In Memory

Remembering Brady Moon – 15 February 2020

It is with great sadness that the parents of Brady Moon announce his crossing of the rainbow bridge today, after a brief battle with hemangiosarcoma in his liver. For those Cocker Kids in the class of November 2009, they might remember Brady as a soft coated black and tan cocker boy, with a weak left front leg. Brady melted hearts wherever he went with his left leg held up, and his adopted parents fell for him as soon as he jumped into his soon to be mom’s lap, weak leg and all.

After coming to his forever home, Brady’s weak leg was found not to be broken but dislocated. His parents asked doctors at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists to try to resolve this chronic condition, and they successfully gave Brady an artificial ligament to repair the joint. However, the long chronic condition left Brady unable to fully remember how to use his leg unless he was chasing a squirrel or rabbit and his instincts took over.

Brady enjoyed four more years in his native Texas Gulf Coast area until his family moved to northeast Alabama in September 2013 for his last six years. Brady enjoyed the Alabama sunshine but found the colder winters not so much to his liking. Wherever Brady was, he was a friend to anyone who would take a moment to show him any attention. His adoptive mom and dad often jested he was auditioning other humans for second and third shift “parents”. He was a huge sponge for general rub downs or belly rubs.

Brady was also a very food focused Cocker Kid and could often be found in the kitchen as mom and dad prepared their meals, especially if the meal involved cooking any meat. He always finished his food bowl, which made mom and dad very sad when his sickness took control of his appetite in late 2019 when his conditioned worsened and by 31 Jan 2020 when his liver sarcoma was diagnosed.

We wish to thank all the Cocker Kids volunteers who allowed us to be Brady’s forever home. He was a true joy and blessing.

In all sincerity,
Darwin and Margarita Moon

JOJO

On May 10, 2019 my beloved JoJo went to Rainbow Bridge. He was the most handsome, sweetest and gentle dog. I had Cockers growing up and decided I wanted one again when my 18-1/2 year old terrier past away. I looked on the HCSR website and fell in love with JoJo. My heart went out to him when I heard his compelling story about losing his elderly owner who was going into an Alzheimer facility after being with him six years . He was said to be depressed. I knew I could make him happy but he was not available because he was out on trial. Then, after a month, I called HCSR again and they said he was available! I was so excited! JoJo adjusted well and became a happy boy! He loved his daily walks and had so many doggie friends. Everyone in the neighborhood
knew him. He was quite the popular boy! He chose to sleep on the antique sofa that belonged to my late mother-in-law. She would have turned over in her grave if she knew! He would wait for me by the front door until I came home. I miss him so much and will always cherish our memories together. Thank you JoJo for coming into my life!

COOPER

Cooper went to Rainbow Bridge on May 25, 2018.  He was the most loving little dog. He learned to play with toys from his brother, Chico, who has also gone on.  Cooper was loved more that words can say and we will forever miss his greeting us with a toy every time we came home. 

SADIE

From Sadie’s family:

Remembering Sadie

We were looking for a companion for our rescue dog “Joe Cocker” who was 8 at the time. JC was beginning to lose his hearing and eyesight – we felt a companion dog would give him more joy and confidence.

We were saddened by Sadie’s story: she first belonged to a teenager – was very loved and very happy, but then owner went away to college and Sadie was put up for adoption. She was soon adopted by a kind and loving single woman who worked full time. But Sadie had abandonment issues, would freak out from being alone all day and became very destructive. Eventually she was again up for adoption.

Wish we could clone beautiful, loving, funny and endearing Sadie! Thanks to Pat Moore and “Cocker Spaniel Rescue of Houston” we found the perfect fur baby!  Naturally she was nervous and shy at first but as she settled in, encouraged by heavy doses of love, playtime, walks, and with JC’s presence, she became comfortable, and her acute intelligence and loving personality emerged. As retirees we had the time to devote to her happiness and sense of security; in return she gave us unconditional love.

Sadie had a very unique walk, funny actually —- made her even more lovable. She was a very happy, playful gal. She LOVED her stuffed animals, so much so that few had “stuffing.” She became an alert dog for JC.  She would bark if anyone came in our yard, and naturally JC would chime in having no idea why. Every morning after Don had his coffee, she would wait at the front door for their walk, yipping and shaking her hiney with excitement!

We have many wonderful memories of our short four years with Sadie: the wet kisses, great snuggles, many laughs, her excitement when we’d come home, or just chilling ….and so much more. Thank you Sadie Girl. Rest In Peace

MORGAN

From Morgan’s family:

On February 14, 2007 Morgan, a sweet black cocker spaniel, was  rescued in North Texas after living under a lady’s front porch in freezing weather.  He had been starved, beaten, and had a horrible immune compromised system. While he required intensive care and 6 months of treatment, Morgan became VERY attached to his WONDERFUL Foster Mom, Mary.

