Fafi
1) We found Fafi as she was being turned in to an animal shelter. She had quite obviously been terribly abused—her front teeth had very recently been kicked in and were loose and bleeding. She was already elderly (between 9 and 10 years of age). We couldn't then, and still cannot, understand how people can be so cruel to those who depend on them. When we took her to our vet to treat her injuries, we learned that she had Cushing's Disease, which was caused by cancer! We placed Fafi on chemotherapy, which kept the Cushing's at bay for several years. Dogs with such serious health problems, as well as older dogs, are often unadoptable, so we adopted Fafi into our hearts and our family, and she lived in hospice care with us for several years, until her death from the Cushing's Disease. Like all of our Shelties, Fafi was held in loving arms as she crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Lady
2) Lady was a full sister (from a different litter) of another Sheltie, Annie, who had come into our lives (Annie was planned). Lady had been very badly abused (beaten, chained to a toilet) and came to us with serious emotional problems, including signs of autism or schizophrenia. She was so sensitive to certain noises, like the telephone, microwave, and even staplers, that we realized she was not adoptable, so we adopted her ourselves. She lived with us until her death in 2002 from lung cancer (ironically, her sister Annie died of lung cancer less than a year earlier). In spite of her sometimes noisy response to the noises she didn't like, Lady was a fantastic, loving companion to us and to our other dogs (including the constant parade of rescue Shelties passing through) and to our cat. We miss her terribly.

Pixel
3) That adorable bi-color ("bi-black") Sheltie to the left is Pixel (her AKC registered name was "Daryl's Black N White Pixel"). Shortly after Pixel's 11th birthday (in 2002), she was turned over to an animal shelter by owners who said that they were unable to keep her after they moved. This was at least the second time in Pixel's life that she had been turned over to an animal shelter! We rescued Pixel and began a program to restore her spirits and tend to her badly sun-damaged coat. Pixel's right foreleg appeared to have been damaged, possibly even broken, as she stood somewhat bowlegged and exhibited a slight sensitivity in that leg. Pixel was incredibly loving and affectionate and had a fabulous personality—in fact, we frequently told her that she was "pixel perfect"! One snuggle and kiss, and everyone agreed that she was as "pixelicious" as we thought she was. Unfortunately, we learned that Pixel had Cushing's Disease (or some other disease that seemed likely to cause her increasing deterioration). Because of this, we concluded that Pixel was not adoptable and we placed her into hospice care. She lived the life of luxury in our home that such a wonderful Sheltie deserves. Sadly, Pixel's health problems, including (definitely) Cushings Disease, finally overwhelmed her powerful spirit. We released this lovely and loving little 12½-year-old girl from her suffering at the end of January, 2004, holding her in our arms and whispering how much we loved her. Our home will not be the same without Pixel to remind us when it's time to get up, to go outside, and (most importantly, of course) to eat!

Laddie
4) Laddie was turned over to us by his Mom, who realized that she did not have the time to spend with him and that he deserved a better life than being left to himself all day. In the course of our usual medical workup, we discovered that Laddie was in the late stages of chronic kidney disease and had weeks — possibly only days — left. Laddie also appeared to have brain damage from some incident early in his life, before his relinquishing Mom got him. Laddie often felt very ill and had little appetite, but he was a fantastic little soccer player! He would find his soccer ball (smaller than regulation, but still fairly large) and bring it to us with a combination of head and front leg maneuvers. What a trooper! We are very sad to report that Laddie's condition deteriorated so much that, at the end of December, 2003, we took him to our veterinarian so that he could be relieved of his suffering while we held him in our arms. Laddie, we will miss you!

Josh
5) Josh was a sweet, handsome boy with a wonderful personality. His former home was sorry to have to let him go, but it was unavoidable, so Sheltie Rescue of Utah sought the perfect home for him. And a wonderful family showed up to adopt Josh and share love and devotion with him for the rest of his life. Josh loved to play, but he was tentatively diagnosed with mild Von Willebrand's Disease, which meant that even slight injuries might cause him to bleed significantly. Josh had only two bleeding events in his life, neither one life-threatening. His new home was aware of these possibilities and gave him the medical care he needed. Tragically, in January, 2004, Josh turned up missing from his new home. After several weeks of frantic searching, Josh's body was found (in late February), this beautiful boy having been deliberately killed (by humans). The horror of this situation causes us all pain and Sheltie Rescue of Utah offered a reward for the apprehension and conviction of those responsible for his death. Unfortunately, the killers were never found.