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Rainbow Bridge
Just
this side of Heaven is a place called The Rainbow Bridge. When an
animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet
goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all our
special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty
of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and
comfortable.
All the
animals who had been ill or old are restored to health and vigor;
those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just
as we remember them in our dreams of days gone by. The animals are
happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss
someone very special to them who had to be left behind. They all run
and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and
looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; his eager body
quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the
green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have
been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you
cling to each other in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The
happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the
beloved head and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your
pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from
your
heart.
Then you
cross Rainbow Bridge together........
Author
Unknown
Below are the
stories of the very special dogs that have passed through our lives
and left memories that will forever change us. We feel privileged to
have been part of making their lives better while they were here
enriching ours!
Sissy

Oct. 24, 1997 - Aug. 5, 2011
It is with a heavy heart that we write about the passing of our little Sissy. We had her just shy of three years. Yorkies Inc rescued her at the age of 11 from a Texas puppymill. She came in with tumors hanging from her mammary glands and was operated on within days of arriving here. She had four tumors removed, two of which were malignant. We were fostering little Sissy and knew she had to stay, so we adopted her. Sissy was a great little dog. She loved her walks, loved her food and loved the big bed. She would sink right into the bed and was settled in for the night.
Sissy was a small dog but left a big presence in the house. We miss her but are so happy that we gave her three great years of freedom, where she knew love.
Thank you Yorkies Inc for saving this little sweatheart.
Kathy and Linda
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Gorden

Sept 13th 2010
Dear Cathie,
How can your heart feel heavy and empty all at once? That is how we
feel about the passing of our beloved Gorden. He came to us three years
ago. His first family was unable to keep him - they were getting old.
They could not afford his care and felt that he was "slowing down." The
brought him to their vet for euthanasia, feeling that this was their
only option for 12 year old Gorden, who had a (very treatable) heart
condition. God bless their vet for seeing the life in him and urging
them to relinquish him. She promised to try to find him an adoptive
home and apparently all they asked was not to be told if he had to be
put down. The vet contacted you. I still have the e-mail from you
("Wonderful Yorkie In Need of a Home") asking if we were interested in
adopting a senior Yorkie. That picture of our golden boy sitting up and
begging did it, and Gorden came to join our pack of seniors. It was
love at first sight for Gorden and Mimi (or Mr. and Mrs. Bellyrubbins as
we used to call them). Gorden always amused us with his tricks - he
could sit up, beg and cry on command! He had a little bit of a Napoleon
complex - he liked to let "Gorden's girls" know who was the boss. The
medication for his heart condition cost about $7 per month (okay, the
yearly echocardiograms cost more than that, but Gorden was more than
worth it).
After Mimi passed away (too soon, too soon) this spring, Gorden slowed
down a bit - he spent more time sleeping on his hassock and less time
wanting to prove that he was "the man." Our wonderful vet was kind, but
clear - Gorden's great big heart was growing too large for his little
body. He was happy, though. On his last morning (on what would have
been my parents' 58th wedding anniversary) Gorden went out for a little
walk and sniffed the air. He came in, got up on his hassock (with a
helping hand from us) and walked over the bridge to meet Mimi. His
passing was so easy. We were there with him, thanking him for being
such a good boy and promising him that we would see him again.
Cathie, I cannot begin to thank you for trusting us with this wonderful
little man! He was a delight, and we would not have missed a minute
with hm.
(Cathie, I think you already have the picture we call "Gorden's Snowy
Beard." You might want to use that for the Rainbow Bridge, but here is
the picture of Gorden begging that made us decide that we were going to
be his!)
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TAZ

IN MEMORY OF TAZ –April 14, 2000 –October 9, 2010
Hi Cathie- Thank you for the offer to put Taz on the Rainbow Bridge portion of the Yorkies, Inc site. .... I wanted your readers to know that there is always hope with a LS dog, Taz is proof of that.
