Good Shepherd K-9 Rescue

Deedee Roerdink Memorial Fund has been very generous in their donation to Good Shepherd K-9 Rescue and in doing so has enabled "Ava" to have the surgery necessary to run & play again.

Our deepest thanks to all who made this possible.

woman with dog

Deedee &Misty
(9-1/2 yrs.)

Deedee Roerdink's story as told by her son Keith.....

My mom loved dogs. They weren't pets to her, they were members of the family. They got kissed and hugged and praised. They slept on the bed. They got cake and ice cream on their birthdays and presents to tear open at Christmas. Most of all, they were loved. We got Misty in 1981. My sister, Stacy, who was nine years older than me and allergic to dogs, had moved out and Misty moved in. While she was the family dog, she was always a little closer to my Mom. She spent the days with my stay-at-home Mom, while I was at school and my Dad worked second-shift. Misty was Mom's constant companion, snuggling up on the couch to watch TV or sitting in the shade outside on sunny days. Misty spent nine and a half wonderful years with us.

We bought Shana shortly thereafter. She didn't take Misty's place, but quickly became another beloved member of the family. Much like Misty, Shana quickly became 'Mom's dog'. When Dad was at work or I was away at college, it was Shana that kept Mom company, laying across her lap or following her around the house. Shana also loved to sit with my Dad outside while he read the paper or watched over my nephew Nick (Stacy's son), when he was a baby and little boy. Watching Shana make the rest of us happy always made Mom happy too. But like Misty, Shana had her share of health problems. At age 13, those problems finally caught up with her.

My parents waited a while before they bought Max. He was their first male German Shepherd and already seven months old. Max was more 'Dad's dog' than Mom's. He'd give a playful growl if Mom got too close to Dad, but eventually warmed up to her, stealing kisses and hopping up on the bed. Now it's Max and my Dad hanging out and spending their days together, after Mom's sudden death from a heart attack last August. And while she's not sitting in her usual chair in the living room anymore, I know Mom is still there in spirit and I know she's glad that my Dad has Max to look after him.

It was Stacy who found the Good Shepherd K-9 Rescue website and told the rest of the family. Maybe it was meant to be that all those years after Stacy moved out, allowing Mom to get that first dog, that she would find the perfect place to make a donation on Mom's behalf. We're told that part of the donation will go towards a German Shepherd that needed surgery after being struck by a hit-and-run driver. That's just the kind of thing Mom would want to be able to help out with. Because it wasn't just about Misty and Shana and Max bringing happiness to my Mom's life, it was about her making their days happy too. This fund will allow her to keep bringing happiness, and most importantly, necessary care to German Shepherds who need it most. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed.

We love you, Mom.

Generous Donors to "Save Ava"
Lloyd McIndoe Anne Drewitz Susan Drewitz Madelyn Co., Inc. (Joni Cullen & Lisa Saxer-Buros) Deanna Webb Bill & Jeanne Vogt Elizabeth Johnson Susan Paddock Calhoun Clippers Dorothy Schauer Karl Merz Ruth Shuckhart	Sylvia Harrison Janice Torpy Margaret Austin Ardice Aurit Robert Dorr Danny Kido River's Edge Cub Cadet Sales, LLC Ann Dries Paul Roloff Lackner Carol Bessel James Stratton ABC Acres, Inc.	Bob & Louise Clementi Evelyn Cash Ruth Livick Cara Miller Timothy Magee Barbara Mullett Terry/Sharon Hawkins Jacki Stearns Angelina Yeomans Mary Brown Cheryl Demrow Shawn Parr	Nancy Parr Lakeland Dog Training Club Inc. Kathryn Hess Billy Locke Andrew Buck Terri Courtney Chris Loudermilk Carlo Ferroni Sherri Saxer All those who bought pizzas during our fundraising drive for Ava
Arf's German Shepherd Rescue, Inc. Charlie & Kristen Worm AWARE Shorewood Cocker Rescue, Inc. John & Chantele Perkinson Patricia Nahn Kimila Ulrich Ruth Wilke Cindy Duecker Mary Margaret Hosler Shadows Professional Pet Grooming & Boarding Laurie Erdman	Dorothy M. Smith Joanne Anderson Bonnie Stibbe Diane Nelson Jeffrey Dean Jean M. Kretchman Renee C. Davis-Geroux Jodi Kienbaum Kristine Mills Marion Goke Laurie Harnack John & Connie Lyons	J. Fong Amy Hiler Eugenie Schmeling Cindy Bluhm Country Roads Boarding Kennel Kay Uecker Carolyn Hill Connie Willing Charlotte Drake Marcia Kelleher Darlene Freeburg	Shirley Sirek Lisa Dallman Bonnie Miller Kincaids Kritters Pet Store Basics Natural Foods Kwik Trip Stores #326 Nicolas Noben Christopher Vickery William Vaccaro Patricia Lisowski Kate Buker