In Loving Memory Of Humphrey

Humphrey came into the rescue with an injury that had been untreated. We had x-rays done by our vet, and it showed he had several pieces of metal in his leg that looked to be buckshot.When Carolyn applied to adopt a companion for she and her GSP, Chelsea, we introduced her to Humphrey. She looked beyond the slight gimp he had in his hip, and instead, saw an easy going and amazing dog. It was unconditional love at first sight, and Humphrey became part of the family.We recently received the very sad news that Carolyn lost her beloved Humphrey. Our hearts are heavy, but we are so thankful to Carolyn for giving him such a wonderful life. Carolyn was kind enough to share their love story with us. "With some dogs, your relationship grows over time. Others walk straight into your heart as if they know that’s where they belong. That was Humphrey.And what was not to love about him? Cheerful, humorous, and endlessly good-natured, he liked everyone and if they didn’t like him back (as ill-tempered dogs sometimes didn’t) his reaction never went beyond a mild disappointment. His motto seemed to be “A soft answer turneth away wrath,” and this even worked with his original sister Chelsea. She tried so hard to pick a fight with him when he first arrived, only to be quickly defeated by his wagging tail and an expression which seemed to say “I know we’re going to be friends.”He loved toys, treats, walks. . . and fresh fruits and vegetables. He ate a whole bowl of plums once, and routinely stripped the low-hanging apples off my tree.  And let’s just say that planting a tomato in an accessible spot was a silly idea. In fact he loved all food--mealtimes were a circus of hopping and spinning like a dervish as I tried to get the bowl to him without being knocked down. (I know, I’m a bad owner.)Especially as he grew older, he wasn’t shy about voicing his opinions. He would bark at me when displeased, for example, if I tried to close the bathroom door, but his primary means of communication was the whine. Happy? He whined. Sad? He whined. Want something? He whined. He would even whine softly with joy when I hugged him, burrowing into my arms and wagging his tail furiously.In fact, he seemed to have concluded that a judicious combination of whining and tail-wagging would get him whatever he wanted, and it pretty much did.Goodbye my handsome man...  If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever.I will always be grateful to the Rescue for saving him and then choosing me to be his mom".