Sophia Goes to the Rainbow Bridge

Jelly Bean became ill on Tuesday and wouldn't eat. A visit to the vet and a chest x-ray showed a likely case of pneumonia, but the vet said she was also displaying neurological symptoms. She'd had pneumonia twice before, including a very severe case last November when she first came to us as a foster. She got fluids & an antibiotic & improved a little. This time she didn't respond to the continued antibiotic. We don't know what the issue was but it was clearly something other than pneumonia. While at Allison's mother's for Thanksgiving, early on Saturday morning, she died in bed between us. 

Last week, Sophia, who we adopted from NEBTR in October, 2012, had a seizure, and then two more. Looking back, we realized she'd been having them in bed, probably for at least two weeks.  She wasn't herself - her behavior changed, she became very restless , walking in circles (always to the left), she started barking, something she almost never did, and it appeared her vision and sense of smell were affected - she had developed cataracts a year or so ago, but she began walking into objects, something she'd never done before). These symptoms are all consistent with a brain tumor. When we got home early yesterday afternoon we took her to our vet and made the difficult decision to euthanize her.

Sophia was a wonderful little dog, who came to us as an 8-year old puppy mill breeder who then pulled through a number of health issues, including mammary tumors, removal of a digit on one of her front paws due to cancer in the nail bed, a hernia operation, Cushing's Disease and inflammatory bowel disease. She got through all of those.

Jelly Bean was a stray from a New York City shelter in Staten Island - her eyes were clouded from corneal endothelial dystrophy and she was always sickly - two bouts with pneumonia, urinary tract infections and a grede 4 heart murmer - she seemed a little "off" in the head, but was a very sweet little girl who liked to sit next to me in my chair while I watched television. 

Allison and I are both very sad and miss the two Bostons very much. We have our Border Terrier, Ringo, and our cat, Lewis, but it's not the same without Sophia and Jelly Bean. Ringo seems to sense something is missing and is looking around wondering where the other two dogs are - he was very gentle with them both - although he's been with us since 2003 Sophia was the queen of the house. 

We are very sad to have lost both our NEBTR girls in one day. It's always hard to lose an animal but it's exponentially harder to lose two on one day. 

Bruce Crelin 




I am so sorry to hear about your losing both Jelly Bean and Sophia.  Losing one of canine family is bad, but two on one day just doesn't seem fair.  Bless you for sharing your home with them, giving them love and attention, and making the right decision in the end not to prolong their suffering.  They died surrounded by love, you made their last years good years, thank you - Jeanne


How awesome for you and Allison to have given both of these girls the best years of their lives.
That's what they knew going over the bridge....
I'm so sorry.

Stacie


I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine the emptiness that is in your home right now. I wish you peace.

Diane
 

Jelly Bean Goes to the Rainbow Bridge

 Jelly Bean and Sophia November 27.


Allison & I had double sadness yesterday, November 28, 2015. Jelly Bean, the Boston Terrier mix we took in as a foster in November, 2014 and subsequently adopted from Northeast Boston Terrier Rescue, died sometime during the early morning hours of Saturday, November 28, 2015. Her “gotcha” day was November 17, 2014. A little over a year ago she was a stray, pulled from a New York City shelter on Staten Island. I saw a photo of her from “Death Row Dogs,” in a NEBTR appeal, standing in a pen in the City shelter, looking very frightened and sad, and Allison & I decided to apply to foster her. We were away in Gettysburg, PA on the day she was to be pulled from the shelter, so another NEBTR volunteer got her from Staten Island. After driving home for Gettysburg in a torrential downpour, I then drove down to Monmouth County to pick up Jelly Bean. She had been fine when she came out of the shelter, but the day after we got her home she became lethargic & stopped eating. We took her to our vet, who took x-rays & diagnosed her with an enlarged heart and congestive heart failure, recommending we immediately take her to a veterinary cardiologist. We did this, and a cardiac ultrasound and echocardiogram showed she did NOT have these conditions (although she did have a grade 4 heart murmur). She did, however, have a severe case of pneumonia, which was successfully treated with antibiotics. Her eyes were cloudy, as well, and she was diagnosed by a veterinary ophthalmologist as suffering from corneal endothelial dystrophy, which we kept under control with sodium chloride ointment. 

