On behalf of my husband John as well, I would like to thank the wonderful volunteers at GRRAND for the love of a lifetime.  We adopted Stryker from you in October 2009 as a 5-month old puppy.  Because he was “super duper” he became Cooper, and had the best puppy breath I have ever smelled.  We thought we were adopting a golden retriever but whatever breed he turned out to be (“Cooperdor Retriever,” “LabraCooper”) we truly hit the jackpot.  He loved his older brother Sam, and later his new brother Henry, and got along great with all our cats over the years.  (Even our tigercat Oscar, who he managed to give a concussion to in a friendly wrestling match.  That was fun.)  He also loved belly rubs, ice cubes, toilet paper, and oh did he love his Mama.  (And also clunking you in the head with his head – I will always have a partially fake tooth in front owing to that.)  He never barked but instead spoke in grunts, which earned him the nickname “Pig Dog.”

As he got older he became epileptic, which slowed him down a little bit.  Arthritis and other issues took their toll and earlier this week we realized that his body was tired.  He was a sweet, loving, happy boy until the end.  Know that he went peacefully and kindly and never knew a minute of pain or fear in his life.  He gave us years of joy that we will never forget and we owe that all to your wonderful organization.  Know that you do good work and I hope that this message brings you the knowledge that your tireless efforts not only saves these dogs lives but brings immeasurable love to the families they join.

Thank you,

The Sparlings (John and Deana)