Memorials

Tributes made in honor of the humans and animals we have loved and lost. If you would also like to make a donation in memory of, please visit our donations page. It is not necessary to make a donation to post your tribute.

Inky

Inky was part of our family for nine years and left us suddenly last week. We miss her so much! Thank you CARE for rescuing our little one and entrusting her to our care!

Love,

Peg & Kathleen

Blaise

I adopted Blaise (CARE name of Starsky, who came in as a 4 1/2 mo with his brother Hutch) from CARE in mid July of 2013.
My wife, Vida, and I were blessed to have him in our 3-person pack for 10 1/2 wonderful years. Blaise was part miniature poodle, Pomeranian, pekingese, and Irish water spaniel. We have had many dogs (Layla, Keith, Jerry, Alex, Becka, and Blaise) in our almost 50 years of married life together. They were all special in their own ways; Blaise was the smallest at 21 pounds but had a very big affectionate, loving, and understanding heart. Sadly we had to euthanize Blaise on January 27, 2024 when he suddenly became very sick with splenic hemangiosarcoma. Thank you CARE for bringing us together because he enriched our lives in so many very special ways. He will be sorely missed and always have a very special place in our hearts.

Vida and Bill

Rudy

I adopted Rudy from you at CARE in 2012. I remember that day like it was yesterday.

From the first time I met Rudy, I fell in love with him. He was shy, anxious and needy but wanted nothing more than to share his heart. When I read your ad for him the week before our scheduled play date on a cloudy Saturday afternoon, I had read all about the Dachshund-Chihuahua mixes have a loyalty that is unmistakable. Well, that was Rudy. He loved walks, apples, wasn’t interested in games or toys, but wanted to be nearby his loved ones. Rudy has been a great dog for 12 years and has added much love and joy.

David

Declan

Our boy Declan recently passed. It was 13 years to the day from when we adopted him thru C.A.R.E.

He lived a great life with us & gave back so much more.

We miss him every day.

He is now with his “sister” Casis (also from C.A.R.E.)

Keep up the great work,

Steve & Kristin

Kiwi

On 21st August 2010, our lives were forever changed with the adoption of our little man Kiwi from CARE. The story had begun two months earlier in June when we met him for the first time. As soon as I had held him in my arms, I knew he was the one. We visited him at his CARE foster home several times making a 2 hour round trip from San Jose to spend time with him. His foster family was supportive and caring and gave us all the information we needed to know we were making the right decision with adoption.

When he came home, Kiwi was at first shy and nervous. He quickly outgrew this and became an exuberant, lovable and at times mischievous little dog. His best friend was our daughter, he would lie on her lap as she read to him. Kiwi loved walks, soft toys, the beach and above all his family.

On 6th October 2023 we said goodbye to him after he blessed us with 13 years. We miss him so much; he will always be in our hearts.

Love always,

Deborah, Paul & Hannah

Irwin

A donation has been made for the care of precious Max, posted on your adoption page. That little guy is tugging at my heartstrings!

I make this donation in memory and honor of my dad, Irwin, who would have turned 88 today. My dad was a wonderful man and he loved dogs.

Thank you for the great work you do.

Sincerely,

Michele

Max

We adopted our beautiful boy Max from CARE when he was two years old. We had 12 wonderful years with him until Sept 29, 2022 when he crossed to the Rainbow Bridge. He was the most gentle, loving, friendly little soul who was loved by all he encountered. Each morning, he would start the day by giving us gentle kisses as we woke – then it was a mad dash to the kitchen for breakfast! Right after breakfast, he would go stand by the front door to say “let’s go see what is happening in the world outside!”. His joy at every new day was contagious. It took us 20 minutes to go around the block because he had to stop and say “hi” to everyone he encountered. Max was especially good with small children and would always approach them softly so they could cuddle him.

He loved road trips and we took many together throughout California and Arizona over the years. Always food motivated, he adored roasted yams and thought his glucosamine tablets were treats too! We miss him so much every day and are grateful to have had him in our lives. He will be forever loved and always in our hearts.

Love always,

Molly and Mark

Gracie

Gracie was my first dog and she brought me so much joy. I miss her dearly. She had an amazing temperament and was patient and sweet. I couldn’t have adopted a better pup to share my life with. I named her Gracie because she brought such grace to my life. I miss her dearly. She lived a very good life with me I was so grateful to have rescued her and her be a big part of my life for over 15 years.

Love,

Jane

Becka

We lost our beautiful Becka yesterday.

She was definitely a big part of our lives for almost 10 years. She was a very, very loving dog. Thank you so much.

We miss her so much.

Jim and Carol

Honey

Our beautiful Honey has crossed the rainbow bridge. She was adopted from CARE 10 years ago and she changed our lives in such a profound way. She was an amazing dog and we felt blessed to have her as part of our family for 10 years. Thank you for bringing her into our lives.

Laura, Francesca & Rachael

Molly

Molly adopted us approximately 10.5 years ago. She was a rescue, which to be honest, neither my wife nor I fully understood the full ramifications of. We all learned fast though, and after Molly established trust in us, which took about a year, we had a fairly normal loving fur family relationship.

She was a loving member of our family and we miss her with all our hearts. She was loved and cared for her entire life with us.

Thank you for all you do.

