Griffin has been a great addition to the family. He is a total ball hound and loves to play fetch. He has been great with the kids and after a day of playing likes to snuggle on the couch. Griffin is a super dog and we appreciate all the work GSP Care does to make sure the dog is right for you and your family.
- Greg & Jenny (Chagrin Falls, OH)
We adopted Shorty (renamed Wyatt) and he instantly became a beloved member of our family. Our little girls (ages 5 and 2) are especially affectionate with him. Wyatt is literally the most gentle and tolerant dog we have ever met. He has the sweetest personality – with just the right dose of ornery. Wyatt is very smart and well behaved (when he is not being ornery). J He loves going to the dog park to chase tennis balls and swim!
I want to give big kudos to Adriana for doing such a wonderful job of matching the right dog to the right home. Wyatt is our third rescue, but our first GSP. What a wonderful breed! Wyatt is a PERFECT fit for us! I have attached a few photos of Wyatt with our girls so you can see for yourselves how well he has transitioned into our family. Thanks!
- Rachel & John (Gahanna, OH)
First I must explain how we were first introduced to GSPs. Shortly after getting married in 1995, good friends of ours discovered a stray GSP living near their home. After taking care of him and thinking they had placed him, he was returned to them by his “new” family. This is where we came in. After I picked him up for a test drive and had gone down the road a mile or two, I considered returning him. He was like a bouncing super ball in the car. Well, we did not return him and Kramer became our special boy for the next 14 years. Losing him in 2009 due to health reasons was heartbreaking. The depression was more than we ever could have ever imagined. We were sure we could not have another GSP because we thought we would always be comparing him to Kramer, a very high standard to live up to. Thankfully we reconsidered and a few months later we brought Obie into our home.
Obie participated in the cell-dog program and the GSP Ohio group were wonderful through the whole process. He has the typical GSP attitude (demanding “it’s all about me!”, vanity, plotting, entertaining) which we absolutely love. A perfect day involves breakfast, a walk/swim/fish, healthy treats, a ride in the truck, another walk or a run, dinner, more treats before going down for the day on top of one of us covered up. We absolutely love him! He makes us feel good. He also is wonderful with our 14 year old H57, Perkins. We are thrilled Obie chose us as his forever home. I often say GSP’s are smarter than most people I know, and I mean it. GSP’s forever!
- Carrie and Greg (Massillon, OH)
In September 2000 we adopted a precious little female GSP from you. Her name was Von Darby’s Heidi and she quickly became the queen of the house and we loved her very much. It is with great sadness in our hearts that we write this letter to inform you our little Heidi went to heaven on the 14th of October 2011. She was exactly 16 years and 4 months old that day.
We still remember what you told us the day we picked her up. You stated that she was a “Diamond in the Rough” and would be a very active little girl, you have no idea how right you were. My job in the military required us to move across the country several times as well as for me to deploy and be away from the house for extended periods. Heidi was my wife’s constant companion, friend, watch dog, protector, exercise partner, snuggle buddy and just a joy to have in our home.
Whenever we were traveling, Heidi would sit in the back seat and just watch the world go by without a care because she was with her forever family. While on the road we would stop at Arby’s because that was her favorite restaurant, and get her a roast beef sandwich which we would feed to her being careful not to lose a finger in the process. She was a real chow hound, she loved to eat and never missed a meal which is one of the ways we were able to train her as well as win her confidence and gain her trust. Heidi was a smart little girl she would walk up to you and bark as if she needed to go outside, so when we would get up to let her out she would run over to the closet where we keep all of the dog treats. As Heidi grew older and we needed to give her medicine, she figured out that we were hiding pills in her treats so we went through the entire spectrum of treats (every dog treat we could buy, Oreo cookies, hot dogs, pizza crust, peanut butter, pasta noodles and yes e ven steak) anything to get pills in to her. She was a friendly girl; in fact she shared her home with 2 other GSP’s, Hans Von Wine Stube, (Ellie) Eloise Von Hohenzollern, and a little rowdy coonhound named Buddy.
Heidi constantly patrolled her yard against all intruders (squires and birds) and she was a very active girl until her last 6 months when we noticed that her hind quarter was getting weak, she was slowing down, sleeping more and losing her appetite. We were concerned and thought it was just old age but being the concerned GSP parents that we are, we took her to the Vet just to be sure. After several trips and lots of tests and medicine she finally let us know she was tired and no longer willing to fight. In the end there was nothing we could do other than love her and make her comfortable as the cancer robbed us of our little girl. We did not want her to be in pain or suffer so we asked the Vet to put her to sleep. She went to heaven in my wife’s arms and afterward we brought her home and buried in her back yard under a peach tree so she could be with her family. So every morning we drink coffee with Heidi under her tree as we think of her patrolling her yard and pro tecting her family against all the evil squires of the world.
We just wanted to drop you a note to thank you for the precious gift and joy you allowed to come into our lives, we think of her often and she is missed very much. In this Letter you will find a donation in Heidi’s name please use the money to help another “Diamond in the Rough” find a forever family. Again thank you very much for all of the years of happiness by allowing our little Heidi to be a part of our family.
