Rainbow Bridge

We lost one of the sweetest guys in the world today. This was an extra hard one for both Bill and I. Loki was with us only one short month but made a huge impact with his big smile and huge personality. Every time we walked by him, he would reach out his paw and grab your leg to stop you and then roll over and wait for belly rubs. What a funny guy and what a big personality. I had high hopes that we would have much much longer with him but his body said no and we set him free today. What a sweet happy good boy he was. When it came time, we put his harness on him intending on walking him out to the forest to lay him to rest but he had other plans. He insisted on heading towards the gate and going to get in the bus. He loved riding in the bus so he got his way and spent his last moments with me in his favorite bug out bus. We are so sad to have lost him but glad that he’s no longer in pain. What a beautiful rescue he was. Fly high sweetest Loki.  We will miss you so very much!  Thank you Dr. Delia for always coming to our rescue and for being so good at what you do!  

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We are thrilled to announce that we are taking our first rescue in as an official 501c3. We received our final letter from the IRS just last week, although retroactive to February 8, 2022. On Friday, Loki will join the Motley crew at Dogtree Pines senior Dog Rescue.  He was taken in to the Humane Society to be euthanized and they refused, so he was surrendered. He is a 10-year-old white lab weighing in at a chunky 150 pounds!!!! Holy moly! He’s so morbidly obese that he has trouble just walking. We are going to fly down early Friday morning, roll fat pants out on the luggage rack and into the airplane. Stay tuned for video of this crazy escapade.Loki will be the newest member of “the Cindz” fat dog camp and will be slimmed down in no time and healthier than ever.

We  said goodbye to beautiful Bodhi today.  We knew when we took him that  we had limited time so we tried to make the best out of every moment. We  lost him today to cancer in the lungs. We are so glad we were able to  give him one last month of happiness with a big fun family. Fly high sweet Bodhi!  We love you!

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We  have a new kid on the block. His name is Bodie. He is a 16-year-old  Black Lab. He had never been to a vet. I met his owner about two months  ago as he was inquiring about euthanasia at Harmony Vet Care. I offered  that the man could bury his dog on my property if I wished. We’ve gone  back-and-forth for two months now and he called yesterday and said he  just couldn’t handle the emotional pain any longer. Long story short,  the Vet and I both agreed that maybe it wasn’t time yet and decided to  run bloodwork and check things out. As it turns out, he has lymphoma and  laryngeal paralysis. The owner asked that we keep him here until he is  ready.  He’s a super happy guy and we’re going to do palliative care  until he’s ready to go. This is the first time he’s had true freedom and  seems to really be enjoying it as well as being part of the pack..  Welcome Bodhi for whatever time he has here at Dogtree Pines.

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Sometimes  I lose sight of our mission because I am brokenhearted. This guy,  Bodhi, reminds me every day of what we do and why we do it. Bodhi is 16  years old and has lymphoma and laryngeal paralysis. He was due to be  euthanized and was relinquished to us instead. He is as happy as they  get! He smiles constantly, chatters for food, chases squirrels and loves  his morning “walkie”. He sleeps on a waterbed to stay cool with a  personal fan blowing on him.  his owner said he was ready to die and he  now has a new lease on life.

WE WILL MISS OUR NEWMANN

With tears in my eyes and sadness in my heart, we had to say goodbye to sweet Newmann today. He was with us just a short time but I fell in love when he looked me straight in my eyes to let me know that he was still in there, despite the failing of his body. It’s amazing how you can have 11 dogs and still a huge hole when losing one. He is at peace now and has shed that body that no longer worked for him. We will miss our a Newmann! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️"

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NEWMAN'S STORY

They said..."To Be Euthanized in Hours for Medical.  My name is NEWMAN❤ I am described as a NEUTERED MALE BROWN/WHITE LABRADOR RETR/TR WALKER HOUND Estimated to be about 10 years old." I saw Newmann and had to help. I drove down on his last day to save him. He was a New Hope rescue only so another rescue was gracious enough to pull him for me.  He clearly had neurological and probably some vision issues.  He was a happy boy though and fit in with the pack quickly. Welcome to Newmann!

