a little over a year old. My husband was working in Ft Myers at the time and only home on the weekends. I still had Beej, my older Bichon Frise, but wanted some additional companionship. I got Edie from someone at my work who didn’t want her anymore. I brought her home overnight on a trial basis and took her to my vet. Edie had some minor health issues and a bad yeast infection affecting her skin. She was so cute and I couldn’t bear to take her back to them so I kept her. (The prior owner told me she was “itchy” – no wonder! It took about a year to totally get rid of the yeast infection and it would reoccur from time to time over the years.) As my husband was away during the week, she grew very protective of me.
Her original name was Fifi, which did not fit her at all, since she was a scrappy little tomboy dog with a stubby tail. I wanted to give her another similar sounding name and “Edie” just seemed to fit her.
Edie loved squeaky toys from the very beginning and that love didn’t diminish over the years. If left to her own devices, she would squeak one continually until it was “dead”. Her favorite were the big jacks, with a squeaker in each end – 6 total. One jack might keep her going for weeks. Usually I would have to stitch toys up multiple times as she would practically shred it to bits before the squeaker would die. Sometimes I would have to give up and just take the squeaker out. Edie would tempt you with a toy and then duck under the dining room table because she never wanted you to actually take it from her. I was the only one who could; she would growl seriously at anyone else who tried. Edie and I always had fun playing with her toys together. And any holiday was an excuse for me to buy her a new one.
Edie slept with us and she usually slept right next to my pillow. Sometimes I would wake up and she would be the one on the pillow. I never really had to set the alarm. If it was daylight, Edie thought it was time to be up and out of bed. (I always looked forward to the time change when it would be dark in the morning.) If I didn’t get up when she wanted, she would practically stand on my head. On Saturdays, we would get up, I'd feed her, and we'd sit in my recliner. Sometimes we would both be asleep there when my husband got up. I bought a mug that says “I wish the dog had a snooze button.”
Edie would eat just about anything but never chewed her dog food. She sucked it up like a vacuum. My husband said we should have named her Hoover. I always gave her a minimal amount of “people food” each day. But we found out early on that we could not give her anything with eggs as they made her sick. She liked crunchy foods like rice cakes and romaine lettuce, which she would chew. But she loved lamb. When my husband was cooking lamb, she would spend the whole time underfoot, with My husband trying not to trip over her. I laughed at pet surveys that showed lamb way down on the list of flavors that dogs liked. Edie’s top three favorite flavors were lamb, lamb, and lamb.
Otherwise than being in the kitchen when my husband was cooking lamb, Edie didn’t like for me to be out of her sight. If I got up, she got up and followed me. If I went out front, she would climb up on the couch and look for me out the front window. When I worked out in the front yard, I had to take Edie outside with me. If I let her out into the backyard but my husband let her back inside, Edie would run through the house looking for me, not stopping until I was found. It really bothered her not knowing where I was.
When I'd come in the front door, she always came to greet me. If she liked you, she would come with a toy. But if anyone knocked on our door or rang the doorbell, she would bark and come running.
When Edie wanted something, she would stamp her little paws, rocking side to side, and make a gurgling noise. If that didn’t work, she would start barking. She would also do this if I was sitting at the computer. Edie didn’t like when that happened since it was not something that she could do with me.
One day I let Edie out in the back yard. When after a while she hadn’t returned to the door, I looked outside but couldn’t see her. So I walked out in the yard and saw that the side gate had been left open. I walked around, looking frantically for her and calling her name very loudly. Not finding her, I rushed back inside and went out the front door, nearly falling over her. She had been by the front door, waiting patiently to be let in. I think she knew she lived the good life and wasn’t about to run away from it. My husband called her the most spoiled dog in south Tampa. And I would always say, just spoiled with love.
We took a walk just about every evening and also on Sunday mornings. On Sundays we would take a longer walk and get the Sunday paper while we were out. I walked her every weeknight after work, when she had been cooped up a day, unless there was severe weather. After our evening walks, she got a Kong treat kept in freezer that had a peanut butter-flavored filling and treat in it. After we got back from our walk, if I sat down before she got it, she would come and stare at me and make a fuss. She always knew if she’d had her treat or not, even if she’d eaten dinner in between. She never forgot.
Our weekday routine was just that, routine. Once the alarm went off, Edie was up and there was no going back to sleep. She and I were usually the first ones up so we would go out and get the newspaper in the driveway. She liked to lick my legs after I got out of the shower. But if Edie thought I was taking too long a shower, or if she heard me and my husband talking, she would bark and/or scratch on the bathroom door. While I was getting ready for work, she would lay quietly on the floor, watching me. When I left the house, she always got a dog treat. Sometime you could tell she was thinking, “Hurry up and leave already so I can have my treat!” At the end of the day, whichever one of us got home would let her outside. But sometimes when my husband would get home before me, Edie would wait for me to come home before she would go out. So as soon as I walked in the door, she would start barking at me to let her outside. We could never figure this out. Of course, my husband would make sure she went out if he knew I was not coming home right away. In the evenings, we would have our walk. Only rarely would Edie go into our bedroom to go to sleep without me being in there. She liked to hang out with me until I went to bed.
Up until her last few weeks, Edie was very active and playful and you’d never have guessed that she was sick. She passed from this life on June 6, 2011, just 10 days before her 13th birthday. Edie was a beloved and faithful companion that will be missed by all those who loved her.
Mutt lost his two-year battle with cancer on June 22, 2010. He left behind his family; William & Dorothy Thompson; one brother, Little Jake; and three sisters, Lady, Neesha and Boots. Mutt was born in early 1999. His mother's body was dumped in the woods on Ridge Road, south of Excelsior Springs, Mo. After she had her pups, she was shot and killed. On March 24, 1999, Mutt became part of our family, along with our other four dogs.
From the first day, Mutt was very special. He could sleep anywhere he wanted and he always got along with other members of our family.
After Mutt came to live with us, someone dumped a little Beagle pup, which we named Jake. Once Jake started to hunt, Mutt and Jake were always together. Sometimes they'd be gone for hours. We could always hear Jake, but Mutt never barked. Whenever I went to look for them, they were always together. I believe Mutt was telling Jake to be quiet, so that they could catch rabbits.
We have had 17 dogs and one cat during our 49 years together, all have been special, but Mutt was exceptional.
There are a lot more stories about Mutt, but the real story is: we loved Mutt and he loved us and when my time comes, I know Mutt will be there for me.
William