Hailey
2/28/2009 - 11/7/2009 Hailey came to us after being thrown out by her abusive owner. It was obvious she had previously broken ribs and her crate was a prison she was forced to use as a bathroom and a home. She was so terrified when she was first taken in, and at the same time so amazed by what the world had to offer. Hailey yearned for human acceptance and love. Although she was a wild girl, she had so much love to give, and we hoped just needed someone to show her what being a companion pet meant. More damage had been done however than we realized, and she sadly left us only a week after being in foster care. Now Hailey is with all those who have gone before us, running, playing, eating and free from the horrors she endured while on earth.

Maja
Maja aka Peanut aka Snowball came to us when he was left at a vets office by a breeder because he had a bum leg. He was such an amazing and sweet boy. He loved children, his canine brothers and sisters, and his foster parents. Peanut loved to cuddle!! Sadly at only about 8 weeks of age he became very sick. His foster mommy did all she could for him to help him fight and survive but he was too frail. So now he is waiting on the rainbow bridge for his mommy to come meet him one day...the first human to show him love and make him part of a family.

Boots
Boots March 14th, 2008 - June 14th 2008 Boots was a very sweet Boxer mix pup pulled from the Spalding Shelter in GA about a month ago. Thanks to his incredible Foster Family Boots was treated for Parvo and he survived that terrible disease, only to find that those medications were masking Distemper. Sadly, only 3 days after he received a clean bill of health from Parvo we lost him to yet another awful disease. Boots was more than loved in a wonderful Foster Home for the remaining 3 weeks of his life.

Blake
Our sweet boy Blake...he will always be remembered in our hearts. Blake and his sister were rescued from a rural shelter in Georgia by our companion rescue, where they were due to be put to sleep. Blake was only 3 mos old when he came to Helping The Helpless. So sweet, so full of energy. Blake's sister found a home quickly, but Blake stayed behind with us. Blake had a home here for almost 9 mos before we were able to find him a new family to call his own. On Tuesday afternoon Blake's new Dad took him for their daily walk, he broke free and snapped his collar, he went running. We searched for hours following paw prints through the snow, the entire neighborhood was on watch and leaving their lights on for Blake. We believe he was headed back home when he tragically was hit by a car. He passed away instantly according to an on looker. Blake was only a year old and just beginning his new life with a family he could call his own. Blake loved his companion Satchel, playing in the snow and receiving belly rubs. He adored our young children and reassured them every day with a quick kiss on the face. He loved to jump up and give you a gentle hug. We will forever remember your hugs and kisses Blake, thank you for being such a wonderful part of our lives, we are sorry it was such a short stay. "Please know that we really loved him and wanted him to be a part of our family for life." - The Hess Family

Duncan
June 2, 2002 - March 26, 2008 March 26th, 2008 ~ There were discussions of bringing Raisin home on Monday. Then another tragedy hit. Duncan, my "lover boy" 6 yr old full Am Staff rescued from Manhattan AC a week before Raisin, my first "rescue," became a little out of sorts. He didn't get out of bed until after 10am, not that uncommon, but only with much instigation. He didn't want to eat, came down stairs and just flopped on the floor near the computer, I guess expecting me to sit down and begin working. I figured his arthritis was bothering him so I gave him some pain meds and sent him back up to bed. Covered him with the quilt and went to run errands. We returned at about 3pm. He was still lying in bed, in the same place where I had tucked him in. At this point I decided I had to get him out of bed and figure out what was going on. I forced him to come down stairs, he drank some, then just collapsed. Off to the emergency clinic again, hey, was on my way in to visit Raisin anyway! Upon immediate evaluation by the Vet, we realized that Duncan's heart rate was slow, he had a 96.7 temp and his gums were pure grey. Thought for sure it was his spleen and he was anemic. However, after blood work which showed his white blood cells were not elevated and his red blood cells were not low, the Vet was baffled. Duncan was not doing good. After an iv of fluids he seemed to perk up a little, thought for sure he would fully recover and we would bring him home with Raisin. Duncan stayed over night. The next morning the Vet called to say that a Cardio specialist was coming in to see another dog and he wanted him to look at Duncan. At this point I did not have the $450 to satisfy this. Thus came my desperate pleas to you all. Thank you to a devoted animal lover and dear friend, a donation of $150 was called in and the generous Specialist saw Duncan. Through an echo gram it was determined that Duncan had an immense Tumor around his heart, which was deterring blood flow to and from. The cancer actually enveloped his entire chest. There is no treatment. In a human they would do a Heart Transplant. Words cannot express how broken my heart was. When Duncan first came to our home, I made the mistake of treating him like a big baby, allowing him in our bed, on the couch and to roam the house as he pleased. I quickly learned that this was not good for Duncan. He became confused and wasn't sure of his place in our home. Thus we had a couple of incidents with dominance testing and aggression. After communications with an incredible trainer in NYC, Duncan was quickly crated, leashed and not allowed to do anything unless commanded to do so. Duncan made it through with flying colors! After the initial training was complete, he immediately proved to us that he knew where he was on the "food chain" if you will, obeyed commands instantaneously and just thorough his demeanor we could tell that he knew all Humans in our home were above him and where his place was. Tho our trainer wouldn't approve:)...Duncan once again found his place on our bed (tho NEVER actually got on the bed unless he was told he could) and very much in our hearts. He traveled with me everywhere I went, loved car rides, never left my side and became very tolerant of the 2 legged children, licking and loving them every moment he got. My Husband, after ignoring him for weeks after the incidents, fully regained his trust in Duncan and assured me that Duncan was now a full-time member of our pack. Thus, sitting with Duncan while he passed was the most difficult thing I have had to do in a very long time. Now, for a chuckle, those of you who may be "non-believers" try to say open for a minute...honest to goodness true story...in the room was Raisin, on her mattress, myself between her and Duncan, the Dr. and a girlfriend, literally, just as the Dr. was pushing the last dose of sleep medicine through Duncan's IV, we heard "I feel good...den na na..." you know the song...well the Dr. picked picked up the stuffed bear next to Raisin, nope, doesn't sing, not a cell phone, nothing, absolutely nothing in the room that "sang." I guess it was Duncan, letting us know just how he felt as he crossed. Duncan now has a very special place in Heaven doing what Duncan does best, sleep:) As we had to explain to our 6 year old, his "shell" also now has a very special place in our back yard. It will take me a very long time to understand why our lives were enriched and blessed for just a very short time with the wonderfulness of Duncan. He had such a hard 6 years before he came to us, I wanted the rest of his days to be filled with honor, love and compassion. I think they were, I just wish they were much, much longer. My heart hurts beyond belief. I know you all have felt the same grief. In seeing what we see everyday, the abandoned, abused and helpless thrown away by their owners, tossed out to survive on their own, there are days where I wonder why I put myself through this. Duncan and Raisin are why. Raisin is a fighter, a survivor, she has proven that right now, her place is here with us. Duncan, he was an old man. Tho he loved us very much, Duncan decided to let go. Some day I will be able to feel peace in knowing that the last few months of his life were so wonderful to him, that may have been all he needed. Right now, my heart just hurts so much, it is difficult to feel anything more than that. All of these babies need us, whether you are a Rescuer, Foster, Transporter, Transport Coordinator, Shelter Advocate, "just" an animal lover, or any other important element of rescue that I may have missed, we are in it for the helpless. Even if through our efforts we only give a moment of happiness to a creature who otherwise would have known none, we have done our job. Thank you to each and every one of you for all that you do. All of the Raisins and Duncan's appreciate it!