Ed & Linda

Beary

We had to let Beans (“Beary”) cross the bridge. He could hardly breathe due to his congestive heart disease – he fought hard until the end. We gave him the best home we could for the last 7 years and I know he felt loved and safe – we were lucky to call him our paw child. I included the photo you had on your site which made me want to meet him.

Thank you again for helping bring him into our lives.

Raul

Cooper

2008 – 2021


Our family adopted Cooper in 2008. He was a foreclosure puppy and by the time he was found with his siblings, his parents were already deceased. Over the years, we had other pets before Cooper, but none were as special as Cooper. While we thought we were saving Cooper, he literally saved us! He was such a comfort during some very turbulent years. Cooper provided stability to our children. There are no words to express how amazing Cooper was and the number of ways he took care of us. Christmas was always important to Cooper. He had his own stocking and would get very excited about unwrapping his own presents. He also has lots of ornaments on our Christmas tree. Saying goodbye to him just this last month has been so incredibly hard, but we have decided to continue to stuff Cooper’s stocking each year with donations to your organization and others that assist animals. Our hearts are broken, and we cannot begin to express how lucky we feel that Cooper blessed our lives. Thank you for all that you do.

Mark, Tamela, Markus, Tori & Darby

Sol

2006 – 2021

Sol Glaser, adopted in August 2008. Sol, our sun dog, who lights up our lives every day. It was so hard to lose him. We miss him dearly.

Forever in our hearts,

The Glaser Family

Amber

Amber was adopted from CARE in 2007 at almost 1 year old and lived to 15. She was beautiful, sweet and had a feisty, independent personality. She loved to go for walks in the neighborhood, have her head and neck rubbed and, of course, get treats to eat. She couldn’t hear anymore but could still stare at you with her gorgeous yet spooky pale brown eyes. We loved her so much and she reciprocated with increasing affection as she got older. Amber was well loved.

Valerie & Doug Manke

Lilly

2003 – 2021

We adopted Lilly from C.A.R.E. in 2004. She was a loving, kind, and loyal member of our family for 17 years. With her, my husband and I became a family. She welcomed our three sons to this world, and watched our family grow over the years. She made us laugh and feel complete with thousands of expressions of unconditional love. She helped us to belong to our community – on the walk with her, we met and deepened the relationship with our neighbors.

She enjoyed simple pleasures in life. Running all over the beach made her very happy. She used to run, splashing water and sand, sticking her tongue out, moving her tail like a windshield wiper at the highest speed. Daily walks made her very happy. Even when her walk became much slower, she insisted on walking another block. She loved sunbathing. She taught us to be grateful for every day of our lives.

She had an amazing power of healing when our hearts needed care. Stroking her soft fur made us feel better in difficult times. She always looked after us and made our lives very rich with love and joy.

Thank you for the wonderful 17 years. Your spirit will always stay with us.

Love,

Kixmoeller Family

Twiggy

We adopted Twiggy in December of 2004. This is the picture that was posted in your Spring 2005 newsletter. We wrote you to let you know how happy she was in her new home. Leeann was her foster mom and we are so thankful that she took such good care of Twiggy.

Twiggy went to “doggie heaven” on March 25, 2021 after a very happy life. She was the sweetest dog that gave us years of love and entertainment. We miss her terribly.

Thank you again,

The Thomas Family

Meko

This is to let you know that our special boy Meko has gone over the rainbow bridge. We adopted him from C.A.R.E. in 2009. Thank you for our joy!!!

Our handsome boy, Meko, has gone towards the rainbow bridge . He will forever be part of us and always be our ever faithful pup. Meko had served over a thousand hours as a therapy dog and given joy to many people in need over the years. He came to us as a forlorn, starving and beaten rescue (from C.A.R.E.) and had been previously scheduled to be put down; but instead he gave us the last 11 years of his life with joy and unconditional love. Love you forever my best friend, Meko boy…

Kathy

Meshach

10+ years ago we adopted a sweet Chihuahua from CARE. The little dog was healing from two broken hips and being neutered. We spent about 3 hours trying to decide between him and two other dogs. We were about to adopt another dog and he whined to us; he chose us.

We named him “Meshach.” H. We had 10 wonderful years with him. He died suddenly, in early May of this year; the diagnosis was congestive heart failure. Our hearts broke.

Love, Jo & Chuck

Sienna

Sienna who was adopted in 2011 lost her battle with cancer (Dec 2019). She was a great dog. She watched over our family very well while always having fun playing with the kids and going for walks. She had fun up in the wilderness while camping with us one summer as well as playing in the snow when we visited family. She will be missed.

Loved by the Bradford Family

Leilani

Leilani was formerly known as Tuchi. We adopted her at 8 weeks old. She truly was my baby. I loved her without inhibition and she loved me unconditionally. Leilani lived a happy life, spoiled and had a great many adventures. She developed a heart murmur and later congestive heart failure. Her heart was enlarged, and we said she had a large heart because she had so much love to give. I thank you eternally for allowing me to be her Mama. She is eternally in my heart and greatly missed.

Leilani was very loved in our household from day one and she grew so deeply into our hearts. She was my “Heart Dog”

Love Always,

Tamara

Maple

2001 – 2018

Maple (formerly known as Brittany) was adopted in June 2001. She had a great life of camping and hiking the Sierra’s and spent the last 10 years of her life helping raise several hundred foster puppies with us. We still miss her everyday.

Love,

Alyce