IN MEMORIAM

Lili
In Loving Memory of Chickadee/Lili. She was originally named Chickadee and joined our family on May 8, 2022. We renamed her Lili, and she quickly became such a special part of our family. She was a beautiful tortoiseshell, estimated to be three months and one day old at the time of adoption. Tragically, on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, Lili suddenly became disoriented, started circling, and collapsed. Within moments, she passed away. We rushed to the vet, where they suggested it could have been an undetected heart condition. She had shown no prior signs of illness, making this loss even more devastating for our family. Lili was more than a pet—she was an instant family member, a best friend, and a source of pure joy. She will be missed dearly.

Cleo
"On February 2, 2013, I adopted Cleo from Last Day Dog Rescue. She was a 16 yr. old deaf and partially blind Lhasa Apso. Over the past 2 1/2 years Cleo traveled to the Chicago area, FL, and the U.P. She enjoyed many new adventures. In the past year she started having seizures and her arthritis worsened. Even with medication she steadily went downhill. On Tuesday, August 18, 2015, Cleo crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She is terribly missed but I know she is in a better place and no longer in pain.

Adopting a senior special needs dog was the best thing I have ever done. She was a loving companion and will always be remembered with love." - Sheron (Cleo's loving owner)

Tanner
Tanner was an 11 year old hound mix. He definitely had a hound mentality. He loved his walks, just trotting along to his own tune. And he wanted to make all the decisions about which direction we were going. Tanner loved to wake me in the morning with both feet in my chest or face. Then he would lay his head down on my chest. He just loved having his ears scratched. He loved to talk to you when he wanted something. He started out with quiet husky whines and worked up to loud insistent hound barks. Tanner had been on his own for 19 months before coming to LDDR. His owner became ill and was hospitalized. Tanner was supposed to have a care taker but was neglected, having no shelter, food and water. So for the past two and a half months Tanner had shelter, food and people around him who cared about him.

Annice "Rosie"
Annice was rescued from a shelter in Ohio that considered her to old to be adopted. She came to LDDR because we knew she had love to give and that even old dogs need homes. She earned the nick name Rosie from her first foster and it definitely fit her rose colored view of the world. Every person was a new friend, and every dog a new playmate! She loved rolling in grass, and she did so whenever she found a good patch in the sun. She was a very easy foster, it seemed that she was just grateful for a warm bed and people to keep company. Rosie developed a cough and deteriorated rapidly despite medication. It is suspected she died of heart failure. She died in the early afternoon almost as soon as she returned home. She passed peacefully with love surrounding and encouraging her. She was a sweet and wonderful companion, I'm honored to have shared her heart.

Levi
Levi loved playing ball, getting belly rubs, giving kisses, and cuddling on the sofa. He loved car rides and was great with all cats and dogs.  He is missed by his foster she says “He was so good with our family and didn't give us any trouble. We loved him and he loved us.”

Cami
To those that joined in our journey this past year, the journey that was Cami, I thank you. Cami came to us starved, abused, broken. In the time we had her Cami learned to trust- trust that there was always going to be food, that the touch of a hand did not have to be cruel and hurtful but could be gentle and loving. She learned that belly rubs were the best thing next to food. Cami learned the joys of a squeaky toy, a green dinosaur squeaky toy. She learned that she liked to sleep in our bed next to my husband not leaving room for me. Cami learned to live and was loved. She was loved fiercely. God speed my special girl, you were loved.

Esmerelda
Esmerelda, a 10 year old Chow, came from a shelter in Northern Michigan. The shelter asked for a rescue to take her due  to possible Cushings disease. LDDR stepped in. She did have cushings and also thyroid disease. Her cushings was advanced.  She was easy to love and enjoyed having her ears and head scratched. I would have gladly become her forever mom but she detereorated quickly after only a few months and traveled over the Rainbow Bridge. She is sorely missed

Kate
Kate, a 10 year old hound mix, came to LDDR from Ohio. She was very emaciated and had skin and fur issues. In her foster home she gained weight and the fur on her spine grew back. She was a sweet gentle girl who loved to sleep on a soft pillow. She also gave her foster mom lots of kisses. Unfortunately, the poor care in her early life led her to cross the Rainbow Bridge after just months in our care, but she was loved and knew kindness in the end.

Miranda
Miranda was a gentle, sweet, older chocolate lab who was well loved by shelter volunteers. Before arriving at LDDR, Miranda needed to make a stop at a vet office where she could have some tumors removed and her Entropian corrected. Due to her serious situation, a specialized surgeon had to be called in to operate. Sadly, we had to make the decision to either let her go, or spend her final days in pain. We’re sorry to say that Miranda is no longer with us, but hopefully now is at peace and knows that so many of us were already starting to love her without having met her.

