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Greater Illinois, Inc.
PO Box 4169
Lisle, Illinois 60532 (630) 415-1206
Memorials
Tristan
Tristan left us on April 28, 2013. Always the gentleman, he made the decision of when it was right for him to take his leave even though I asked him not to. He arrived as a 10 year old in January 2012 and immediately won our hearts. Easy going and cool to the end. Our neighbors all loved him and he got along with all the dogs in the neighborhood. Of course, he was 10 times larger than most of them. He was a wonderful companion to us and to his adopted 14 year old Maltese sister. Thank you CRGI for bringing this special guy into our life and Tristan, if you are listening, we love and miss you terribly.
Marcia and Jamie Salerno
Darcy
It is with a heavy heart that I let you know Darcy, who I adopted from you in 2005 passed away June 26.
Cookie
Something's missing
There's something missing in my home
I feel it day and night
I know it will take time and strength
Before things feel quite right
But just for now I need to mourn
Though some say "it's just a pet",
I know I've lost a friend.
You've brought such laughter to my home,
And richness to my days.
A constant friend through joy or loss
With gentle loving ways,
A Companion, friend and confidante.
A friend I won't forget,
You'll live forever in my heart,
My sweet forever pet
Winston
This fall we had to say goodbye to our handsome friend. In the four years that we had Winston, he gave us so much, that we had to be as generous in return. When he first walked into the house and met Sasha, we were stunned that he was so much bigger than expected. At almost 90 lbs he was huge for a collie. He towered over Sasha, our first CRI collie -- who was 70 lbs. Nevertheless, she immediately stepped into the Alpha role (typical female) and Winston was good natured enough to happily share us with her. He never fought with her and always waited his turn for attention. Sasha learned what it was to be a family dog from Winston, and our affection for both of them grew each month.
The second thing that stunned us about Winston was his breath. No matter what we tried, we never seemed able to cope with it. Finally a spring checkup confirmed that his gingivitis was out of control and that more extractions were needed. A total of 12 teeth were removed in the first year we owned him. He once again adjusted, and seemed relieved and grateful that the awful breath and chronic infections were finally under control. His quiet dignity as he and Sasha strolled through the neighborhood won the hearts of all of the kids and he no longer turned heads with his breath -- only his beauty. When we lost Sasha, after 2 years with Winston, he stepped into the role of comforter and even made peace with the cats, Tigger and Winnie, who were really attached to Sasha. Winston even allowed Tigger to take over as the Alpha of the household, simply to keep the peace.
At the dog park he became known for his ability to control the younger set with a quick bark when they started to roughhouse too much. He also controlled violence on the TV (either between dogs or football players) the same way. We cracked up the first time we realized that he was addicted to watching TV and he followed everything that was going on. As soon as there was a conflict, though, the barking would begin and he'd only stop if the scene ended or the channel was changed. He took this responsibility very seriously, and wouldn't even tolerate a fight between the cats.
His health issues started to escalate, with bouts of pancreatitis, another tooth extraction and the chronic aches of old hips starting to take their toll. We decided to bring a foster dog into the mix, hoping that a bit of change would perk Winston up and encourage him to exercise a bit more and enjoy himself. Boy did we get our wish! A very sick Beau walked into the house, practically hairless and afraid of everything, and for the first time Winston realized he could be the Alpha dog. He made it his job to patrol entrance into and out of the living room. Even the cats had to ask his permission. He loved directing traffic and he excelled at leading the way on our daily walks. He taught Beau how to walk on a leash, how to get up and down stairs and how to enjoy the sun while lying outside. As time went on he also taught Beau the ins and outs of dog park etiquette and maintained his role as chief peacekeeper. He relied more and more on the ramp to get into and out of the car and the van, though and finally he wasn't able to handle the 5 stairs in and out of the house. A ramp into the front of the house solved the issue -- and all of the neighbors knew it was for Winston's benefit. He would skate down the carpeted ramp as though it was his private ski slope, while making sure Beau used the stairs, or followed his lead. He once again loved his daily walks, which were taking a longer time and going a shorter distance, but allowed him to keep his neighborhood under watch.
However, with winter approaching and Winston spending more time on the ground than on the prowl, we finally knew it was time to say goodbye. So our brave boy took the final trip and with us holding him he walked once again with his tail waving as his flag over the Rainbow Bridge. We miss him and hope he's reunited with Sasha and we'll see him again when it's time.
