The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals that had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together….

We would like to honor your loved ones who have crossed the bridge by posting a memorial of them below. Please include a digital photo & a testament to your beloved hound with your submission to the Memorial Form.

Emmit

In May, it would have been three years since we adopted our good boy, Emmit. This past weekend,
On March 30th, 2018, it came time for Emmit to cross the rainbow bridge.

Emmit was a lover of all walkies, snacks, and buh-byes in the car. His favorite days were Fridays when he would get the “pizza shakes” waiting for pizza crust and Sundays when he would go for a walk to a local breakfast place and was always offered a piece of bacon from the owner. Emmit was also a master bedmaker. He would rearrange any and all pillows in order to make a bed that was suitable for his liking. He also had a habit of wrapping himself in blankets. Emmit LOVED sleeping under his daddy’s desk every night. It was one of his favorite places and it was where he felt safest.

We are forever grateful that he was our first dog. When Emmit came to us, he was very aggressive. He
would bite my husband, me, and the vet. After a few months, Emmit let his guard down and became the biggest cuddle bug I have ever met. We miss him every day. Love you Emmit/Emmy/Bugga/Bubba/Old Man.

Daisy

Daisy Reynolds crossed the rainbow bridge on April 22, 2017. My mom and I loved Daisy very much and we miss her every day. Jennifer and Priscilla Reynolds

Arfur

Arfur came to us from TSBHR in October 2005. He was a challenge as he came with many issues. With a lot of love and socialization, he became, in time, a wonderful host to his own picnic every year for bassets and people. He traveled easily and love to go in the car. From grumpy and fearful, he became a smooshy and lovable boy, with a unique personality. He adored his humans, but especially his mama. He wrote songs and put them in a book to benefit Tri State. He gave us years of joy and laughter, our big lovable clown. He has left a big hole in our hearts here at Camp Arfur. We are so grateful he came into our lives and changed us forever. On April 14, 2018, he left us. He will be forever missed.

Arfur T. Leadbottom, loved by Beth and Bill Howering and hundreds of others.​

Rosco

We adopted Rosco in September 2015… My wife Debbie and I picked him up in the Harrisburg area and when we first met him he was so shy and scared… It took him a few days to warm up to us but after a few days and became my best buddy, my chair buddy and my couch buddy….. I started calling him Lil buddy since he became my best friend…in early August 2018, he was diagnosed with a herniated disc between his 2nd and 3rd. He was in much pain so we decided to try surgery. He got through the surgery but never made it back to where he was conscious. He passed on August 7th at the age of 5… We love you Rosco and there isn’t an hour that we don’t think of you…

Ralphie

My wife and I adopted Ralphie for you’ll in October 2016. from day one he was our laid back boy. He was our big lovey couch potato. He was just happy to be on the couch or in a chair just being part of the family. He was our Eyeore… Ralphie was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure in late July of 2018 and on August 11th Ralphie was filling up with fluids and was laboring with his breathing. My wife and I had to make the worse decision of letting our Ralphie go… We miss Ralphie and his sweet loving personality…..

Bailey Blu

This is Bailey. We’ve had her since she was about 2 years old. Bailey was a part of our family for about 9 years and was loved so much.
On July 25 2018 we had to let her cross the bridge.

WATCH OVER US Bailey, mommy and daddy miss and loved you so much.

Boo (Jackson)

On May 17, 2018, our beloved Boo (Jackson) passed away in his home, comforted by his mom, dad, and 3 canine siblings. Boo, a handsome, sturdy basset-lab mix, encompassed the best of both breeds – he could be demanding, playful, gentle, affectionate, and scary strong. He was diagnosed with a cancerous growth on his spleen this past January. He was rushed to the animal hospital, where he had emergency surgery followed by 5 rounds of chemo. Unfortunately, this is a particularly aggressive cancer.

Boo was an owner-surrender with a heartworm from South Carolina. We adopted him in January 2014 and we cannot thank TSBHR enough for treating him back to health. He was the joy of our lives from the day we brought him home, although getting used to living in a house and getting up after 5 AM was a for him challenge at first. Our hearts are broken and we see him everywhere from hunting for rabbits in the yard to asleep on the couch. We love you, Boo. More than you will ever know.

Brian & Josephine Philippi & Tony, Sophia, and Gabe

Gus, aka Feruson Hamilton the Emperor

This is Feruson Hamilton the Emperor. He answered to Gus.

