Although I only knew Shana for a short time after rescuing her as a senior dog I was touched by her sweet and docile nature. She was rescued from a No-Kill shelter in West Los Angeles. I am used to rescuing older dogs, sick dogs and even the occasional puppies and sometimes even healthy dogs. I was not accustomed to the thought that this beautiful dog was living in a shelter and had to come to her aid. She was a 15 year old lab Shepherd mix and was very sweet and docile. I knew that she would most likely not live very long but I had to make her last moments on earth good ones. She had terrible arthritis but never "complained" and was always happy to see me - I was inspired by her tenacity to walk and hop along even though the pain must have been terrible for her - I tried to make her remaining time with us as comfortable as possible for she had a tough long life -
This is why I called Dr. Forslund when the time came for Shana to pass - Dr. Forslund had helped me take my first dog over the bridge and the experience for me and the rest of my pack was incredibly natural and peaceful. I am not afraid of dealing with death but am most concerned with quality of life for animals. Dr. Forslund helped me through several passings and I came to realize this is not something to be afraid of, especially with her kindness and compassion during the process. My other dogs understood exactly what was happening and this helped them adjust to her passing. This is the nicest, most unselfish thing you can do for your beloved pet and Dr. Forslund is so extremely compassionate and helpful with the passing and grieving process that you will instantly know you have done the right thing.
The heart has tremendous capacity to love and love again after loss. Please find it in your heart to consider a rescue animal and giving them the love you have left in your heart, it's in there, lots of it.
Linda Muggli