Today he was taken to Final Gifts for cremation and we picked a lovely wooden urn with his photo and brass plate so that he can come back home to us. I keep wondering when it will actually sink in that he is truly gone? So very sad but glad he will be honored on the Yorkies, Inc site.
Warm Regards,
Cindi & Mike Ingalls
10/12/2010
I had wanted a toy breed, specifically a Yorkshire Terrier, for awhile and when our
Standard Schnauzer, Bogie passed on, I began the search for the perfect “Yorkie” to
fill the void of not having a dog. After months of looking I found a breeder in CT that
had 2 young males she was willing to sell. Mike was not as sure about having a
smaller breed but was open minded and said we could go look. When we went to
see both dogs, it was clear that Taz chose us‐he never left our side and stole our
hearts immediately. The breeder commented on the fact that he seemed to not be
able to tolerate dairy products so we were careful to not let him have any dairy
foods. Although a typical bouncy puppy, Taz never seemed to eat well and was very
fussy so we took him to the vets numerous times but they could not seem to
pinpoint the problem until in the Fall of 2000 he began to have seizures and after
extensive testing we were given the news that he had Liver Shunt disease. Our vet
recommended euthanizing Taz but we could not give up on the pup that had now
become our “child”. Mike immediately began researching the disease and found a
Professor of Surgery, Dr.Krahwinkel, at the University of TN, that created a
procedure that could possibly save his life. It could be his only chance for survival
so we drove 22 hours to have this particular surgeon that created the liver shunt
“ring” perform the operation. They told us he was the worse case he had seen but
we knew in our hearts Taz was a fighter. He survived but Dr. Krahwinkel told us to
take him home and to always remember that every day would be a gift with Taz.
We never forgot those words and for 10 years we dedicated ourselves to giving Taz
the best possible care never knowing how long he would be with us. We felt
uncomfortable leaving with anyone if we went away so he traveled everywhere with
us‐making friends wherever he went. He loved people (definitely more than other
dogs), was always happy and greeted us each morning as if he had not seen us for a
week and not just for the night.
In the spring of 2009 Taz began to cough a lot and his breathing was somewhat
labored. We took him to the vets and after many tests he was put on an inhaler for
his breathing and Lasix for fluid he had on his lungs. We were able to keep him
fairly comfortable this way and our vet did not recommend any surgical procedures
for fear that he would not come out of the anesthesia. In September of this year he
went to the vets and had routine blood work done. Dr. Rich called and was excited
to say it all came back normal‐he knew all the health issues Taz had been through
and good news was always exciting!
On October 9, 2010, a beautiful Fall day, Mike took Taz for his morning walk and
then to the groomers. We received the devastating call that he had a heart attack
and died while there. It was the call we were not prepared for, our “little fighter”
was gone.
God Bless Taz‐forever you will live in our hearts. You will always be our # 1 Son.
Mike & Cindi Ingalls
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JOEY
Good Evening Cathie,
Just wanted to let you know that our little Joey has passed on today. Our vet had told us that it would just be a matter of time. We spoiled him as much as possible the past 3 weeks. He just really just got to a point where it was time. The kids and us all got to say our goodbyes this morning before we took him in.
I don't know if he enjoyed the first 7 years of his life but I know he enjoyed the 7 years he had with us. It doesn't seem that long ago that you called me and told me about a little pup in upstate New York that only had till the next morning to be rescued or he was going to be put down. I still remember me and Marguarite leaving that night driving in a snow storm to get him. I remember you telling me he didn't like men because he had been tormented by a man and his sons. I was like great I'm going to pick up this dog and he's not even gonna like me or let me touch him LOL. As soon as he was in the truck with us and we headed home he got up off of Marguarites lap and came to me and cuddled up against my leg. I was amazed, and he stayed there the entire ride home. Although he was extremely leery of men he never once showed it with me. He did get a lot better with men but was still very cautious right to the end.
