Miss Ella
Miss Ella, What a joy! What a Challenge!! We adopted Ella as we had a Doxie with a similar condition that we had to put down after 3 years. Ella, however, taught us so much more. She was in charge of the house and our other dogs. When she wanted something we knew it. We never opened the refrigerator without her letting us know she wanted her cheese. We never sat down at the table to eat without her letting us know she wanted to eat also. Ella taught us how to be gentle, more understanding, and how to be better listeners with animals and with humans alike. When we first got Ella, she bit us a couple of times, and growled at us. She in her way was telling us who was in charged. She loved to be outside on the grass to prance around. She loved to sleep on the deck in the sun. Her most favorite spot in our house was in her bed in front of the fireplace, under her pink princess blanket. Ella always let me know when the fireplace timed out. One of the games Ella taught me was one I called “The Running Game” She would come get me, growl and bark a little, then run off. She would stop and look to see if I was running after her. We would run a few laps in the house with me saying “I’m going to get you” Then when she was done it was time for me to pick her up and hold her. One other game she taught me was one we called “The Paw Game” , Ella would be on our bed and she would take her paw and bat at my hand. I then would put my hand on her paw and she would move her paw, then bat at my hand again. She loved this game also. She would always want to sleep with us if it was storming outside. She was a “Bed Hog” on those nights. Ella was a beautiful Doxie, and looked so young for her age. She pranced around the house like the Princess she was. Ella never forgot anything. She remembered her place at our daughters’ houses. I will/we will always love our little Ella and miss her so much. She became such a gentle, mild dog after we learned HER ways. She took such good care of our little blind Coco. Coco was the only dog Ella allowed to sleep with her or cuddle with her. We were honored to have Ella live a good life with us. We are grateful to DDR for all they did for Ella before she came to our home. We miss you Ella, but we know you are running with Noel, George, and Pooh. You are seeing better and have no more sinus trouble. Ella was our Princess. Our tears will soon stop, but our hearts will always hurt a little for you. Thanks for all the love you gave to us!!!! Sadly Missing You Mommy and Daddy And Coco, too

Missy
Missy came to Dakota Dachshund Rescue on March 15, 2014. She came to rescue from her family. They just didn't really have time for her and wanted her to have a better home. Missy minded all of her manners very well when she arrived at her foster home. She got along with all the dogs and loved being with us. In the few days she was here she spent her evenings either in her foster dad's lap or sitting on the floor by her foster mom. She loved attention and would sit right next to me. If I stopped petting her she would rock back and forth on her front paws talking to me about how she needed to be petted some more. Missy seemed to have times she didn't feel well and her breathing seemed to be labored at times. On March 20 she went to spend the day with Dr. Paul to see if we could make her feel better. Missy had congestive heart failure. Her heart turned out to be so enlarged it was pressing on her trachea and making breathing difficult at best. Dr. Paul tried everything to make things easier for her. In the end Missy went to the Rainbow Bridge in her foster mom's arms. We don't understand why - but Missy was a very sweet girl - she left her mark on our hearts and we will see her again someday.

Charlie Brown
Not too many people got to meet Charlie Brown. He was a gorgeous brindle puppy we fostered for a short time. Charlie had started out life pretty normally with his litter mates. Then he just stopped eating. He came into rescue to see if there was anything that could be done to help him. He would not eat on his own - but we could syringe in food and he would swallow it. Every possibility was explored - but the mystery was never solved. Charlie was a very cuddly boy. His favorite time was when we would sit down and I would have a lap full of dogs. He would come and snuggle right down in the middle of all of them - usually right next to Dudley - another of our fosters. Dudley loved Charlie Brown. Whether Charlie was inside or outside Dudley was next to him. Charlie loved to snuggle in Dudley's fur. On July 28, 2013 Charlie Brown passed away. He took a large chunk of my heart with him.

Rosco III
Rosco III was a sweet boy that was left in night receiving at the HS. We don't know where he came from but were happy that DDR was given a chance to try to help him. I fostered him for DDR for a very short time - he left behind memories that will last a life time. He was very thin and in severe need of a dental . The first thing I saw when I picked him up were his eyes. They were so very bright. It was very difficult to get Rosco to eat. Dr. Paul did his dental immediately since his teeth were so nasty. We believed once he has those horrible teeth out he would feel more like eating. He recovered from the dental - but still had very little interest in eating. We syringed in high calorie canned food and ran all kinds of blood work to try to see what was wrong. Some days Rosco would eat cheesy scrambled eggs. Sometimes he would eat mac and cheese. Sometimes he like beef hot dogs - but only beef and only freshly boiled. The days that he would eat were like seeing a beautiful rainbow - it would make us so happy. The days he would not eat were very difficult - it was so hard to watch him. Despite our best efforts with medical, Rosco passed away at home in his sleep on January 9, 2013. Thinking about him still makes me smile and cry - he was such a wonderful little guy. He will never be forgotten. We did everything we could possibly do. God had other plans for our little man Rosco III, he crossed the Rainbow Bridge very peacefully. God bless our little guy, we feel fortunate to have crossed his path.

Samantha
Samantha aka Sammer Jo came to DDR as her mom had no more patience for her. She arrived in DDR, got all spiffed up at Dr Paul's office, she felt great after getting a dental and getting rid of some nasty teeth. Her next stop was a life of luxury and love at Tonya's (her new foster mom). Samantha didn't attend the June Meet and Greet as she was new to rescue, just recovering from her teeth extractions and foster mom had to work that day. Not many got to meet this adorable senior girl and God had other plans for her......Samantha died in Tonya's arms on Monday due to a very sudden onset of congestive heart failure. Samantha got to know she was loved and adored before she crossed the Rainbow Bridge....she was sent to us for a lesson in life. Thanks Tonya for showing her how much you loved her the short time you had to share with her.