Once she got over her health issues, we discovered she was a barker! Loud, high-pitched “yip-yip-yips,” lifting her two front paws in the air with every “yip.” We managed to get that somewhat under control, but she always barked! She was always fairly sickly, and went through another bout of pneumonia in June. She also seemed to be a little “not quite right” in the head, but she was very sweet. She liked to sit next to me in my chair while I watched television, and she loved “Cheez-Its” (only 2 or 3, once in awhile). She got sick again on Tuesday November 24th and stopped eating – we took her to our vet, who gave her some i.v. fluids and nutrition, took a chest x-ray and diagnosed another probable case of pneumonia, but also stated there appeared to be some neurological impairment, as well as low blood sugar. He gave her an antibiotic injection and a prescription for tablets. Her condition seemed much as it did the last two times she suffered from a bout of pneumonia – she refused food but was drinking water, and was receiving a concoction three times a day to keep her blood sugar up. However, this time she did not respond to the antibiotics. 

Allison and I went to bed on the night of Friday, November 27th, with Jelly Bean under the covers between us (she was an “under the covers” dog) & Sophia, our other Boston who we adopted from NEBTR, on the foot of the bed. She was breathing a little heavily, but did not seem much worse than she had been over the past several days. Allison woke me up at around 1:30 Saturday morning to say that Jelly Bean had stopped breathing. I lay in bed, unable to sleep, and finally got up around 2:45, wrapped her little body in a blanket and put it in her little pink bed. We took her body to the vet that afternoon to have her cremated. I wondered what her story was, why she was a stray and why her owner never tried to find her at the shelter – I suspect she was deliberately abandoned. She was a very cute little thing, and ended up as my goofy little dog. I include a photo of Jelly Bean, taken about 2 weeks ago, of her sitting in my chair. Coming along with the loss of our other Boston Terrier, Sophia, Saturday afternoon, this one was especially hard to take.

Troy Aikman in His Forever Home

Troy Aikman, now Freddy Mayo is happy this holiday time warm and snug with his forever family. :)

Posted by Northeast Boston Terrier Rescue on Sunday, 29 November 2015

Sunday Sunday

Good morning! I love the weekends because my foster mom can sit and relax with me. She drinks her coffee and I get snuggles and petsHappy Saturday!!

Posted by NEBTR Zoey Virtual Foster on Saturday, November 21, 2015

Is it Monday?

Hi everyone! Is it Monday yet?

Posted by NEBTR Pangya Virtual Foster on Sunday, November 22, 2015

Happy Birthday Beanie

Happy birthday to our Beanie with the wonderful smile. Pupcakes later for everybody. Happy tenth, old man.

Joan Stark

Happy Gotcha Day Goldie

It was a year ago today that I met a gentleman who was surrendering his parents dog. I picked up this little girl to foster but knew I had fallen in love with this tiny thirteen years old peanut. Goldie you have brought so much joy to our house. Happy gotcha day.

Joan Stark

Pinky Goes to the Rainbow Bridge

Very sad to report that NETBR alum Pinky passed suddenly this morning after living with mast cell cancer for two years. She was happy and bouncing right up to a few hours before she left us. We will miss her so much, she made us smile every day.

Janet Pierpont

Little Bit is Thankful

Little bit wanted to share a quick picture to show how thankful he is this holiday weekend to NEBTR and all of its supporters and volunteers for giving him a wonderful foster family to make him feel safe and comfortable. He wears his love on his head for all to see.

Kristen Peterson



Kristen, that marking is just precious.  He's so lucky to be with you.