Eskie Rescuers United

Sophia
Sophia was named after the famous actress, Sophia Loren because her rescuers wanted her to have a special name with a bit of sophistication, charm and intrigue. You see, she was picked up as a stray in mid-June in Michigan. Her coat was a mess, she was mostly blind and she tested a strong heartworm positive. The ladies at the shelter were very sad when they found out she was sick, the chances of someone rescuing her would be slim. BUT, some wonderful people from ERU heard about her and they wanted to give her some dignity in her final days. Sophia's foster mommy in Illinois, Mary, felt she deserved to spend her final days in a home where someone loves her, not in a cold shelter. Sophia went to the bridge today, just a few days short of Christmas, 2006. She went there in the arms of someone who loved her, to join the Mayor and all the other bridge kids. Thank you to all the kind people who sponsored Sophia and helped make her final days surrounded by love and comfort. UPDATE: There was such an outpouring of sympathy and words of support when the news of Sophia's passing was made that Mary wanted everyone to know how touching the tributes were: "I don't know how to thank all of you for your kindness and support. Sophia is looking down, smiling, thinking WOW! I am a special girl!! When she first came to live here her tail was so small, especially for how big she was. Her tail grew to be big & beautiful. I know it is flying high today while her angels are reading all of the wonderful letters sent for her."

Sparky
Sparky, a senior of 17+ years, was rescued from a Miami shelter with a horrible case of canine flu and couldn't stand or eat well. He was severely matted and covered in fleas and ticks. Sparky spent the last 10 days of his life in clean, warm comfort instead of in a backyard, a street or cold shelter.

Sterling
Sterling was rescued from bad conditions in a back yard and went to a shelter in Bradley, Indiana with two more of his buddies. Because of their condition of fear and not looking very appealing, their time was close at hand. All three were rescued by ERU and the female went to a foster in Michigan and the two boys, Sterling and Aidan, came to Ohio for a temporary stay until they went to Pa. to get their health check and neutering. But Sterling didn't make it. His health deteriorated in the four days he was in foster care (coughing, vomiting, loss of appetite, etc) and he died in his sleep on Christmas night, 2007. Although Sterling was very "human afraid", he allowed his foster to pet him and give him ear scratches the last two days of his life.

Tilley
Tilley survived Florida's bad 2005 hurricane season and was captured by animal control begging for burgers at the local McDonald's. Tilley's rescue from a high kill-shelter was precipitated by a flurry of last-minute alerts to rescuers to save her and resulted in a dramatic transport across Alligator Alley in the middle of the night. Once in safety, her rescuers pulled all the nuts, bolts, and miscellaneous hurricane debris from her tangled fur. It took many baths to get her to look and feel good.

Under the care of two foster homes (Ana and Mary), Tilley started to gain some much needed weight but, unfortunately, she was found to have a large mass of polyps in her ears. Tilley spent her final year of life in foster care. She passed away peacefully, surrounded by the love and compassion that had been missing from her "street life" before rescue.

Vanna White
Vanna White may be a Shiba Inu, but she is also an honorary eskie. Vanna found her way into the home and the heart of one of ERU's foster homes. After receiving a call from her local vet, the foster mom heard about a 9 yr old shiba inu who needed rescue or was going to be put down by her owner. He could no longer take care of her due to his own medical problems and didn't know that rescue was an option. When her foster mom went to meet Vanna, she found a severely obese (44 lbs) and sad girl who deserved a shot at a new life. So while Shiba Rescue worked on finding a foster home for Vanna in their program, her eskie foster mom took her home. Vanna was twice the size she should have been, had kidney and thyroid problems, but had a personality that was sweet and endearing. After a month, she was transferred to her shiba foster home where it was discovered that she had Cushing's disease. Shortly after starting treatment, Vanna struggled and passed away. In the short time she was in rescue, Vanna lost almost 10 lbs and had charmed everyone she met. She never met a stranger and was often found doing something she loved- laying in the sun. Vanna will never be forgotten and serves as a reminder that while ERU is about saving eskies, we also try to help others in need.