Sincerely,
John and Susan
Hans, Ellie and Buddy
Etta (formerly Sparkle) was adopted from rescue approximately a week after we had to say goodbye to our beloved GSP, Duncan (also from Rescue). She was from a litter of pups from Kentucky. We were convinced by my college bound daughter that a puppy was just what we needed to get us out of the doldrums! She has more than fulfilled that purpose. Amazingly, Etta has a personality quirk or habit, that is exactly like one from our many previous GSPs that we have had over the last 25 years. She is a delightful, smart, cuddly girl. She is spoiled rotten and loving it! I hope to do therapy work with her, as she is very people oriented and attentive to emotions. My father is a widower and she sticks by his side and makes him smile whenever we are at his house. Had I known, I would have taken two puppies from this litter, she is just that wonderful to own! Thank you GSPCare of Ohio for all the work that you do and the attention to detail you demand to make sure prospective owners and dogs are closely matched!
- Annette (Pittsburgh, PA)
Our “JC” was adopted through GSP Care of Ohio in 2003. He was sweet as could be. He loved running around the big yard with his “brother” golden retriever Henry (who passed in 2007). Another of his favorite buddies was a possum who visited the bird feeders. JC never quite got the hang of riding quietly in the car because he would get too excited about going somewhere. In 2007 he lost vision in one eye to glaucoma, then became completely blind in 2009. Despite his disability, JC was an amazing little guy who continued to live a happy life with his family. As long as he could stretch out on his back on his favorite sofa and take long walks outside, he thought life was good. He blessed us with his company for 8 years. We lost him to congestive heart failure in June 2011 and miss him terribly. But we believe he is running and playing and seeing once again while he waits for us at the rainbow bridge.
After losing our 14 year GSP, we were looking for a dog to help us heal our hearts. I called Pam Kennedy and she suggested Duncan who was in rescue and 3 years old. My teenage daughter was really struggling with our recent dog lost. When we went to see Duncan, he ran right up to her like they were old friends. We knew our fate was sealed. He had boundless energy and a zest for life. He was impetuous, demanding, entertaining and we loved him deeply, He provided endless hours of entertainment and comfort. He was a beautiful boy, and he knew it. He loved to dress up for Halloween and Christmas. His main passion was attempting to remove all rocks from Lake Erie. He spent hours digging in the water, carefully plucking them out and placing them on the beach. Then when he was 9, my son, who jogged with him, noticed that he didn’t quite keep up the way he once had. After a vet exam and X-ray, we discovered that his lungs were full of cancer. Within a month, we were forced to say our final goodbyes. This brave boy took it all with dignity and grace. About two weeks after his passing, I was driving and missing him terribly wondering why he was taken so soon, when I saw a woman walking a very elderly lab slowly up the street. He was very gray and hobbled, and it occurred to me that Duncan would have been miserable as an old feeble dog. His vanity, charm and endearing personality had always attracted people to him, and I smiled. I believe his mission for the six years we were blessed to have him was to remind us that you have to embrace life everyday like it may be your last. Duncan we thank you for choosing us!
We adopted Samuel in August 2011. We were looking for a very specific dog who would be perfect for our six-year old alpha female shorthair, Maxine. Rescue was very careful to place us with the right dog and it has been the perfect match. We lost our other dog, Checkers, to a brain tumor in July, so there was a very deep void in our family. As you can see from the picture of Samuel and Maxine, Maxine has found a new best friend and so have we! Samuel truly is a big hunk of love and I have said from the time we picked him up in Ohio that I had to ask who rescued who?! Adrianna told me that she knew they had placed Samuel with the right family because when he got in our car to come home with us, he never looked back…..and neither have we…..we all are together for a reason and are happy to say that Samuel is at his forever home!!! Thanks again to all of the great people at GSP Care of Ohio…you all are amazing!!!
- Stephanie (Vandergrift, PA)
Shortly after moving to Ohio we lost our first GSP to kidney failure, We were devastated, but we needed a dog to make our family complete. When we contacted GSP Care of Ohio, we were told that a great dog had recently been received and was being fostered while he was being treated for heartworm. Olliie’s foster mom described exactly what we were looking for. When we talked to the vet, she described how he trotted around the exam room playing with a towel despite the fact that he was sick with heartworm and significantly underweight. That is why GSPs are our breed. Such amazing spirit! We brought him home in January of 2005 and he has been an integral part of our family ever since. He helped us through the loss of our first dog and while we gave him his forever home, he truly rescued us! We are so grateful to GSP Care of Ohio for giving Ollie a second chance. We could not imagine our lives without him!
- Beth (Hudson, OH)
After losing our 14.5 yr old male GSP (a former rescue that we fostered and then adopted through this group) we were fortunate to find Eli Biscuit through this site and by working with the wonderful volunteers that lead this organization. “Biscuit” was found late in 2008, alone, critically ill, and severely underweight. A kind and generous city employee got him to the right place where this group could heal this big lovey’s body and heart. He was then placed into a loving foster home where he re-learned how to be a social dog. His temperament, behaviors and attitude were evaluated, so that when we went to visit him with his soon to be sister “Rita” and my children, I knew exactly what to expect. We took him home a week later. He has continued to be a healthy happy dog, and an incredible watch dog for the children when they play outside. Though he loves sunning by the front door and an occasional counter surfing adventure, he loves being with his family most of all. Sneaking under the covers of the master bed at night is his favorite prank. There is not a more grateful, kind, dog soul out there, and we are forever lucky to have him with us!
- Melanie (Plymouth, MI)