Joey and Benny quickly became best buds and even though Joey was the old man Benny was always there to stick up for him. Joey tolerated all the others TOBY, SPARKY,SHELBY,FENWAY,BRISTOL, and ZEUS (and a few fosters as well along the way) but Benny was his best friend. The last few weeks Benny must have known Joey was sick because he would not let Zeus or Bristol near him he would snap at either if they tried to bother Joey he was just acting as a protector. It is so strange how they know. I can tell Benny knows something is wrong that Joey is gone and he does seem sad. Joey will be greatly missed and I thank you for bringing Joey into our lives.
10/9/2010
Scott |
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Faith

Dear Faith, We miss you.
Two weeks have passed since you left us. That Sunday we took
turns holding you, never wanting you to feel alone. We tucked
you into bed when we left. We got home and there you were just
as we left you, all snuggled up in your bed. Were you waiting
for us to leave that day? In the end it was your kidneys that
failed you, not your loyal, loving, trusting, faithful spirit.
We only had you in our lives for 15 months but with the lose we
feel it is like forever. We remember the Friday night Kerri
brought you to us after just having all your teeth removed. You
were on antibiotics twice a day because some of your teeth were
abscessed, and the infection had spread to your bone. We
originally wanted a “younger” dog because our Tiny was getting
older but we instantly fell in love with you, you were the
perfect addition to our family. With us you learned people make
pretty good (comfortable, warm) cushions to sleep on, walking in
the grass is fun, walking around the block and sniffing
everything was even more fun, and sleeping in front of the
fireplace is a great place to be when there’s not a human to
cuddle with. We’ll never forget you jumping over the cracks in
the sidewalk, your yellow harness and leash (which is why I’ve
kept yellow flowers in the house, makes me feel closer to you),
your little tongue sticking out the left side of your mouth (you
had no teeth to hold it in), walking through the snow like a
trooper despite a nicely shoveled path, chasing and barking at
the neighbors with your distinctive little puppy bark, and when
you learned how to go up and down stairs we were so proud. We
learned from you how much love, joy, hope and faith we have in
the world, that trust can be relearned after years of neglect,
that a 4.5 pound yorkie leaves a huge emptiness in your heart
when she leaves and when you add another dog to your family you
don’t divide up the love you had for one and each gets half, you
instantly grow more love for the new one. Faith, Faithy, Lovebug
and Foofoo face no matter what we call you in one way or
another you’re always with us. September 11, 1995 – March 15,
2009
We loved you….Lauren & Robert
kerri, we just wanted
you to know our beloved Faith lost her battle with kidney
disease this evening. she died peacefully in the warmth of her
home. we are so sad. faith was special from day one. faith
brought us so much pleasure and the joy of unconditional love.
we are so thankful for her and without her we would have never
met you & cathie or the great people at the yorkie meetup
group.
lauren & robert |
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Romeo &
Trinket

We lost both our beloved
Yorkies last week - Romeo on Tuesday, March 10th and Trinket on
Friday, March 13th. They were members of our family for a little
over 3 and 2 years, respectively. Romeo came to us just before
Christmas, 2005, via craigslist. He had been rescued from a
"puppy mill" in Texas to then live his next year or so in a
crate in his "rescuers" home. We first met him while he was
being groomed prior to our adopting him. (We had gone an hour
early to check things out - and are we glad we did!) He was so
bedraggled and his nails were at least 2 inches long. We brought
him home on the Saturday before Christmas and on the following
Monday, he saw the vet. And, on that Tuesday he had all his
teeth removed. They were so bad he was almost septic. He, also,
had mites so bad that they cleaned his ears while he was in
surgery, fearing that it would be too painful for him to endure
otherwise. And from then on, he thrived. He was our "little
bear". His food had to be soaked in water, drained and then
microwaved for 11 seconds. We didn't spoil him - MUCH. He slept
in our bed and stayed close when he was awake. He loved going
camping and lying in the sun. And then, in September, 2006,
Cathie called needing a forever home for Trinket. We picked her
up on a Thursday, and then went off camping on Friday. She and
Romeo bonded on that trip and were together all the time after
that. They always curled up together, back to back, like the
Yin/Yang symbol. They had their own baskets to sleep in, but she
always managed to crawl into his during the night. Then, on
March 5th, both of them were sick. Romeo was having difficulty
breathing and Trinket had some intestinal stuff going on. Off to
the vet - Romeo's xray showed an enlarged heart and fluid in his
lungs. He was placed on Lasix and had to return on Tuesday for a
cardiac ultrasound. She was placed on Flagyl for 4 days. She
seemed to be doing better by Sunday and spent her time checking
on Romeo. He was still having a tough time breathing and was
very weak. She wasn't eating but was drinking plenty of water.
