I wanted to thank you for allowing us to spend 10 of the best years of our lives with Effie.  Effie was a beautiful white boxer that we adopted from you on our one year wedding anniversary.  She was approximately two at the time.  She was the softest, sweetest dog ever.  She was as graceful as a cat and could play for hours on end.  With the addition of two small children to our family Effie could have been jealous instead she was a protective as a new mother.  We look back at our children's baby pictures and Effie is always near by or right in the center of the action.  I can list at least four individuals that converted from cat people to dog people after coming under Effie's spell. 

 

When Effie started showing signs of her age we decided to get her a companion.  We brought Effie and our two small children to your shelter.  She obviously had a big heart as she picked out the ugliest, mangiest dog in the group.  We questioned her judgment at the time but Doc has become an intricate part of our family and now that the mange is cleared up he's barely recognizable as the junk yard dog we brought home. 

 

From the very beginning Effie has struggled with cancer.  She has undergone several surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy.  She handled it all with the grace of a princess.  We eventually sat down to determine a living will of sorts for Effie so in the last days we would be able to honor what we thought her wishes would be.  Last Thursday she stopped eating altogether.  We took her to the vet and discovered she had a major cancerous mass in her abdomen.  We were told we had anywhere between a few hours and a few weeks.  As much as I am hurting right now by the passing of Effie the joy she has brought me and my family far outweighs even the worst feelings of loss.   Eventually in time we will allow Doc to choose a new companion from the BRLA and in the meantime I hope to honor her memory in every way I can.

 

Thank you.

 

Kerry A. Andrews