Hope
This beautiful 9 year old girl came to us from Collie Rescue on October 3, 2010 with an entirely different name; one that didn't befit the sweetheart she was, so we renamed her Hope. Hope loved the cool and cold weather and would lay outside our front door, nose in the air and watch the world go by. Neighbors would come over to pet her and she always welcomed them. Our 12 year old Maltese (from a rescue) misses her so much. Whenever Hope laid down, Missy would scooch up to lay beside her. Hope's illness came on suddenly and I held her when she left us on December 17, 2011. We miss her terribly, but we will always love and remember her for the gentle, beautiful, pure soul she was.
Marcia and Jamie Salerno
Tristan
Tristan was a show dog that was so busy wagging his tail and greeting
the judges, he wasn't getting many points, and therefore was turned
into collie rescue. He was a beautiful one and a half year old rough
tri colored male when he came to us and everyone loved him. Even
though he grew up in a kennel and wasn't used to kids, he was as
gentle as could be and instantly fit in with our family. He loved to
just lounge around, always laying on the vents( sucking up all the air
conditioning) going for walks and when you weren't looking, going
through the garbage can. Tristan became ill suddenly and was found
unable to get up off the floor. He was rushed to the vet and they were
unsure what had happened to him. We took him home and cared for him
vigilantly for a week, but he became weaker and never was able to rise
to his feet by himself or support his weight for more than a few
moments. We lost him on July 25th and his passing was very difficult
for all of us. Every night my kids talk to him before bed, filling him
in on their days events, and telling him how much he is missed and
loved. We are all thankful he chose us for his family and he will
never be forgotten.
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Nola
It is with great sorrow that we had to put Nola to sleep this morning. Nola provided endless joy every day with her sweet and pretty face and her gentle temperament. As with all Collies, Nola will be dearly missed. As was stated in her bio when she arrived at Collie Rescue, she was a true cuddle bum. We hope that we provided her with a loving, caring home for the past 3-1/2 years of her life. I know that she crossed the Rainbow Bridge. We hope to see her again as with all of our Collies from the past 30 years.
Robert & Marilyn Kreda
Sabrina
I met Sabrina (a tricolor smooth collie) September 20, 2009 at the Collie Rescue Picnic. Buddy (my nine-year-old blue merle collie) and I took a liking to her immediately. So of course, I adopted her as soon as possible. Within a few months, she and Buddy were visiting Winchester House and the VA (Veterans Administration Hospital). Then, in early May, Sabrina developed a respiratory condition and had to spend a few days at the Animal Emergency & Treatment Center of Grayslake. Amazingly, she bounced back and was doing quite well. However, at age twelve and a little weaker, Sabrina, suffered a fatal attack of bloat on July 25,2010. Buddy and I will remember her as a real trooper, always ready to go.Grace M. Vogt
Cal – a.k.a. Ch. Vennessee's Excalibur
Cal came to us in April 2004 when he was 8½ and after
a successful run on the show circuit.
We called him our uber-Collie.
He was a loving, energetic, sensitive, and gorgeous goof. If you've seen the movie Zoolander with
Ben Stiller, then you have an idea of what Cal's personality was like.
Cal wasn't the best canine citizen and he had no guilt, but what he lacked in manners he made up for by being one of the happiest, most loving dogs you would ever meet. I know that if he could vocalize it, Cal would say that life is too short to feel guilty and that it should be celebrated. And celebrate he did! He walked great on the leash – his show training kicked in and he pranced like the champ he was, but if we asked him to 'sit' he would just look at us with those soft brown Vennessee eyes and ignore our request. He loved to 'goose' our butts and he loved to give us head rubs, especially if our hair was unwashed – the stinkier our hair, the better for Cal! He would rub our heads with his head and it was one of the purest expressions of joy we've ever witnessed. He also loved to indulge in food that wasn't meant for him. He often 'aided and abetted' Duke (one of our other CRI collies) on pantry raids and enjoyed bags of brown sugar on more than one occasion. He loved pecan pie. Shortly after he came to live with us, we made the mistake of leaving a brand new apple-pecan pie sitting too close to the edge of the counter. We left the house for a couple of hours and came home to find a very happy Cal greeting us at the door, and the pie box on the floor with the pie crust still intact but with all the filling gone!
Cal had his last piece of pecan pie and crossed the rainbow bridge on August 14th 2009. He was 4 months shy of his 14th birthday. We miss him very much and he will always have a special place in our hearts!
