Letters

Christopher and Hooch

Christopher wrote a lovely letter to us when Hooch was about to leave him. It touched us dearly. Please take the time to look at his letter and the pictures of Chris with Hooch and Beau. Rescue does more than save the lives of dogs, it also enriches and sometimes saves the lives of us too. Read Hooch’s Story.

Ian’s Letter

Hello Lucy,

This is Ian. It’s been a long while since I last spoke to you but thankfully you are still running the mastiff rescue program. Unfortunately it is on a sad note that I am writing you, but I’m sure being as connected to this breed as you are, you will know my feelings.

About two months ago Sebastian was bloated, not eating, and having trouble breathing. The first thing that we did was take him to our vet. My mom being a nurse had a sinking feeling of knowing the problem, and the vet reassured it. Sebastian was diagnosed with CHF, Dilated cardiomyopathy. A hit hard to take but sobering none the less. Allowing us to know that we can no longer take him for granted and that we must spend as much time as possible with him because there is no telling how long he has left.

We put him on all the meds we could to help combat the symptoms of the CHF. They all helped a great deal and he was almost back to his old self, the constant search for food and attention. We spent most of the time together going on walks and trips to the farm I work with in Kennett Square, PA. Plenty of grass to roll in and scents to smell.

Last night my mother called me to let me know that Sebastian’s breathing had taken a turn for the worst. She wasn’t sure if he was going to make it through the night. As I pulled my car up to the house she was sitting with him on the porch. It was clear something was wrong but he still managed to perk up when he saw me walking up. His breathing was worse than before and he seemed to know that this will be his last few hours. Being later in the night there was no vets open to see him though there may not of been anything they could of done. I sat with him for nearly 3 hours getting him to relax and calming his breathing. He managed to walk with me across the street to lay in the grass by the creek, one of places we frequently went, one last time. He sat there with my girlfriend and I under the stars for a good while. Then after hours of struggling he decided to lay down and rest. About 11:30 last night his symptoms caught up with Sebastian and he passed on. He was ten and a half years old.

It seems like only a few years ago that you dropped him off to us. I feel that we did our best to give him the happiest days here. I wanted to thank you for giving us the opportunity to let Sebastian into our family. His kind hearted nature has left an impact on all our family and friends and he will be sorely missed. I wanted to thank you because if it wasn’t for you and your dedication to this breed we would of never met him and he would not have had a good home. I deeply appreciate it.

Mastiffs need people to help show that they are more than just a big, tough looking dogs and you are helping greatly. As soon as I have the proper residence again I will be calling on you once again to help fill the large paw print shaped hole in my heart knowing that there is another Mastiff out there in need of help. Thanks for everything and I hope to talk to you soon.

Sincerly,
Ian Butterer

p.s. I’ve attached one of the last pictures I have taken of Sebastian sitting by the creek. This was about a month ago shortly after hearing about his CHF.