FLY HIGH BABY BEAR

Tonight we had to lay the BabyBear to rest. I had him just over three weeks but fell head over heels in love with the little man that had spent 14 years in a backyard with only walks from the neighbors. The first time he rode in the car, he stuck his head out the window closed his eyes and let the wind blow through his hair. An unbelievable look of contentment. After some investigation, we discovered a tumor and I knew we had a limited time. I am broken hearted…again.  Fly high BabyBear, we love you and will miss you❤️❤️❤️❤️!!!

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BABY BEAR'S STORY

I adopted Daisy Mae about a month ago from a lady named Judy which had lost her husband this summer. She was going back down to San Tan Valley and wanted to re-home Daisy (actually planning to euthanize but I interjected). Yesterday, she text me and asked me to take her neighbors dog. Apparently, when her husband was alive, They would go over and get the neighbors dog “Shadow” and take he and Daisy for a walk together…for 10 years! Judy was up in Prescott all summer and Shadow was having some health issues that were not being addressed. Today we flew down to pick up shadow at the Chandler airport. He is now up in Dogtree Pines to live out his elder years. He was reunited with Daisy Mae as soon as he arrived. She is now the matriarch of our pack and will be sure to take good care of him. Welcome to shadow a.k.a. baby bear to Dogtree Pines. He is 14 years old and walks and looks like a baby black bear.  We call him "Baby Bear".

RIP SWEET PRINCESS MUFFIN

She was the best shelter save I've ever known.  My sister wrote..."Popi Mary was in agony watching her at the shelter and one day she did a video dragging her 3 day old, pee soaked blanket down the walkway.  My amazing sister Cindy Lamont saw it and said to put her in the car immediately.  The very next day, we drove her to Salome for the hand-off...she was basically a walking corpse (the likes of which I can't even explain including rocks and an old bullet in her stomach where she had been shot previously).  My sister didn't bat an eye just loaded her up and she joined Dogtree Pines, her new home in the cool forest that was full of love and care and dog friends.  Muffin lived a couple of wonderful years knowing the  love she should have always had and never got.  We are all so so sad to  see you go but so happy to have had you touch our lives and our hearts.   This is what rescue is about...what forever commitment is about...and what going to the shelter because you truly care about the animals is all about.  Thank you Cindy and Bill...you are heroes."  

We will never forget sweet Muffin!  She was the first "non-lab" at Dogtree Pines.

FLY HIGH SWEETEST BEAR...such a loyal and loving boy! 

I was contacted by Humane Society of Yuma about Bear. He was a happy, sweet boy; however, being old (approx. 12 y/o) and black with melon size tumors on his sides & weakened rear legs, he was pretty much un-adoptable. He was out of time at the shelter and had no interest from rescues or adopters. He came to Dogtree Pines on February 2, 2019 and was with us about 2 years. His favorite thing was to sit in your lap, especially his dad.  He thought he was a "lap dog" although he was about 65 lbs.  He was my faithful companion as I was going through cancer treatment, never leaving my side.  He left us suddenly on April 3, 2021, without any notice, and we miss him everyday. Fly High Sweet Bear...such a loyal and loving boy! 

Charlie was about 4 years old when he arrived at Dogtree Pines. He was shuffled around from various locations that could not give him the care that he needed. YHS called Circle L, Circle L sent him to foster, then he came to us because he needed a swimming facility to strengthen his rear end. He was abused mentally and crated in a crate too small as he grew. His hind end did not have a chance to develop as he grew. Poor guy was terrified of his own shadow.  We let Charlie "be Charlie" and progress at his own rate.  He became the protector of the fence line and his pack, especially the ladies of the pack (Helen & Muffin). He was such a good boy and never did anything wrong. With the arrival of Oliver, he finally learned to play.  He slowly got comfortable wrestling and playing with his brother.  We also called him the "fun police" or the "hall monitor" as he would shut things down when they started getting out of hand. He had a great time!  Sadly, he developed a hemangiosarcoma on his spleen.  We went forward with a splenectomy, but the tumor was huge when removed.  Charlie made it another five weeks or so and then his time came.  Charlie was a mama's boy and would have done anything for me. Sweet sweet Charlie! 