On Tuesday, the 10th, Romeo had his ultrasound. And the
prognosis was poor. As the doctors were preparing to call us
with the news, Romeo passed. His 13 year old heart just couldn't
keep going. Trinket still wouldn't eat and by Wednesday was
getting weak. We thought that she was pining for Romeo. We
started her on Nutrical on Wednesday night and started Clinicare
liquid nutrition on Thursday. Friday, she was no better so we
again called the vet and we took her in on Friday afternoon.
Her xrays were negative but her bloodwork was awful. She was in
renal failure. The doctor tried and IV but there was no
improvement. So we had to make the decision that we dreaded.
And then she, too, was gone. At least we know they are together
with our beloved Collies, Zack and Ruby. They brought so much
joy into our lives. We'll always miss Romeo scratching at his
plate at every meal. And Trinket, never walking in a straight
line - always in circles - unless she was on a leash. We truly
believe Romeo guided us to get Prince on Thursday. He has filled
a place in our hearts. He is very different from them - so he
makes us laugh. And he keeps our Sheltie, Travis, occupied.
Romeo and Trinket will forever be in our hearts.
Sonny and Carol Levine |
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LuLu
LuLu was th e
Joy of our lifes and a love we never can replace . She was a
giver and we tried to give her everything.
She passed away Sept. 17th
@ aprox. 2:p.m. That is when the joy in our lifes left us to
go home with the Lord. We hope and pray that she'll be
safe. Love, Mommy & Daddy (Faith & Gil Anderson)
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Oscar
Cathie and Sue-
I
know you said when I was ready I could send a tribute about
Oscar for the Bridge page….I am ready. Here goes-
Oscar was the best little dog going. He was old- tired-messy
and alone when he was found roaming the streets of RI but that
soon changed when Cathie and Sue took him in, cleaned him up,
loved him and nursed him back to health. He was ready to find a
home.
Wayne
and I
first saw Os at Sue and Chuck’s the summer of 2002- Wayne fell
in love. Oscar came to him and rolled over for a belly rub.
Yorkie thru and thru. Wayne was hooked. I did not want a
dog. I was a cat person. I
did ask Sue about Oscar and she said he was already promised to
a family and he was going to them the following Friday. I called
Sue the Thursday before Oscar was headed to that home and asked
her to call me if the home did not work out. I had a
feeling…That Sunday Sue called me and said the home did not work
for him and he was coming back- did we want him? I said yes and
then started my love affair with Oscar, Yorkies, Yorkies Inc.
and Cathie and Sue.
Oscar was a good little dog. He was sweet and gentle and
lovable. He was an old man- in years and behavior- but he still
had a love of life and us. We loved him so much it hurt. It
hurt more, and certainty a different type of hurt, when he lost
his battle with cancer and passed away on September 25, 2005.
He will always be in out hearts. I think of him every day and
still cry for him. If I could only hold him one more time.
