In Loving Memory Of Hershey
Bill and Hershey
Some dogs come to the California GSP Rescue with wounds we can see, like broken bones or diseases, and some come with different kinds of wounds, emotional ones that often manifest as behavioral issues like Hershey. We don’t always know the root cause of what happened in the past, or if the behaviors were a result of being abandoned by those they loved and trusted. Regardless, if the wound is visible or not, at the rescue, we strive to heal all of the wounds to the best of our ability. Such was the case with Hershey.
When the rescue learned that Hershey was struggling with these issues, he was placed with a foster family where he began his path toward healing by learning to control his impulses, and after some time, the prognosis looked very good for Hershey. With a lot of little things done consistently over time, changes for Hershey were not only possible, but they happened in even the short amount of time he was with his foster family. Spending time with Hershey and helping him reach his potential, was so rewarding. To watch him thrive in a home that provided him with a consistent schedule, set of rules, lots of exercise, love and patience, and of course, an ample supply of treats!
Bill and Tammy came out to the rescue 3 times to visit Hershey. They visited with Hershey and his foster family for 3 hours. They took Hershey for a bike ride and a walk and they spent a lot of time in the field together. They both ran him through some commands. They gave him treats, but made him wait for them - which he complied with very well after the first couple of tries. They worked with him on sit and stay and heel - he did great with each of them.
They were open to visiting a Veterinary Behaviorist to help them with Hershey, and we could see that Bill and Tammy were very capable and completely committed to help Hershey become the the dog he was meant to be. In January of 2016, Bill and Tammy adopted Hershey, and made him a part of their family.
“I don’t know where to begin. Mine and Tammy’s hearts are still empty. Just about 5 ½ years ago, we lost our beautiful 11 month old GSP to an undetected heart murmur. He was our second GSP, after we had our first one for 15 years. We decided we could not stand the pain of losing another GSP, so, loving the breed, we felt we would volunteer at the California GSP rescue. Little did we know that, after several times at the rescue, we would get adopted by Hershey. We can’t believe that it was 5 years ago. He was a very energetic and crazy kind of dog. To us, he was gentle, loving and “VELCRO”. We were told that he had issues, and was “challenging”. Well, we accepted the challenge and loved every minute of it. We can never thank Lisa, Cindy and Andrea for trusting us with this beautiful boy.
Hershey quickly learned the lay of the land at our house, as well as all of our family. His first day at his forever home, he proudly sat and watched the Westminster Dog Show as GSP CJ won. He gladly welcomed everyone of my family into the house whenever they visited, but had issues with people he didn’t know. With the help of a great neighbor, we worked with Hershey to accept everyone into the house that we allowed in. Although he was eight years old, his instinct to hunt never left. It just changed from birds to lizards.
Hershey loved going to the dog beach where he was allowed to run free with all the other dogs and chase his ball out into the surf. On the way home, was usually a stop at one of his favorite places, a restaurant with outdoor seating and dog treats. He would love long walks with Tammy, 5-6 miles even after he hit the 12 year old mark. We only had Hershey for about a week when Tammy found out how much he loved walks. She told him they were going for a walk before she was ready to go. Well, while she was making her last potty stop before going on the walk, Hershey decided that he didn’t want her sneaking out of that hidden room, so Hershey started scratching the door and barking, so much so that Tammy called me on the phone and said I had to get home because Hershey had her trapped in the bathroom . Those were the little hurdles we worked through, and the memories we now miss so much. He loved being around the swimming pool, although he never went in. He would just run around and bark whenever we were in the pool.
Hershey went by several names ,,, Hershey, Hersh, Bubba and Tammy’s favorite was lumpy-bumpy.
In January, Hershey developed a large hard lump around his tail. While he had several large lumps for years, they were non-invasive. This one, however , was not. It was removed and the prognosis was that we hopefully gave him another year, but it would probably return. Unfortunately, the cancer tumor returned fast and multiplied. We tried several options, but on April 3, he was in too much pain. It is never an easy decision, but Hershey is now over the rainbow bridge with all his old friends from the rescue. We love you Hershey.
RIP our best friend,
Hershey Jan. 2016 – April 2021
All of our hearts are heavy here at the rescue as we learned the news that Hershey passed away. We are very grateful to Bill and Tammy for their commitment and love for Hershey. We couldn’t have asked for a better family who were completely devoted to provide Hershey the life he deserved.