Kim & Brad Zandstra
Donny
Just recently, one of my favorite pets, Donny, passed away. He was pretty much of the best pets we ever had. Everyone who's ever met Donny has taken an immediate liking to him. He was around 2, when Collie Rescue let us adopt him since one of our relatives that could no longer take care of him. He was extremely laidback and friendly with everyone. All the little kids in my household could be pulling on his hair and jumping on him and he'd never do a single thing to them. We could bring him every where and not have a single problem. (Except occasionally in the car when he got car sick.) We enjoyed going to every Collie Rescue Picnic with him. We are very grateful to have had him in our lives and he will be deeply missed.
Sincerely,
The Peterson Family.
Scottie
Dogs lives are shorter than ours and so, we must cherish the moments that we have with them. Scottie was our first Collie that we adopted from Collie Rescue. He was a young, good-looking sable and white male who was just a victim of being turned into rescue because his owners were getting a divorced. Scottie left us on September 1st, 2007 after being rushed to the Emergency Vets of Mokena. Scottie never showed any signs of being ill until that morning. We found him collapsed upstairs and we rushed him to the emergency room. They did surgery on Scottie to try to figure out what was wrong however, in the end, Scottie never woke up. We decided to bury Scottie at Hinsdale Pet Cemetery. Scottie now lives in peace and without pain under a huge tree. He use to always love laying under our big tree in the backyard. We miss Scottie dearly as he left our hearts way too early in life without any notice.
The reason why it was so hard to lose Scottie was because Scottie inspired me to really get involved in Collie Rescue. He was my starting point of making my name known and taking part at picnics, adoption events, etc. Scottie made me reflect on how great a Collie really is in your home and the love and devotion you get from a Collie.
Roughly twenty days later, Scottie sent a bundle of fur down for us. We were notified about a litter that came into Collie Rescue and we were given the chance to adopt one of them. We chose Scrappy, a beautiful tri-color male that we believe is a descendent of Scottie's works in our lives. Scottie will truly be missed though and he will always be remembered as the "Doggie Dunk Champion."
Sassy
We have recently lost our little Sassy and I wanted to take a moment to write to all of you at Collie Rescue to thank you for bringing her into our lives.My family adopted Sassy about 12 years ago, along with another beautiful collie named Harley. Sadly, Harley passed away about 6 years ago. The two dogs became permanent fixtures in our family from the minute they walked in our front door together. We knew we had some dogs with personality when the two immediately jumped up on the couch in our family room even though neither of their foster homes allowed them on the furniture!
Sassy was definitely a true collie! Fairly stubborn, but a family dog that was never anything but happy to be with us. Harley was a sweet boy and was a 70 lb lap dog! I was only in high school when we adopted from Collie Rescue (I'm 28 now) and so many memories of that time in my life include our Sassy and Harley.
We were all heartbroken when Sassy finally went to Heaven. She was a strong girl and was barking at the squirrels on the deck until the very end. But it makes us feel a little better to know that Harley was up there waiting for her. They are together again and I know they're having fun!
Again, I thank all of you at Collie Rescue for all of the wonderful work that you do. Collies are truly wonderful dogs and our family will never forget our two beautiful babies.
Simon
We adopted our collie, Simon, in May 1997. The vet estimated him to be 2-3 years of age at that point. He was definitely in need of love and attention, which he got a lot of in our household! Our son was born a year after we adopted Simon, and our daughter came along in 2000. Simon instantly became "her" dog-while he loved us and was a good companion, he had a special bond with our daughter. His worsening condition took him from us today. He was a wonderful friend, and we will miss him terribly!
Kira
At only 5 years and 2 months of age, our sweet little Kira who came into our home .. and into our hearts is gone. Surgery showed her to have multiple numerous cancerous tumors ravaging her body. Kira was more than loved by everyone who ever met her. We will miss her companionship, her Kira talk, her beautiful eyes that seemed to get her everything she ever wanted, and those perky ears that didn't miss a "crumb" drop. Happiest was she when we took her on camping trips and for long walks. Happiest was she when she got to play with her buddies "Meeko" and "Phil" (another collie rescue dog) and happiest was she when she just lay next to us to be petted. In return she gave us her total unconditional love and companionship. And now we cry.Carol & Paul
Our beautiful Kira...
Kira and her friends Meeko and Phil (another Collie Rescue dog)
