Rainbow Bridge
Our Rainbow Bridge pages are tributes to the incredible animals we have loved and lost and who changed our lives.
The tributes on these pages are stories of loyalty and compassion and of the rescued goldens who conquered their past lives and came out the other side. Those dogs who have an icon are NRGRR dogs who crossed the Rainbow Bridge while in our program.
We would be honored to post your tribute and photo of your NRGRR alum, no matter what year they crossed the bridge. Email your picture, story and year they crossed the bridge to rainbowbridge@nrgrr.org.
Please consider a donation in memory of your loved one or one of our NRGRR dogs who never had the chance to find their forever homes. We will add the name of the person or pet to our memorials web page. If you would prefer that your donation not be listed, please choose the appropriate button at check-out. NRGRR will send a card to the family or friend of the individual/pet you have honored with your donation.
Molly
Molly (NRGRR alumnus Halle) was battling cancer, but her human family and her furry sibling Chewey had to say goodbye recently. Just two months after being adopted, Molly got bloat and her "mom" raced the three hour trip to Raleigh to save her life. She was known after that by her doctor at VSRP as the "miracle dog". Molly, a dog who was once locked in a garage with no windows and no chance to be outside or in the house with her people was now traveling the world with her new family in an RV. She was taking boat rides and swimming, playing with toys and bringing light in to the world wherever she went.
Buddy & Carl
Buddy (NRGRR alumnus Walter) has had a steady decline since April but was really bad in the past few days. Carl has been by his side until the end. Walter and Carl were on WRAL's Pet of the Day twice before they were adopted together. Walter (Buddy) was rescued by a CareFirst Grace Park vet tech because his human parents had passed on, and the teenaged son was trying to take care of the dog(s) on his own, which was not working out. NRGRR rescued Walter but after a couple of days in a foster home he busted out. After a night on the lam, including riding around Cary in a police cruiser all night, he was dropped off at Grace Park again. After they found out about his unusual behavior, they talked to the vet tech who mentioned that there was still another dog in the house - Carl. He was then brought into Grace Park, where he was treated. At the same time Walter was moved to a boarding kennel. We took Carl over to the kennel to see what would happen, and it was a sight to behold. Walter had busted out again looking for Carl. Walter was one happy guy when he saw his buddy Carl again.
Lucy
Lucy (NRGRR name Athena) passed away June 5, 2014. She was found to have breast cancer shortly after her adoption, and she beat it for over eight years. She was featured in the NRGRR calendar in 2005 or 2006. Unfortunately the cancer returned in her lungs and liver about a month ago. After a hard-fought battle, she expired yesterday morning and is with her buddy Jax, who was lost last spring.
Tripper
Best friend for 13 years, Tripper left last night to go play with his sister on the other side of the rainbow. Tripper was adopted in 2004.
Lucas
Lucas, loved and adored by all, left us very suddenly and unexpectedly this morning. He was at the emergency vet last night and didn't make any progress overnight. But he never stopped wagging his tail as the end came. Lucas was rescued and adopted in 2013. The love of a senior rescue dog is a love like no other. It takes really special people to foster and adopt these gals and guys. To give them all of your heart and the best life they can have regardless of the time they have left on this earth is such a virtue.
Wader
After a happy day of swimming, tennis balls, and play, two Goldens, Nutmeg and Wader, were being taken home for a nice long nap recently. Suddenly Wader began to gag and within seconds, he was gone. Wader was seven years old! Since he had been immediately taken to the vet school, an autopsy will be done. Wader was a handsome, happy, healthy Golden boy in the prime of his life and we grieve for the entire Lane family. He wasn't old and sick; he was strong and athletic. The one small comfort is that he died without suffering after a wonderfully happy day.
Otto
Otto, this poor, amazing, sweet guy came to us broken at hands of neglect. Maybe Otto never truly felt the joys of being a dog, or really understood the great relationship humans could offer. Either way, he is at peace now, and he feels no pain. He'd been on a downward spiral lately, but the past two days have been horrible for the guy. Between last night and this morning, Otto had to have fallen at least 30 times in less than a day - these were tough to bear since he was not able to get up on his own, even on the grass. He had this incessant need to pace in a circle although he kept falling, and the panting was relentless. It was time to let him go, and the sedative alone seemed to radiate relief throughout his body. His people were right there beside him through it all.
Fozzy
Fozzy (NRGRR alumnus Salazar) passed away on May 15th of lymphoma carcinoma. He only lived with his family for eleven short months but he made a huge impact. He was a gentle giant. Yes, he had selective hearing: the "I don't hear you" syndrome. He always knew when someone was in the kitchen so he would peek around the corner at me with the look in his eyes, "Got anything for me?" He went for walks together when he felt stronger, and he got rides in a PT Cruiser convertible. He loved the wind blowing his hair and ears but before coming home we always had to make a stop at McDonald's for and order of french fries to share. Fozzy knew he was loved every day.
Frodo
Frodo (aka FR Whitley) crossed the Rainbow Bridge after a brief battle with an aggressive cancer. Frodo was a well loved boy and left us way too soon at the age of 10. He was the official greeter at Furry Feet Retreat and an “honorary” golden retriever who loved to swim and eat a hot dog with furry friends at Montague Pond. FR was a handsome boy, known for his expressive face and ears and his tendency to fluff up his bed! Frodo’s happy place was the Black Creek section of the Cary Greenway, where he thoroughly enjoyed romping through the woods at high speeds and swimming in the creek---regardless of the weather. Frodo touched the hearts of many during his short life. His mom, Teresa, is heartbroken, yet has a heart filled with loving memories of such a precious boy. Be at peace, Frodo, without suffering—run free.
