People always think we are prepared to say Good-Bye to our beloved animals because we know how sick they are when we rescue them.   The Reality is far from that.   Every animal we take in is loved beyond anything you could ever imagine.  We do whatever it takes to give them the Life they never had.  We Nurture their Soul and Heal their broken bodies until the time comes for us to say Good-Bye.

Every animal we take in touches our Hearts in a special way.   LEVI convinced us all, he would be around Forever.   He was the ultimate Mascott for Pitbulls.  He loved everyone and thought every dog was his Friend.  He Nurtured and Loved us as much as we Loved him.  When he recovered from his surgical procedure, he was unstoppable.  He ran and played from sun-up to sun-down.   He let small dogs and puppies crawl all over him.  He played tug of war with every size dog that would play with him.  With the puppies, he would gently pull them across the grass and eventually take off running with them chasing him.

We had lots of people interested in adopting him, but for some reason, we never could let him go.   Levi was our big goofy boy that greeted us every morning with a smile and a sloppy kiss.   It was during one of our play sessions outside that I noticed some very small lumps under his skin.  They were only visible because the sun hit his fur at just the right angle.   I ran my hand over his body and could barely feel a tiny pea shaped mass.   Over the next couple of weeks, small masses started popping up all over under his skin.  You had to be looking for them, or you would have never found them.

I decided it was best to get Levi back to Matthews, NC where his surgery was done and to see his Oncologist, Dr. Claudia McFadden.  The following week, Dr. McFadden gave us the news we never thought would come.  Levi's cancer was back, and it had already spread to his liver, bladder, and lungs.  Four months prior, he did not have anything that could be seen on any of the scans that were done.    The biggest tumor was in his bladder, and that was going to be the one that would kill him.

Dr. McFadden said there was nothing we could do but Love him.  She thought he would have four to six weeks left before we would have to say Good-Bye.    Four days later, our big goofy boy went downhill and wanted to do nothing but lay down.  The tumor in his bladder had almost doubled in size, and his abdomen and legs had begun to swell with fluid.   I knew at that moment today was going to be the day.   It was not going to be next week or next month; it was going to happen as soon as I could get the Vet over to the Rehab Center.   

We got Levi comfortable so he would want to play one last time with his balls.   We bought him pulled pork sandwiches, salami, chocolate, and ding-dongs.  He got to say good-bye to each of us individually.   When the time came, he walked over to his blanket and lay down next to me.   He was ready and was so grateful he did not have to suffer one second longer.  He was gone almost the second he lay his head down.   

Levi crossed over the Rainbow Bridge the same day as the Eclipse.   It has taken all this time to compose myself long enough to write this note to everyone.   Life will never be the same without this dear boy.  The Joy and Love he shared with us will forever be in our Hearts.  We hoped he would be with us longer but are so grateful for each moment we had with him.

We are never prepared to say Good-Bye but always know the day will come.    Unconditional Love is when you put the animal FIRST.   Each animal deserves the best Quality of Life and when that is no longer a possibility, Love them enough to know when that day arrives.   Levi and all the others that have passed before him were Loved unconditionally until their time came.  They will forever be part of the Noah's Arks Rescue Family.   Our dear boy has his beautiful Golden Angel Wings.   He is now in charge of being our Guardian Angel.  

The sky should be clearer and brighter tonight because Levi is in Heaven.   No matter where he goes, all the World is Brighter because he is there.   When you look up to the Heavens, say hello to our dear boy.   If it starts to rain while you are looking up, that would be Levi chasing a Rain Cloud until it bursts all over him.   The day he passed, the clouds opened up and cried for our sweet boy to welcome him Home.

Thanks for making his Journey to Heal and find Love possible.  Our only regret is that we didn't find him sooner, so we could Love him longer.    Warm hugs and much love.....Jennifer