BHRR’s Potter
August 2008 – February 14th, 2019

Deaf/Visually Impaired and a LEGEND!

BHRR’s Potter, you beat so many odds…yet, in the end, your failing body could not beat the passing of time. 🙁

I will never forget that day in 2009, when I made the drive with Kinsley to pick you up….

No one wanted you – every rescue that had been contacted did not want you for any number of reasons, we were told – you were natural earred, natural tailed, deaf, visually impaired and had been abused plus neglected.

Well, without even seeing a picture of you, I was already in love like many other dogs that we are contacted to assist….

Broke my heart when I went to pick you up and I promised you then that you would never know another day of anything but helping loving hands.

After getting you, I learned that you had a bite history – perfectly understandable and we knew that you would remain in our Haven program, loved, understood and accepted.

I also knew that you were testing me….the way you looked at me, I knew that you were just waiting to see if I was ‘just like those that you knew in your past.’

You did not have a name for we were told ‘why give a name to just a dumb dog.’ You were allowed to run on the I81 in New York and I cannot believe that you never were hit. Makes me sick to my stomach.

NO wonder transports terrified you for so long. YET, you learned to love car rides and opening up a car door was how we could get you to stop doing your walk-abouts after your ever famous ‘houdini escapes’ that became a huge fav for all of our guests at events here!

AND I knew that you picked up the sign for sitting and so much more so fast yet you needed to know that you could trust me…..

It took one month and one day, I looked over and you were sitting by the treat bin with a half hoping and half defiant look on your face.

Inside, I was welling up with tears at the trust that you so badly wanted to give….outside, I was calm and went over and gave you your treat…..and then another one.

From the kids soccer games – oh man were you a hit! – to dismantling crates to prove to me that you had no need of one, to you deciding when you were ready to integrate with the other dogs and leading the charge thundering with such joy through my house, you have left your mark on our hearts plus home forever.

You are a true legend that at barely three months of being with us, I found a small lump in November 2009 and I was so worried that it may be a MCT and it was. 

Within one week, your leg was amputated at barely one year of age and we were told that you had an 85% chance of it coming back within a year and that you would mostly likely not see your second birthday.

Well, you challenged that! BIG time!

AND you ran faster than the Danes with four legs!

AND, in 2016, that nasty cancer beast came back to try and steal you again from us and you again proved them wrong!

You have beaten the odds in so many ways dear Potterman.

We shall never look at tennis balls in the same way for that was your ‘thing’….the sheer joy you took from a simple tennis ball really made us smile.

AND as much as you loved me, when you could get over Sean’s snoring, you and Sean were true family.

As much as my heart pains me and it surely does….it shatters so much more for Sean and the heart ache that he is experiencing.

You were there for Sean’s own Cancer surgery and as he battles that horrible monster too and to see Sean look over to the bed beside his computer and realise again and again that you are no longer there, makes me sob so much.

While many people spent their Valentine’s Day in a much different way, this day will forever hold special that we were with you in our loving embrace, being able to let you cross over with dignity and adoration in our tears.

It is so distressing to see how much your heart and mind are all there yet your poor failing body could no longer properly support your hind end…you tried, you tried so hard…..

You had spondylosis from before you were 1 and to then add in being a tripod with degenerative myelopathy, this was a fight that would in the end take you away from us……

I feel I never do any of our dogs the true justice they deserve with their memorial posts and yours is no different.

We really cannot believe that another era has ended with your devastating loss…..

You almost made it to age 11….miraculous, I know…yet, we want to be greedy and have had so many more years with you….

We promised you quality of life from the moment you came to us and we refused to be selfish…..we needed to do right by you and this picture taken January 20th, 2019 during one of our BHRR Winter Wonderlands – something you always had to be a part of and they shall also never be the same moving forward! – will hold a special place in our hearts…we will remember how much you loved people and meeting new dogs and your ‘tude!

Your ‘tude shall be missed dear Potterman….you sure packed a WOW punch with your personality plus heart….

Each and every new dog that came into our home, you were always so excited….for about 10 minutes! Then, they were simply enfolded into your heart as a valued member of your family pack.

SO much to remember and no more time left to make new memories with you…that is a horrible blow, that there shall be no more memories made or experiences had with or for you…. 

RIP BHRR’s Potter…..