In late July, 2007 Morgan came to Baton Rouge to live in his Forever home with a new Mommy , Daddy and our spirited “speckled” Miss Buttons who we rescued also in November 2007.  Although Morgan required intense medications, special treatment and LOTS OF TLC, he lived a very good life. HE WAS SO LOVED AND SPOILED!  On Tuesday morning, June 20, 2017, Morgan joined so many very sweet pups in puppy Heaven.  We will forever miss our sweet little Morgan.

Sandra and Ken Turpin

LOGAN

From Logan’s dad:

These 4 legged kids as I call them become a huge part of the family and steal your heart.  When you have to let them go it just rips the heart out.  But the love and memories that they bring I would not trade for anything.

Logan was a beautiful boy and a great son.  I couldn’t ask for a more loving dog.

We still have Ginger and she is doing great for a girl her age.

Mack & Linda McCormick

FAITH

When we got a call from a groomer in Katy that someone left a cocker spaniel at their door in a crate, HCSR came to the rescue!  Nobody knows how long Faith was left there because it was in the back of the building so it could have been over 24 hours.  Faith was obviously in bad condition and was sent to a specialist.  She had an infected gall bladder, enlarged adrenal glands, nodules on her liver and was heartworm positive.  If we didn’t have her gall bladder surgically removed, we were told it would rupture but the vet did not feel that she could survive the surgery since she was so ill.  We think Faith was probably at least 12 years old.  Although we elected to have her put down to keep her from suffering any longer, Faith knew she was loved in the short time we had her.

MORGAN

Morgan came in to rescue in horrible condition…..she was matted and had infected ears, was heartworm positive, had cataracts and was deaf.  We don’t know how old she really was.  She really bloomed for the six months we had her.  We treated her heartworms and her ear infection and even had a huge mass removed.  She was such a trooper through it all.  She was so sweet and loved all of the attention her foster mom gave her.  Sadly, Morgan passed away in her sleep one evening in December.

ARIEL

When sweet Ariel came in from a shelter, she seemed to be healthy but we grew concerned when she wouldn’t eat.  After several days of refusing all food (even human food) we took her in to be checked.  She started showing symptoms of a respiratory infection and had a high fever.  Unfortunately after being hospitalized for nearly a week at a specialist, she never improved.  No antibiotic did the trick.  The vets think it was some strain of flu that was resistant to treatment.  When she started going downhill fast, we elected to have her put down so she wouldn’t suffer.  She was such a wonderful girl and followed her foster dad everywhere in the short time we had her.  RIP sweet girl :)

ABBEY

Abbey Eastwood, a warm, friendly, snuggle-bunny kind of cocker, loved all people, dogs, and cats. She loved to lay her head on your chest and look at you with her adoring eyes. Seeing her picture, we knew she was ours even though we had another loved cocker kid named Jordan.  Abbey along with all our cocker children will always hold a place in our hearts. Abbey is truly remembered with great love and she is appreciated for the love she shared with us!

Little Ryan came in from the shelter a shy boy but once he got to his foster home, quickly warmed up to his humans.  He tested heartworm positive, so we scheduled his treatment.  Before he could go in for treatment, however, he started coughing and acting lethargic with labored breathing.  He was going downhill fast.  After going to our vet and then to a specialist, we lost Ryan due to a severe lung infection which was heartworm related.

Ryan is just one of many dogs that come in to rescue heartworm positive, and normally we can save them with treatment.  However, there are always going to be dogs like Ryan who are too far gone.  He was only 5 years old.  Why someone won’t spend $5 a month for heartworm preventative is hard to imagine, but some people actually believe that if the dog lives inside, then there is no reason to give them preventative.  They don’t realize that one bite from an infested mosquito is all it takes.

We always stress to everyone the importance of heartworm preventative.  Ryan is our poster boy for heartworms and is a reminder that there is no reason any dog should suffer like he did, and ultimately lose his life to heartworms when a simple pill once a month can prevent it.  We are sorry Ryan had to die because it.  So sad……

