Andy
November 23, 2007
Dear BHRA,
It is a sad day in our household as we have lost a family member. Andy had
to be put to sleep this morning after fighting kidney infection and failure.
He was such a great dog, every day of the 2 ½ years we had with him
was a blessing. He deserved to live a much better life than he had before
BHRA rescued him, and hopefully we made it up to him in the time we had him.
Andy was the happiest dog that I have ever met. You would think that a dog
that was missing many teeth, had heartworms twice, and was born with only a
small nub tail might be a little angry at the world, but Andy took it all in
stride. From the moment he and his brother Amos arrived at our house as
fosters, they fit in. The first time they set foot in our house, I knew that
we would be foster failures. My favorite memory of Andy is him being my
furry little shadow, always following me around the house. I would always
try to tell him to stay when he was comfortable and I was only leaving the
room for a minute, but there he was right behind me, even if I was only
walking 15 steps to the kitchen to get a drink.
Many of you that have been around BHRA for a while will remember Andy. We
were told that they had been in and out of the rescue more than once. I’m
sure that anyone that has known Andy for even a few minutes would agree that
he was one of the sweetest and most kindhearted dogs they have met. His
favorite toy was his rope, and he loved nothing more than to play fetch or
tug-o-war with it, or just quietly chew. Andy was an easy-going dog that
loved everyone that he met. We will always remember him shaking his nub
vigorously whenever someone looked his way, the happiest dog in the world.
Sincerely,
Kyle and Ashli Wemett
PS – Andy’s brother Amos is still doing fine, although you can tell he is
pretty upset. This is the first time that he has been without his brother.
Luckily we have 3 other dogs that he has been with for the past 2 ½ years,
so the transition to life without his brother is made a little easier. They
all miss him as much as we do.
Naptime!
Ashli,
Thanks for your note and for Kyle's call last night. I have shed
many a tear since then for our all-time favorite, Little Andy. Both of
them were cute as bugs, but Any was the one who tugged at my heartstrings. He
had one eye that was ever so slightly crossed, it made you wonder "Is that eye
really crossed?" And that little nub
tail was way cute. Together, they were a trick a minute.
I cared for Andy after he was treated for heartworms.... TWICE! (That
didn't help his kidney function in the long run, I'm sure!) No dog should ever
have to go through that. Tha boyz drew some unlucky cards in life til they found
you. We brought them in as strays from a shelter. We adopted them out to a
family in Ohio who we thought were a perfect forever home for them. To our
amazement, they were found SEVERAL STATES away from that home sometime later,
and their
APR tags brought them back to us. We found yet another "forever home" where they
were truly loved, but those folks ran into severe financial problems and
eventually lost their home. Back came tha boyz again; this time little Andy was
heartworm positive for yet the second time. He handled the nasty treatments
again like a little trooper and always wagged that nub tail ferociously even
when I had to give him the very worst medicine.
Ashli, I remember handing them off to you and Kyle in a parking lot when you
took them as fosters... and they never left. They had finally found the REAL
home of their dreams. Bless you for what you've given them, and please give Amos
an extra hug and kiss from all of us this morning.
Eunice & Stretch
Football!
Andy and Amos on the steps!
Ashli and Kyle:
I'll never forget Helen and Earl Hocking's stories about the infamous Amos and
Andy. I believe Jack Bains even said one was the lookout while the other was the
instigator! The Amos and Andy stories from a few years back always brought a fit
of laughter and a big smile to our faces.
I know Amos is missing his partner in crime, and I know that your human hearts
are hurting right now.
God bless you all during this sad time.
Judy and Amanda
Pictures of Amos and Andy when they first
came into Rescue
Ashli and Kyle,
When we read your email this morning, it brought tears
of nostalgia to both Earl's and my eyes. Amos and Andy together will
always be one of those legends that happen along rarely in life, but
everyone who ever came in contact with them knew immediately that they
would never forget them--heck, you found that out the minute they
entered your lives and from that point, there was no turning back. They
were little guys, but their personalities were HUGE. They were so
different, but yet they were a single unit filling every single moment
of every single day with hilarity, with joy, with hair pulling
frustration, but always, always making you smile in the end and knowing
the true meaning of unconditional love. Andy with his adorable little
nubby tail, and as Eunice said, just ever so slightly crossed eye could
melt your heartstrings in a single moment, no matter what he and his
cohort in crime were getting into, and oh my, did they ever get into
it!! Earl and I were blessed to have them as fosters long enough to
feel a little hole in our hearts when they left, and a path of
destruction that is the stuff legends are made of in the first place.
In their early years, there wasn't a fence, barricade, door or anything
else that they couldn't breach. Nothing was safe if the "Boyz" decided
they wanted it. I cannot count how many times we would come home and
find one (or both) of them standing on the kitchen counter, on the
dining room table, on the computer table.....or smack in the middle of a
huge sea of something shredded, be it the phone book, a 12 pack of paper
towels or what for one glorious week, was the most expensive comforter I
ever owned--reduced to a sea of snow from one end of our room to the
other....and there, in the middle were two head, popping out, Amos
looking a little guilty, Andy just wagging his little nub so very proud
and if to say..."hey come on in and play--this is FUN"!! The first
night we brought them home as our new fosters, we came into the house,
introduced them to our hounds, went to the phone to call Eunice and
Stretch to let them know we'd arrived home safe, and while Earl was on
the phone, I went outside to find out they had escaped from our
yard--five minutes tops and no breach in site. For the next hour we did
belly flops all over our neighbors lawns, frantically trying to catch
those two who were in the midst of one of their many "great adventures".
They didn't always have a nice life, sadly, but you would never know it
because they were just so amazingly happy together. Amos the
instigator, the troublemaker, and sweet little Andy, always the lookout,
always the one that seemed to get caught! As they got older, they
mellowed, but never ever lost that amazing curiosity, that zeal for life
or that famous charm that could reduce even the most immune person to a
puddle of mush. And Andy, well--you could just look into his eyes and
you were totally under his control. But of course you know that, and I
cannot begin to tell you how much we feel your loss now.
Both of us (no, make that everyone at BHRA!!!) are so grateful to you
two for taking them in, for loving them, for giving them the happiness
they so truly deserved. And we know that they gave it back to you a
hundred fold. I cannot even imagine a world where there isn't an Amos
and Andy. Poor Amos will have to find that special bond that has been
broken elsewhere, but I know that you will all make the sad transition
easier for each other. But remember in your sad days ahead, legends do
not die. They live on forever in our hearts. They touch everyone in a
unique way. In time guys, your tears of sorrow will be tears of joy.
Give Amos a little extra hug from us. Accept our deepest sympathy and
know that the life you gave little nubby, babe magnet Andy, was one of
true happiness, true love and true joy.
Helen and Earl
