Little Miss Ellie Mae
~ Requiescat In Pace ~
10 November 2003

Little Miss Ellie Mae was brought into the Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter in a malnourished state. After an extensive examination at the Auburn Veterinary School, a malignant tumor was found in her colon, which was causing significant bleeding. We were told there was nothing that could be done for her, except just to keep her comfortable. The bleeding continued, and her condition worsened. It was decided that she had suffered long enough, and her time had come to cross the Rainbow Bridge. She was never a minute’s trouble; and all other problems aside, she just wanted love. Nancy Capps

Miss Jessie Mae
~ Requiescat In Pace ~
2 May 2004

Miss Jessie Mae came to us from the Hartselle, Alabama, shelter. The daughter of the owner, who had Alzheimer’s, took Miss Jessie Mae to the shelter to be put to sleep, thus taking Miss Jessie Mae away from her life-long companion.  Miss Jess Mae was about ten years old then.  Despite her physical disabilities, she loved to play with her toys.  She was quite a spirited little girl and was perhaps the prettiest one we have ever had.  She began having cluster seizures and succummed to acute respiratory failure after putting up quite a fight to hang on right up until the very end. Austin Cooper

Miss Stella Mae
~ Requiescat In Pace ~
8 May 2005

Miss Stella Mae came to us shortly after the passing of Miss Sadie Mae. In fact, the very day that Miss Sadie Mae passed away, the Hammond, Louisiana, shelter received Miss Stella Mae as an owner release, and her resemblance to Miss Sadie Mae was uncanny. I will always believe that their were sisters or mother and daughter. Miss Stella Mae was a wonderful lady who successfully made it through heartworm treatment and lived among many other Boston terriers in a very happy and content manner. Miss Stella Mae had an aneurysm and held on ferociously until the very end. Miss Stella Mae will always be remembered as a strong-willed survivor. Austin Cooper

Miss Tessie Mae
~ Requiescat In Pace ~
30 August 2005

Tessie Mae was an owner's release from the Tuscumbia, Alabama, shelter. She was not a pure-bred Boston terrier and perhaps was part Rat terrier. She was a strong and stubborn gal full of zest and vigor right up until the end. She passed away quietly here at my home after sudden onset of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. Austin Cooper

Belle
~ Requiescat In Pace ~
7 October 2005

Our "Belle" never once showed any aggression or meaness to any one. She was our "living teddy bear", and she even helped raise a stray kitten. She became our special child, and excelled in the area of being of good nature. Somertimes I refered oi her as "Gentel Belle." She died of Lung cancer, which we did not realize she had until it was in its final stages. Ron Baker

Dollymama
~ Requiescat In Pace ~
14 December 2005

Today, Dollymama passed away. Death is never pretty nor appreciated. She had been diagnosed with cancers (mast cell tumors) in October and had been undergoing chemotherapy treatment. I had hoped she would have more time with the chemotherapy and other medications we were giving her, but it just was't meant to be.

Dolly came into my life in the summer of 2004 with her husband and brother, Buster, and their daughter, Joy. Buster was adopted by a woman who then became deeply entrenched in rescueing Bostons herself. He is a happy dog today with Lisa. I kept Dolly—I renamed her Dollymama, as she had a wise and serene face and she was a mama—and her daughter with the intent of fostering her daughter until I found the right home for her and keeping Dollymama as my own. Dolly had been through a good deal of hardship. Her previous owner was an elderly woman who fed them hotdogs and butterscotch candy rather than dog food. They were paper trained, but never went outside. I can only assume that the woman suffered great dementia to care for dogs this way. Not only had they been through this, but Dolly had heartworms as well. I took Dolly through her heartworm treatment, but she had residual scarring from the heartworms that would always give her pulmonary issues. When she first came to me, she was a terrified dog who would hide and growl at me, but she was quick to win over with love and treats (lots of treats!). After the initial time of fear and difficulty, she came to love and trust me implicitly. She always had a growl and a sneer for strangers, but she looked at me with deep, soulful eyes that had all faith in me. I could never let go. She was my dog.

Joy, the daughter, proved to be quite a beastly dog. Maybe being the product of insest has something to do with it, but she is a dog of extreme intelligence and a dominating spirit like none I have ever seen. She defies at every step of the way! She jumps on my desk and knocks everything off; she empties my purse; she pushes other dogs over like bowling pins; and she even poops in her water dish from time to time! It didn‚t take too long to realize, this is not an adoptable dog! So, Joy became part of the herd, too.

As a mother and daughter, they were odd. Sometimes sweet and sticking together, sometimes more like the long suffering Mildred Pierce and her ill-tempered daughter, Vita. But today, when I brought home Dolly's body, Joy was distraught. She is subdued, as are all the dogs tonight; but she seems especially in need of comfort. She knows that Dolly was her moma, that Dolly loved her, and that she is gone.

It is hard to look at the ones you love and know that you will most likely have to say goodbye to all of them in this harshest of departures, but I can say that I would not give up having all the love and good times with those in my life in exchange for forgoing the sorrow of loss.

Please send good thoughts and prayers to Dollymama. She is at peace and in the tender arms of the Lord. May we all have the same reward in the end. Donna Farmer

---