Autumn
Autumn came to LDDR from a shelter in Michigan, where the volunteers begged for someone to help her. It was apparent she was a stray for quite some time, and she also had a lipoma and tumors on her body. She was the sweetest girl, however, and according to Donna C, her foster mother, never complained or showed anything but kindness. Despite vet care and lots of attention, it was her time. We are comforted by the fact that she knew love and a warm home in her last days.

Shep
Shep was a gentle, sweet and loving senior who got along well with other dogs. Picked up as a stray in a park by the highway, the warden at the shelter felt sure that he was dumped. The shelter begged for Shep to get saved and that he deserved a retirement home, not death at the hands of strangers at a shelter. He was a good boy and will be sorely missed!

Pierre
Pierre was an 11 year old Poodle who was rescued from Oakland County, when they sent out a plea for a rescue or adopter. Pierre was diagnosed as having bone cancer and heartworm, both of which are fatal. Due to his having both conditions, neither one was able to be treated aggressively. Pierre only had a short time left with us, but became a beloved member of his foster family.

Mr. Wigglesworth
This wonderful dog got his name because he was so happy he just wiggled and smiled all of the time. "Wolf" or Mr. Wigglesworth developed canine degenerative myelopathy in August 2013 and had been going down hill until he could no longer walk or get up. The vet said he really looked around 13 yrs of age and it was time for him to go in peace. He will be missed in the rescue and was a good dog. He was buried with some of his toys next to Wilkes at foster Dan's parents place under the crab apple tree looking towards the home to watch over them.

Sloan
Sloan, a 4 year old beagle, was rescued from a shelter, after she was used for backyard breeding. She was never socialized properly and never knew what a really loving home was. Afterward, they gave her to a shelter that sells their dogs for chemical research. Sloan's foster mom Cindy spent all night with Sloan, took her to the vet, got her up to date with everything, nails clipped, bath and some serious cuddles. However, the next day, Sloan somehow escaped the fenced-in backyard. Despite numerous attempts by Last Day Dog Rescue volunteers to find and catch her, she spent two and a half weeks on the run and was ultimately found deceased near a major freeway. While she was out and about Cindy hopes she had an adventure of a life time and got to chase as many bunnies as she wanted and to live by her own beagle rules.

Wilkes
Wilkes was a 10 year old GSP owner surrender who joined LDDR in January 2013 with no known health issues except being "senior". Visiting the Baker College Vet Tech Program in February, Wilkes was going as an extra dog to do x-rays on when they discovered a grapefruit-sized mass in his stomach too close to his lungs and heart to operate. Given 2 weeks - 2 months to live, he moved into hospice care with weekly vet visits and nearly 24-hour observation. He lived out his last few months in peace until he passed away in late April 2013.

Cookie
Cookie was a 12 year old GSP who was very sweet and loved to be petted and go for walks. She spent February 2011 to April 2012 in our rescue. Cookie was diagnosed with Cushing's and Diabetes Insipidus, making her shake and wobble while walking. Despite having to take costly medication through the end of her days, she always shared her love freely with her caregivers and is sorely missed.

Little Man
When he first came to our rescue in March 2011, Little Man had to have an eye removed and all but 3 teeth due to the poor condition he was left at the shelter in. A 9 year old "senior" Shih Tzu, Little Man was a great little companion. That September, he had to have his other eye removed, rendering him both blind and deaf. Still, he did pretty well moving around, considering his circumstances. Little Man left us in December 2011 but we remember how he loved walks and laying on his caregiver's lap.

Madame
Madame was a two year old cat who came into our rescue as the shelter was becoming overfull and needed to make space. She began quickly losing weight and was diagnosed as having kidney failure. She was put on a special diet and had to have her weight monitored at all times. Due to Madame's condition she lived out her life with her foster family and had all her medical needs provided for by Last Day Dog Rescue.

Tia
Failure Tia came to LDDR from a lady that tried to do a nice thing and take in a pregnant cat. Tia was unfortunately pushed out of the way by her siblings so she was very tiny. At 9 weeks old she was the size of a 4 week old kitten. Tia was so easy to fall in love with. She loved to run around the house with the resident cats and other foster kittens. She had a big personality up until the end. When we found her sick, we rushed her to the vet but it was too late. Our tiny girl's heart just couldn't keep up, her heart was calcified and my heart was broken. We only fostered her two weeks before she passed and even now I am still devastated by the loss of this beautiful girl. But Tia made a difference in this world, friends have told me they see black cats through different eyes now. And to honor Tia we will be adopting a black cat in memory of her. Her life was short but she made a difference. We will never forget our angel girl.