Run free Big Ben...King of the world.  Another amazing big yellow soul that has taken a huge piece of my heart!  I love you goofy boy.  He thought I was his whole world. ❤️

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Meet Ben....12 y/o labrador unclaimed stray with medical needs.  Welcome to retirement at Dogtree Pines. He was found wandering the streets, we suspect for quite some time, and was never claimed. He had chronic ear infections and had scratched the back of his ears bald. He had a large tumor on his leg, was having difficulty getting up and down and had some really rotten teeth. We were called by a friend, Shirley Culliney, that knows we are a suckers for old labs. We fixed him up and treated his ear infections for about the last nine months. As it turns out, the ear infection on the right ear was caused by a large cancer in the ear canal. Yesterday, he had a total ear canal ablation or TECA, which removes the entire ear canal and closes the ear permanently.  He couldn’t hear much anyway so there was no loss of hearing.  At the same time, we had a growth removed from his rear end. I don’t know what this dogs story is but he is one tough old guy. The surgery really seems to not have phased him. He’s in great spirits and so very happy to be home after a one night stay at the specialty clinic in Scottsdale. These dogs never cease to amaze me. That’s why we do what we do!  A big thank you to his doctors at Harmony Veterinary Care that never stop working to keep my pack healthy: Dr. Tammy Bryant Pauletto (Dr. Love) and Dr. Delia Gregory-Macdonald (Dr. Rubbies) are THE BEST!!!!  We LITERALLY could not do it without you.

I lost my best bud and sidekick yesterday after a long fight with what was most likely a brain tumor. New guy Wittman was mama‘s boy and never wanted me out of his sight. He also has the award for best cuddler. ❤️

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New Guy was dumped mid-summer in a very remote part of Wittmann, Arizona which is outside of Wickenburg. He was posted as a lost dog for several days with no response. It is hot, hot, hot down there and the forecast was for 118 the coming weekend. I jumped in the car that same night and drove to Wickenburg. He has clearly never been an indoor dog and was not very comfortable inside. He’s an old guy about 10 or 12, was intact and had a large bleeding tumor at the base of his tail which was removed when he was altered and found to be benign. Thank God we got him out of this heat and thank you SO much to Tammie in Wittman, AZ for keeping him cool and getting him to rescue! Your efforts saved this sweet boy's life! Since coming to the Pines, New Guy has discovered the beauties of bean bags, counter surfing, & now mom's bed where he has set up shop. When he barks at feeding time, he looks like a platypus. What a funny bunny. He puts a smile on my face everyday, especially in the morning when he's jumping through the air trying to get me to play.

We lost this beautiful angel on Friday. At the ripe old age of 16, his body finally decided it was time. He crossed over very peacefully laying on my lap and chest. He lived his whole life of 15 years with a single owner and then moved homes twice in the last year. I think fate knew it was coming and wanted to share Stig with a few more well deserving people before he left. An amazing dog. If I ever come across another “Portuguese Podengo” he/she will be welcome here in an instant. We were so lucky. ❤️❤️ Fly high sweet Stiggly.

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This cutie patootie, STIG, to Dogtree Pines. Stig's owner was forced to let him go for medical reasons (he was hospitalized indefinitely). Stig was taken to a vet hospital in the valley and was surrendered to a vet tech that took him home. They reached out to me to give STIG his forever home as they were planning a move to Chicago and were worried that Stig would not be able to handle the trip. I put them off for almost six months before the time was right to take him, and I'm really glad I did. He sure is a funny little little guy, but his fits in perfectly at the sanctuary. Stig is a Portugese Padengo Medio, a very rare breed here in the states but he is quite the rabbit hunter in Portugal. Stig is 15 1/2, older than the average life expectancy for his breed. After arriving here, he was diagnosed with a nasal tumor but he doesn't know it. He's as happy as can be, loves meal time, and sleeps on his own personal twin bed (usually shared with New Guy). I can't wait to see his first snow (that we know of anyway). We LOVE Stiggles!