Just one more time. I am
no longer only a “cat person”….I am now a “Yorkie person”- so is
Wayne. Because of Oscar Wayne and I have re homed 2 other
Yorkies from Cathie and Sue- Harry and Chloe. We adopted
another Terrier type, Gus, on our own. Oscar
knew and
lived with Harry and Chloe but we got Gus a month or so after
Oscar left us. I have no idea why I went to petfinders.com and
found Gus. I think maybe Oscar sent us to him. Gus was in a
shelter- in RI- old (13) tired and messy just like Os. These
two dogs are so similar in so many ways it’s uncanny. I think
Oscar knew I needed another
dog to “care” for and mother. Gus is that guy. It helps me to
be with Gus since I lost Os. Oscar must have known that. Even
when he is gone he is still looking out for me. I really
believe that. I believe he is my angel- he was on earth……..no
need to stop being my angle once he goes over the rainbow bridge
right?? It is his job and he does it very well.
Thank you Cathie and Sue for
giving me the love of my life. Thank you for all the work you
do and for continuing to bring these wonderful dogs to
us……..next time you get another “Os” you know who to
call…..we’ll be
there without hesitation.
With
love and thanks-
Lynda and Wayne Fitzgerald
(The attached photo is my
favorite one of Oscar. He was so cute and sweet and this
picture shows that. Look at the way I am looking at him….I was
in love with this guy. Sue and Chuck took this photo and I am
so grateful they did.) |
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Sherman (Eddie)
My little Sherman went to the rainbow bridge today. His
seizures had become worse, but we were working on controlling
them with medication, and seemed to be making progress.

However, he started having difficulty breathing. The vets
were concerned that it might be pneumonia (from aspirating
during a seizure) or a PTE (blood clot to the lungs). The
PTE occurs often in dogs with Cushing’s. He was
hospitalized and put in oxygen yesterday. We had hoped he
would get better, but was showing no improvement and actually
getting worse, even though he was in oxygen. He would do
OK for a while, and then have really hard times struggling to
breathe. The vet said that she didn't think he was in
pain, but that when these episodes happened, he became very
frightened. They felt strongly that, since oxygen and
other medications were not helping him that it was in fact the
PTE. So, I held him, kissed him and we helped him slip
gently off to the bridge.
Thanks so much for allowing Sherman to be a part of my
life. He was such a joy, and such a little love. He
taught me what the term “yorkie’ttude” was all about. He
once put a 70 pound pit bull in its place! After that, we
nicknamed him the Sherminator J. He loved giving kisses,
falling asleep on my lap, and dinner time! Everyone
who met Sherman loved him. He was with me such a short
time. I am so sorry I didn’t have more time to show him
how much he meant to me.
Debbie
Eddie was rescued this past winter 2004 when he was found
abandoned in a snow bank. He was estimated to be between 10-12
years old. He was diagnosed with Cushings shortly after
coming into rescue and we knew that he would need a very special
home. Debbie was that home! She is a very dedicated vet tech
from RI and has helped us with her knowledge in the past. Debbie
asked us to be that special home and we were thrilled that
Eddie, whom she renamed Sherman, was going to get everything he
needed until the end. Debbie loved and cared for him and saw to
his every medical need. We thank Debbie for "being there" for
Sherman and for us.
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Napoleon
Napoleon w as
a little Pomeranian who I lost two days after
Christmas this past year. He was a "re-homed" retired show pom
and quickly went from shy little guy to my best little buddy! (I
brought him everywhere!) I used to call him my "little ball of
sunshine" because just looking at him would make me and
anyone that saw him smile. We were inseparable. I feel so lucky
to have had him in my life, although the time was so short.
His loss was devastating to me and I'll always hold a special
place in my heart for him. I would like to thank my sister
Cathie from Yorkies Inc. for finding Napoleon for me and also
being there for me on that tragic night I lost him. I
don't have children and he was my " baby". Cathie understood
this better than anyone and that really helped me deal with my
grief. I have since been lucky enough to have two new poms in my
life, Pippin and Pia. They are adorable and spoiled
rotten...especially by their "godmother" Cathie!
Kim, Keith, Pippin and Pia
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