LILLY CROSSES THE RAINBOW BRIDGE 4 NOVEMBER 2012

At 6 p.m., Marti writes: Lilly died about half an hour ago. I'm crying so hard I can't see the keyboard, so I will write more later. MARY O'CONNELL: Oh, I feel so bad! But at least for a little while she smelled the roses and we know she's on to a better place with no pain and she will have all our pets that have gone before her to play with. LAUREEN LIGHT: My heart aches for you as I read this latest email from you. I'm so sad and so sorry to hear about Lilly. I lost my beautiful rescue Airedale in April and I was bawling so hard I couldn't breathe. I am so sad for both of you. I had hoped for the best for poor little Lilly and I despise puppy mills so much and wanted her to have the remainder of her little life being loved and being free. You don't know me; I'm an Airedale person, but I was rooting for little Lilly and I can only hope she is at peace now, running full speed in a meadow of green grass, warm sun and blue sky, wherever that might be. Take good care of yourself. I do understand your deep pain tonight. MARY BING: Lilly is loved by many who never had the chance to meet her. She'll have many furkids at the Bridge to play with. DOREEN MUNDIE: Sorry about little Lilly . . . people who treat dogs like that, should find themselves behind bars . . . poor little sweetie. SUE COULSON: I'm so sorry for your loss. It's right to cry. But, after all the pain in Lilly's life, isn't it a blessing to know she is now pain-free and romping with the other dogs at the Rainbow Bridge? Mental images such as that help me deal with the pain of my lost babies. BOB ANDERSON: Lilly finally has peace . . . The Rainbow Bridge was never so well-deserved! BARB DULANEY: Lighting a candle for brave, sweet Lilly. May she romp pain-free on the Rainbow Bridge. MARILYN ROYLE: So sorry to hear about Lilly. I was hoping and praying that she would make it. I hope now that she is running and pain-free at the RB. GAYLE KIESOW: Talk about tears! How very, very sad for this little girl and those involved. JEANNE ESMOND: How sad is this? I can't stop crying. I can't believe that that cutie is gone. Thank doG she had a loving home for a few days before she went to the Rainbow Bridge.

RAINBOW BRIDGE FOR ORPHANS At Rainbow Bridge it has been said departed pets, who have been dearly loved by owners in life, play and wait in meadows. When they hear their loved ones call, they rush to meet them and they cross Rainbow bridge together, never to be parted again. What has not been told is the fate of the orphans, the strays, the unloved, abused or neglected fur babies who also play in the meadows and wait for someone to call their name and cross over The Bridge with them. In life these fur babies had no special person to love and care for them. And even though they may have been beaten, kicked, starved or otherwise abused or neglected, their hearts are only full of love and forgiveness! Every time one of these special ones sees a human soul, they too become excited, hoping maybe this will be the person who will love them and take them across the bridge. Sometimes their wait seems long, But suddenly one hears her name being called. Startled, heart beating wildly, she looks in the direction of the voice. All fear and sadness depart and she runs eagerly to meet her new loved one. Tears and licks, hugs and nudges abound. The person who has called her name also may have been unloved, abused or neglected in life. Now they both have found purity of unconditional love that was missing in life, and together they cross over the Rainbow Bridge. -- Author Unknown

Marti continues: We are heartbroken, of course. But we don't regret our attempts to save Lilly's life. Our philosophy is that the only failure is not to have tried. Yes, we've had our heartaches in the past, and we know we will have occasional heartaches like this in the future, because we have a soft spot in our hearts for special needs dogs. But, while we never expect miracles, we still believe in them. We have many success stories that attest to what love, good food, and quality vetting can accomplish. MAX and BRAVEHEART and SWEETHEART and PANDA and PHOEBE. These dogs were all considered "hopeless cases" by other rescues, but we didn't give up on them. And we are not going to give up now, as long as there are dogs out there that need us. In fact, we are more determined than ever to continue our work now, to honor sweet Lilly's life on earth. Unfortunately, our ability to DO that is limited by our financial resources which are, at the moment, strained to the breaking point. While we are left with happy memories of Lilly, we are also left with an $8000 vet bill. So, we are turning to you for help. Yes, we know that it's more satisfying to feel your donation will go toward saving a life. It's no fun for anyone, paying a vet bill for a dog who has passed away. But, paying our bills is part of the commitment we make when we take in a special needs dog. And so we must pay Lilly's vet bill before we can help another dog in need. If you believe in our cause, and if you, too, still believe in miracles, PLEASE consider making a donation in Lilly's memory so that we can pay off her bill at the UW Vet School. Then we will be in a position to help some other dog in need, a dog whose story, hopefully, will have a happy ending. Thank you so much! HOW CAN YOU DONATE? WHO HAS DONATED? HOW MUCH HAS BEEN DONATED? GO HERE TO FIND OUT! Thank you so much, and please look for Lilly's star tonight.