In Memory of
our beloved GSPs
2021
“Hershey was a 2013 alum of SEGSP Rescue. I’d recently discovered the breed and was searching for a running buddy… thankfully I stumbled upon SEGSP and was hooked when I read his bio. My sister and I picked him up from Laura in Chattanooga and he immediately became part of the family. We ran almost nightly after work together, and he even did some 5-12k races with me over the years. He was the biggest baby - loved to cuddle, wouldn’t go to sleep without being tucked in with his blanket, and would ‘cry-breathe’ when you weren’t giving him enough attention (heaven forbid you try to clean the house or get some work done - he needed ear scratches!!). When Daniel and I met, he was the first person Hershey ever allowed to come close to me without barking his displeasure. I think it was the treats being passed out behind my back! He loved our friends who visited, but also made it clear when it was time for them to go home by dramatically flopping down on his bed with his back to the party. He was our old man even early on, keeping us on a tight 5 AM breakfast schedule by stomping next to the bed until someone responded appropriately.
Before Daniel and I married we bought a house with a great fenced backyard, perfect for Hershey and his love of squirrel/bunny/bee/bird stalking as well as sunbathing in our raised garden bed. Despite our best efforts, Hershey also loved to go for an unscheduled run every now and then. He had a knack for sneaking out at the holidays and between the legs of friends and family taking care of him for a weekend. Often I’d get a phone call from a new ‘friend’ Hershey had made down the street - stealing tennis balls from their pups and plopping down on a sunny front porch to take a break after his romp through the neighborhood. Once he was even caught by a middle school football team at practice! Last week he had some small growths removed, and everything seemed to go smoothly. A few days later his appetite disappeared and his breathing became labored. We took him to the overnight vet and thought pneumonia, but later scans showed what we think now was a tumor bleeding in his esophagus or lungs. He hid any illness or discomfort from his cancer from us as long as he could, even hiking 5 miles with me the day before his surgery and making his first puppy friend, a 150-lb Newfoundland belonging to my cousin. He always had a sassy, sneaky streak that when we saw it, we said he was being a punk. We saw his sweet side, and also his playful, sassy side on his last day, and he said goodbye to us before we went to the emergency vet, in his favorite place, our backyard. While he must have been sick for a while, he only put us through it for a very short time. He passed on Friday, October 15 and will not be forgotten. “ “Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry.” Dr. Seuss We are very sad to announce that our alumnus Joey, formerly JoAnne, has passed away at the age of 14.
Joey came to rescue in 2010 emaciated after having a litter of puppies in Georgia. She was the Flugman family’s first foster dog, and was an immediate ‘foster fail,’ adopting her within days. As Joey was getting older, her human brother Travis was devoted to her and we’re sure the feeling was mutual. Joey was so much more than her family’s GSP. She had a perfect temperament and they adored her. She was there for her family during the good times, but also the tragic times. When her dad passed away 3 years ago from cancer, she mourned with her family and helped ease their pain with her love. She was called her dad’s ‘girlfriend’ because they adored one another and it’s a comfort to her family knowing Joey is reunited with him. Her family is grateful they have Mary Kay (also a SEGSP alum, who just turned 11) to help them through this loss. Mary kay is grieving too… We are all so sad that Joey is no longer with her family on earth, but we can only imagine the joy of the reunion with her dad at the Rainbow Bridge. “I am not gone, I’m just gone from your sight. In the blink of an eye, I’ll see you again when the time is just right. Wipe the tears from your eyes, and watch for the signs that I send to remind you that love never dies.” Jack McAfghan |
SEGSP Rescue |
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