I got Gus for Christmas in 2004. I guess he was supposed to be a she, but she had a cold. So, there he was. It was love at first site.
My first grandson was born in November just before Gus came to our home. So, Gus and Ty grew up together. Gus lived with an Umbrella Cockatoo, Dewey, and his own kitty cat, Ellie. He and Ellie became inseparable. Always taking naps together.

When I bought Ellie a kitty bed she wanted nothing to do with it. Gus put his shoulders into it. The two carved pumpkins together and opened their Christmas stockings. The love surrounding us with my Gus she. In time, Gus was having a harder time getting around. Vet visits more often. He lost quite a few teeth. I was told by my vet it was due to inbreeding.
There came the time that Gus’s arthritis was keeping him down, covered with his blankie. He started having trouble going down the steps to go potty. I put pee pads in the sitting room.

The pain became too much for my boy and he had no true quality of life. When the day came for Gus to take that walk across the Rainbow Bridge, Gus was laying on a carpet, wrapped in his blue blanket, my arms around him. I stayed with him for probably 20 minutes, talking to his soul and telling him thank you for all the times he held me up when I was so low. It’s been three years. I miss him now more than ever.
I live alone, I am disabled due to Fibromyalgia and depression, PTSD. I want an emotional companion and I can only see myself with a Bassett. Maybe someday. I do know Gus is so happy beyond the Rainbow bridge.

Gus

On Wednesday, March 20, 2019, we had to say goodbye to my boy Gus. He had been diagnosed with a large aggressive tumor on his spleen just two weeks prior to one of the hardest and saddest days in my life. My in-laws mated their basset male, Clancy, with a family friend’s female, Molly. Gus was one of eight in the litter. The first time we went to see the puppies, Gus crawled right into my wife’s lap and straight into our hearts. He loved going anywhere in the car and was the best co-pilot. He was always by my side, wherever I was. He loved getting belly rubs, his butt scratched, and especially getting his ears scratched inside and out. Gus would make this moaning sound of pleasure when you scratched that perfect spot in his ear. Gus was a puppy at heart for his entire life. He always wanted to play with his ball. Everyone that met Gus, and those that only saw him in pictures, loved him. My wife dressed him up for every holiday and special occasion, and Gus just endured her silly antics. He would sit and pose for pictures like the good boy he was. He was the subject of our Christmas cards for many years, and everybody said they looked forward to those cards every year. Gus was a huge part of our life, and a day won’t go by that we won’t miss him. I’m positive he knows how much we love him, and we will use the knowledge that he isn’t suffering anymore to help us ease the pain of losing him. We will meet again Gus, so have that ball of yours ready. Gus – 11/16/2007 – 3/20/2019.
Jack and Cindy Thomas

Stella

After a long and eventful life, Stella waddled peacefully across the Rainbow Bridge this past July 26th at the age of 14 ¾. She is survived on this side by pet parents Margaret and Michael, and her pet-sister Rebecca.
Stella was adopted at the age of 2 through the auspices of Tri State Basset Hound Rescue after an extensive interviewing process to ensure a stable and loving home environment. Her adoptive family spent the next 12 ¾ years proving it was worthy of a raised eyebrow. Having done some independent research on the nature and temperament of the breed, her pet parents took away several nuggets that proved particularly useful over the years:

  • Basset Hounds are not constrained by time or space – a 40-acre farm is too small…
  • In practical terms, this means they have to be walked to within an inch of their lives.
  • Most importantly, Basset Hounds do not obey so much as they acquiesce which means that…
  • In practical terms, obedience is more likely when the interests of the hound and pet parent are aligned.

Mostly as a result of walks that could extend upwards to 90 minutes and a personality that led total strangers to gravitate to her, she was well-known throughout the community. Her hunting skills were in keeping with those of the breed; she was equally at home tracking down baby rabbits, assorted road kill as well as the odd stray bagels left over from local street fairs.
In her later years, Stella was content to sit in the sun, contemplate life and let it come to her.
Stella would ask that those of you reading this not mourn her, but consider a contribution to TSBHR in order that it might continue its good work of screening potential pet families as to worthiness to adopt the dogs they shelter…for, in the eyes of Basset Hounds (if not necessarily their sponsoring agency), pet-parenting is a privilege only to be earned over the fullness of time.