NOAH

When we picked Noah up from the shelter, he appeared to have a case of the mange but that was nothing new to rescue.   He was cute and feisty, so we knew in no time his coat would be beautiful again.  What we didn’t know was less than 48 hours later he would come down with parvo.  We already had him in isolation because of his skin condition but he was rushed to the animal hospital and was put on IV’s to try to nip it in the bud.  Surely this 8 month old boy could recover, but since he already had a compromised immune system, as hard as he fought, he ultimately lost the battle.  In the end, he started showing signs of distemper in addition to parvo and we did not want him to suffer any longer, so we made the difficult decision to let him go.  Noah was not even a year old, but because he was probably never vaccinated as a young puppy, he lost his life to parvo and distemper….. such preventable diseases with proper vaccinations.   As young dogs are more susceptible to developing these viruses, it is important to keep them on a regular vaccination schedule.  No animal should have to suffer like Noah.   We want to thank everyone for the prayers you sent his way and for the generous donations to help with his care. And to Bear Branch Animal Hospital, thanks so much for the compassion and care you gave our little boy. Even though he didn’t make it, we knew he was in the best of hands. God bless you little one….we will never forget you!

MOSLEY

On October 6^th, our sweet Mosley went to heaven.  Right in front of my eyes, our 7 month old baby (who never strayed from our feet) ran into the road and was taken instantly. Our hearts are broken. This awful accident has shaken us to our core and left our house feeling less like a home. I read somewhere that while dogs are not our whole life; they do make our lives whole. There is a huge piece of our life missing now without Mosley. We were so honored to be chosen as the parents of one of Millie’s sweet pups (Mosley was formerly “Casey”) After almost 6 months of marriage, we were ready for a puppy and were so excited to bring Mosley home. We knew he was ours when we first held him, saw that cute little face and felt his unbelievably soft fur.  He easily fit into our newlywed life and became our baby – never meeting a stranger.  We are now left with a void because of that awful day. He was so much a part of our lives and memories of him are deeply rooted in our house and hearts. I cry knowing that our sweet baby’s life was cut so tragically short, and that I will never get to hold my Mosley again and feel his fluffy fur. I hope that everyone will go hug their sweet puppies right now, and love on them as much as they can since we can’t love on ours. Mosley brought such joy and love to our lives, and focusing on all of the good times is what will help us heal over time. My husband and I joked that these spots on Mosley’s back were for his angel wings (or devil wings if he was being a mischievous pup). I know that it must have been true — that those spots are surely where his wings go and that he will meet us in heaven one day.

KATIE

Katie was the frightened yet adorable waif whom we rescued from the Montgomery County Animal Shelter.  At 3-1/2 months, it was obvious that she had not been well socialized although we couldn’t imagine why someone wasn’t missing this beautiful puppy. The reason became obvious after 24 hours when Katie started having multiple grand mal seizures and we sedated her until we could bring her to our veterinarian.  After a thorough exam, our vet diagnosed either the congenital deformity, hydrocephalus, or a brain tumor.  Neurological functions were not intact.  Our hearts were breaking at the news but it was clear by that time that Katie was now suffering and would continue this path if we did not intervene.  Adoption for Katie would never be an option.

LUCY
Lucy was rescued by a Good Samaritan  near the Beltway and Clay Rd and we suspect she was dumped.    Flea infested, she was in pain around her abdomen and her tail seemed broken but all we could do was give pain pills until we could get her in to the vet after the holiday weekend.  Unfortunately, the news was not good.  Lucy was estimated to be about 9-10 years old, some teeth missing and the others rotted and broken.  She was moderately heartworm positive but that was the least of our worries.  Because Lucy screamed in pain while examined, the vet did an x-ray which showed an enlarged heart, 3 arthritic discs which were herniated, a colon full of stool and a broken tail near the sacral area. She could not assume the position to have a bowel movement without excruciating pain.  The tail would have to be removed high up making her look like a boxer, discs were inoperable, and her heart enlargement was questionable.  We weren’t sure if she had been spayed nor if she would be able to survive the extensive surgeries.  Our vet recommended putting Lucy to sleep…….she was beyond our capacity to give her a meaningful life.  Although in intense pain, Lucy never tried to bite anyone who tried to examine her.  While waiting in the vet’s office, she just nudged my hand to keep petting her.  We decided to put Lucy down and as I held her in my arms I cried again as though it was the first time ever.  That experience is always traumatic for me but she went peacefully and is now free of pain.  As our vet  said….”at least she didn’t die in a shelter.”

When Lorena boarded a flight to Maine to meet her new family, she had no idea she had hit the jackpot!  She was very attached to her dad and the other 4-legged kids knew to keep their distance when Lorena wanted to sit next to dad on the couch.  She was queen of the household!   Lorena made her dad laugh every day…..she was by his side all the time.  She used to take a tennis ball in her mouth and walk over to a long couch and roll the ball out of her mouth and up over her head as she moved forward with the ball rolling over the length of her body until it dropped to the floor when it reached her tail!

Lorena will be missed by all…..especially her dad.  Rest in peace little one.