Lenny the Pitbull

04/09/2024

Having my morning coffee with Lenny and Fred. It's a sentimental and bittersweet start to the day. What a crazy and unexpected life it was with the Lenny-monster. 😔💕

07/08/2024

Happy Gotcha Day to our boy 💔
He is missed, but there is comfort in knowing his bestie, Harley, is up there looking after him now. ❤️
Can't believe it's been 14 years since it all happened!

07/08/2023

Another "Gotcha Day" has come around. Two years have passed since he's been gone and I still think about him every day.

09/12/2022

❤️

Kenny Chesney - Da Ruba Girl (Audio)Make a donation in Ruby's name in support of Stray Rescue of St. Louis. Read more about Da Ruba Girl and Kenny's mission ...

07/08/2022

Lenny's 12th anniversary of his gotcha day is here. It's been over a year that he's been gone and a lot has happened, including the addition of two new rescue pups to the pack (Lenny's legacy of finding the dogs that need you as much as you need them has definitely continued) and a big move to West Virginia. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him. He will always be my bestest boy 💕

20/12/2021

The Victory Dogs are all gone now. Rest well you sweet little souls and thank you for the inspiration that helped me never give up on Lenny. 💔

The incredible 'Vick dog' era is over.

On Saturday, we had the great honor and privilege of attending the transition of the sweet, shy Frodo as his family helped him pass over to be with the rest of the dogs from the group.

He was the last of 48 brave survivors from that game changing case. Seized and rescued in 2007, we estimate that he would've been 15 years old - and THIS is the important part - the last 14 years of his life were spent being pampered like a prince with the Ramirez family and dogs. Sweet Frodo - How we loved him. He was one of the bravest survivors we've ever met.

We didn't realize at the time that Jonny Justice had just passed away in a private moment with his people, Cris & Jen, just two days earlier. Oh Jonny! We thought you might live forever.

And finally - in the first week of October, Letti de Little's sweet man Uba passed over. We've been grappling to find the words, and now Uba's friends have pushed that door wide open.

Warm sympathies and gratitude to the families. We'll come back with more on each special dog and the lives they lived, but for now, it's time to have a little cry and say good-bye to them all.

(Photo: Frodo gobbled that big bag of steak under the tears of his mama, Kim Ramirez and her daughter Dominique. Thank you Dr. Williams for tending to his medical needs up until the end. He trusted you and you made this moment so perfect.)

08/08/2021

This is my favorite photo of our Lenny-monster. Today marks the 11th anniversary of his "Gotcha Day." It even falls on a Saturday, as it did the day we found him. I miss him every single day. 💔

12/06/2021

Our boy is home. 💔
I'm having trouble deciding how to memorialize him. I'd like something for the garden that can travel when we move.
What kind if memorials have you made for your kiddos when they have passed?

12/05/2021

Our Lenny is gone, but he enjoyed a last day of napping and lots of love.

Thank you so much to Dr. Hoss and Heaven at Home Pet Hospice. Lenny transitioned peacefully and stress free under the tulip tree in the yard which was his second favorite place to be... the bed being his most favorite.

We never imagined taking on a dog like him 11 years ago and now we can't imagine a life without him. Rest easy little buddy. 💔

11/05/2021

A nice lazy day for Lenny today. ❤

10/05/2021

Hello good friends. We have been giving a lot of very difficult thought to Lenny’s quality of life. He’s had very painful flare ups of arthritis and his ability to move around and breathe comfortably has pretty much ended.

Lenny started his journey with us with a great amount of pain and anxiety. We do not want his last days and moments to be the same.

We have scheduled an appointment for this Tuesday with “Heaven at Home Pet Hospice” out of Grand Rapids and have decided it is time to let Lenny rest. As you all know and can probably relate to, it’s been a very difficult decision with lots of second guessing involved. But by letting Lenny go before he gets any worse, we’ll be able to give him the peace he deserves without the addition of anxiety or increased pain.

Amazingly, things are coming full circle as our hospice veterinarian will be none other than Dr. Amy Hoss who many of you will remember was Lenny’s first veterinarian when we found him nearly 11 years ago. It’s very comforting to know that Lenny will be surrounded by people who have loved and cared for him from the very beginning.

We will continue to share some moments from his last days with us, but also wanted to thank everyone who has accompanied us on Lenny’s journey. The amount of love and support he has received still leaves us speechless and we cannot express our appreciation enough. Much love to you all.

30/04/2021

Lenny has good days and bad days. The bad days are ever so slightly worse each time, but he's hanging in there. Recent X-rays showed slow progression in the bronchial and arthritic issues he's having. Lots of meds are keeping him comfortable, as well as nice long rests in the sun whenever possible. This photo is a good day that included an extended roll in the grass 😊

08/04/2021

Lenny update: nothing has changed. He's still sleepy. 😊

25/02/2021

Lenny has had some better days recently. The cold makes it more difficult for him to breath so the warm up helps, but a hot water bottle in the form of a cat also does wonders!

19/02/2021

Lenny is having a little bit if a rough day today. It's hard getting old. ❤

19/02/2021

I just came across this photo I took late last year. I'm not sure what I did to deserve this look, but it must have been very, very bad. 😧

05/02/2021

That's a six inch deep cushion Lenny has his bottom on. Not sure how he's comfortable but I feel like we've all had days like this. 😂

23/01/2021

Lenny is busy gearing up for the weekend. Hope you all have a good one! ❤

08/01/2021

Our boy is slowing down quite a bit. We took him to the vet recently for a senior wellness workup and to check the progress of the mass in his chest.

Lenny's blood work came out pretty well. His mass is about the same but still impacts his breathing, particularly in the cold.

He's getting very arthritic and sometimes gimps around on three legs. We're trying medications to help ease this.

The x-rays he had also showed a mass that has attached itself to his spleen. This may or may not impact him in the long run. We will have to wait and see.

Lenny basically has the "old dog blues." We guess his age to be between 11 and maybe up to 14. It's really hard to say. Regardless, he's had a good run and we'll continue keeping him comfortable and loved for as long as we can ❤

07/12/2020

Lenny is battling his demons. Or joyously barking at some friends. Only he knows.

16/11/2020

Lenny would prefer to snuggle with Mom while she works from home, but accepts the kitties as secondary snuggle partners.

05/11/2020

Lenny spent some time under the Tulip Tree today. Thankful for every bit of warm weather he can get!

02/10/2020

Lenny has a bit of a respiratory issue he's working through... with some help from his besties. ❤💕❤

08/08/2020

Happy Gotcha Day Lenny! Can you believe it's been 10 years?!! ❤

11/07/2020

A lazy Saturday it is! ❤