Our beloved Matilda passed away at the age of 12, on January 21st. She was adopted from NWATR in 2008 and loved by all in our family, especially by her brother Clancy, the Wire Fox, who crossed the rainbow bridge 1 year ahead of her. She quickly adopted me as her favorite and in the last year, rarely left my side, pacing endlessly whenever I left the house. She was never able to shake all of the skittishness she arrived with but, slowly grew to trust me. I will miss the over-the-top greetings we received whenever we returned home, even if we had only been gone a few minutes, the way she gnawed so gently on my hand when we rough-housed and the silly prance she did whenever she got excited. Matilda, thank you for loving me unconditionally and making me feel like someone special whenever I entered the room. I’ll miss you.  

Some years ago as we drove through California from Oregon, my husband, Bill, introduced our new friend, Kohl, to french fries.  That began a buddyship that grew and strengthened until Kohl's passing in December of 2016.

He was suspicious of us at first (except for Bill whom he immediately adored) but grew to accept that we were actually his new family.  He became protective of us and our property the most complementary example of which follows.

Shortly after Christmas a year or two ago in the middle of the night, Kohl began barking downstairs - not the 'a leaf fell on the lawn' bark but the sharper, more serious 'someone had better be paying attention' bark.  After a moment or two, hoping he'd stop, I hauled myself out of my warm bed into the cold house and made my way downstairs.  In the light of the Christmas tree, Kohl was silhouetted in the dark doorway barking out into the night. Reconstructing later we determined that the door hadn't been properly secured when we went to bed and the force of the morning paper had pushed it open.  Did he run out into the night and possibly cause a liability with the paper boy?  He did not.  He stood at the border (doorway) of his area and warned potential bad guys that we were not unprotected.  A good, intuitive move, a good intuitive boy.

He went to sleep on our patio when I thought he was sunning himself.  He will be especially sadly missed, especially by his wingy, Bill.  He was a good boy.  The photo shows him on 'his' couch resting his old bones.

Until we see you again, Buddy.

"Hello. I just donated in memory of Mars and Aries. Ron and I worked with Connie and Gordon to bring these two lovable airedales home in January 2012. They were soulmates. The y loved running free at our coast property, and going camping with us and our horses. Mars passed away in December 2014 after a 3 month battle with lymphoma. The chemo just never did any good. He was only six and we were heartbroken. Ron was also having his own battle with cancer at the same time. He hung in there until September of this year. Aries and I comforted each other with lots of walks and lots of snuggles. She appeared to be a perfectly healthy nine year old dog until she collapsed one day. Rushed her to the emergency vet where she was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma. She had surgery to remove her spleen along with a large tumor. Sadly, she never recovered. She died on December 7. Loved them all so much. Miss them equally as much. I am grateful for the time I had with them and the many happy memories...." Jen Hagel

Karma - October 28, 2004-November 18, 2016

After her first owner had to give her up, Karma found us through Jann & Megen of NW Airedale Terrier rescue in August of 2009, joining Scoop for the last few months of his short life.

When Karma came to us, she was afraid of men, balloons, the dishwasher, and various other things.  As she matured, she came to love everyone and everything (except cats).  There wasn’t another dog she didn’t like and want to greet on walks.  Karma’s favorite places to visit were Grand Avenue Park, Coastal Community Bank, the wetlands by the Hospital, and Central Lutheran Church. 

Karma greeted all my voice students and rested under the piano as they sang, keeping everyone company.  She also adored her babysitters, Brenda & Maija.  It would be hard to find a sweeter & more loving dog.  We will all miss you, Karma.  R.I.P

Thank you,

Peggy Kurtz

5/02/2006 - 10/16/16

Our Stella was an old soul.  Her beautiful brown eyes reflected love, patience and wisdom.  She was convinced that everyone who met her loved her.  And they did.  

Stella worked for a living.  She patrolled her big back yard for squirrels and critters in the wood pile.  She took her job seriously and rarely missed a day.  She loved digging craters in the yard, burying bones, riding in the car, the beach, roaming dog parks, and her boyfriend, Tipton, a standard champaign poodle.  

Stella had a cat named Jessie who misses her terribly.  They were pals through and through.  

Our big girl injured her back after launching herself off the deck in pursuit of squirrels.  She went to rest in our arms at home on her favorite bed, surrounded by candles, her cat, her newest bone and all her toys.  

We are heartbroken. 

           -"-