Chloe
Chloe (NRGRR alumnus Cairo, 2006) crossed the Rainbow Bridge after a battle with Masticatory Muscular Myositis, a very rare autoimmune disease. She may have had an underlying cancer that took hold once her immune system was suppressed. She was 10 years old dearly missed.
Angel
Beautiful Angel (club name was Keely) has crossed Rainbow Bridge. Angel had been fighting lymphoma very valiantly for almost two years. Tess and Angel came to us from the New Bern shelter, both vastly overweight and only two years old. They were massively overweight but their foster mom immediately rolled up her sleeves and got busy on green beans and plenty of walks. Initially, Angel was only able to waddle to the end of the driveway, but soon she was flying around Falls Lake slim and happy. It was a remarkable transformation and the start of her better life.
Jeb
Jeb was a huge and utterly gorgeous guy and did not realize that he was already on the senior side of the table before he was surrendered. His fosters agreed to take on the challenge of an allergic dog, and he moved in with them and their other two NRGRR boys, Teddy and DaVinci. He and Teddy became very great pals and "partners in crime". Recently Jeb became more lethargic, disoriented, less eager to eat and tests concluded he probably had a brain tumor. He had a fabulous year and a half with his new family.
Ducky Tolar
The happy goofball, Ducky Tolar (NRGRR alumnus Ward), lost his battle with mast cell tumors. His "dad" hoped this would be the dog that would take him into old age. He was a live wire, and it is a comfort to know how happy he was with his family and their gang.
Sweet Pea
Sweet Pea came to the rescue neglected and sad, but with a little love and kindness, her true spirit began to shine! "A character" is the best way to describe her. She had such a waggy tail and positive attitude that you couldn't help but fall in love with her. She was adopted by a loving family who was dedicated to her care and happiness. They loved her as much as she loved them.
Abbey
Abbey, 2007 alumnus Anabell, passed away recently from pneumonia.
Red Monster
Red Monster (NRGRR name England) has gone to be with his sister, Molly Wigglebutt, across the rainbow bridge. His people were very lucky to have had Red in their lives for 10 glorious years. He was a gentle giant and brought laughter and smiles to all of the people he met. His little sister Georgia Peanut is lost without him as are his people.
Abby
Abby, 2010 alumnus Vandy, crossed the Rainbow Bridge in March 2014. Her death was totally unexpected by her loving family. Abby was the perfect dog—loving, gentle, trusting, eager for tummy rubs, wanting to play tug with her toys, perhaps the brightest dog we have had, or at most, one of the three brightest. She had an enormous vocabulary, and her adopted family thinks she had been trained as a therapy dog. They fostered Abby for two weeks (but knew from the start it would be permanent) and then adopted her. She had a good life her last three and one half years, and she gave them so much pleasure.
Teddy
Teddy (2008 NRGRR alumnus Mahi) was well loved by his family for five years. Last year he was diagnosed with a mast cell cancer and had to undergo multiple surgeries and chemotherapy. He lost the battle to cancer in January of 2014. It was a traumatic loss for his family and he is terribly missed.
Buck
Buck (NRGRR alumnus Coleman) crossed the Rainbow Bridge early in 2014. He was very much loved by his adoptive family for the two years he was with them. He is greatly missed.
Sam
Sam (NRGRR Tony) crossed the Rainbow Bridge in February of 2014. His adoptive family reported that: 'We were so blessed to have him as a part of our family for nine years, and we miss him so very much. Thank you for all that you do in bringing these wonderful dogs into our lives.'
Dawson
Dawson (NRGRR alumnus Kennedy) was adopted by his loving family in September of 200. He succumbed to cancer of the spleen and he passed away peacefully with his family by his side. They reported: "We are so grateful for the opportunity to have this beautiful golden in our lives for so long. Please keep up the good work that you do and know that rescue dogs are truly the greatest gift anyone could have."
Leona
Early in the summer of 2013, we heard about a dog who had lived most of her life chained out, but who got off her chain frequently enough to draw attention from animal control. We brought her into our program and she was fostered through her variety of health issues. She got thru HW treatment, lost weight, grew a healthy coat of hair, and the day finally came when she was medically released. Recently we learned that she had a malignant tumor, but her adopters said they would make every moment with her a happy time. Today they realized that her cancer was moving faster than they had expected and they had to let her cross the Rainbow Bridge.
Slick
In August of 2003, a spunky eight-month old named Slick trotted into our home and changed our lives. For six months, he raised cain and wormed his way into our hearts day by day. When a prospective family started showing interest in Slick, we sent him on his way, only to have him back in our home a day later. He picked us to be his family and would accept no substitutions. He spent ten wonderful years in our home... constantly loved and spoiled. We like to say that we didn't rescue him, but he rescued us. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge peacefully in December of 2013 after fighting a battle with thyroid disease and diabetes . He is missed terribly his entire family.
Nickie
Nickie was only 12 years old, and had been diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma. She held up for six months beyond what the vet estimated because of her great and loving spirit and because of her will to live. She passed in December, 2013, and is buried in her backyard. A beautiful red rose bush is planted at the head of her grave, and now she's happy and at peace in her new life, exploring new adventures, smelling new smells, meeting new dogs, and bringing comfort and friendship to all she meets. Rest in peace, dear Nickie. You are sorely missed.
Toby
On November 15, 2013 Toby (NRGRR name Dancer) peacefully passed away surrounded by his family. Toby lived a long healthy life and his family felt blessed to have shared so many memories with him. Toby was always full of energy and continued to approach life with enthusiasm even into his senior years. He was a very intelligent dog who enjoyed going on walks and spending time with his family. He also got along very well with his golden brother Jesse (NRGRR name Harper). His adoptive family looks forward to seeing Toby and Jesse again at the Rainbow Bridge.