Jake was operated on, and then released back to his family. Unfortunately, they did not keep up with the care that he needed, and by the time he made his way to the pound, his stitches were overgrown and infected. 

Being a recent tripod, Jake was finding it very difficult to balance and make his way around in the shelter. The cold cement was too much for him, and they called us for assistance. 

Life suddenly got a whole lot better for Jake.  A GSRBC friend has recently lost their beloved dog, Chewie. (Who was also a tripod.)  We called them to talk to them about this special boy, knowing that they could not and would not say no. 

And they didn't. 

Jake is now in a wonderful home. Already, he is loved and valued. His every need attended to, and a place in their home and in their hearts is secure. 

Jake will live out his remaining days as a GSRBC foster dog, in palliative care, with two amazing people, and one (kinda snotty) little diva dog. 

GSRBC sends our deepest thanks to Bev, Jim & Sashka for opening their very recent broken hearts, and welcoming Jake in just as if he was their own. We owe a great debt of gratitude to this family. 

While they will give Jake everything else he needs, GSRBC will provide all medical care for Jake.  This week he will be going in for blood work and if everything comes back well enough, he will get some very much needed dental work!

If you have any questions about Jake, please email us at GSDRescue@shaw.ca

For information on how to sponsor Jake, please go to our  Sponsor page

Through our sponsorship program, Jake is being sponsored by:

Sarah Hylton-Foster ~ In memory of Chewie

Kelly Cook ~ In memory of Chewie

Liz Holovsky ~ "Such a horrific story and then a truly happy landing for this boy!"

Dana Gallagher ~ In memory of Chewie

Lindsay Burrell ~ Way to go, Chewie's mom and dad!

Barbara DeMott ~ In memory of Ardjuna

*** Jake is not available for adoption***

Jake came to us from one of the local animal control facilities. 

He is just about the sweetest boy in the world, and has not had a very fair shake in life so far. 

From what we've been told, Jake has lived with homeless people for most, if not all of his life. 

He was fed donuts as a diet, and suffers greatly from malnutrition. On top of this, he was hit by a car a few months ago, and his leg was broken. When finally seen by a vet, it was discovered that he also had a large tumor on the same leg. 

The vet that treated Jake, offered free medical assistance to his family to remove his back leg. Further testing confirmed that poor Jake had osteosarcoma and that this type of cancer would likely be very aggressive. 

The vet that saw him at the time felt that Jake would not have more than 6 months before the cancer took over his body. 

Please watch Jake's page for future updates. I am sure that his new foster home will be updating us on a regular basis.

June 27th 2007

July 4th 2007

Sashka and Jake are still working things out between them. Saska is not over the moon about her new roomy. We're hoping that a little more time will settle things out and everyone will find their place in our home.

July 16th 2007

Jake and Sashka seem to be working things out between them, which is good news! The bad news is that this poor boy seems to be experiencing some pain, and his foster has started him on some pain reliever.  

He also seems to be having some difficulty breathing, and is having a hard time getting comfortable. 

It is clear that Jake won't have a long time with us, but Bev & Jim are doing their very best to make his time with them count. Poor Jake sure has had a lot to deal with. First the loss of his leg, then his family, and now a new family, new rules, new routine... He's not necessarily taking everything in stride either! But all is to be expected, and he is getting a lot of support to help him adjust and settle in. 

Thanks again to Bev and Jim (and especially Sashka!) for opening your home to this wonderful, beautiful, and moody boy.

July 23rd 2007 

Jake's foster writes:

It's hard to keep a good dog down and Jake is a really good dog.  This boy loves to play with balls and will bring them  back again and again for you to throw.  If they are squeakers, all the better.  The only problem is Jake doesn't know when to stop or how to slow down, and quite often comes up sore the next day.  But it is his favorite thing to do, so we let him play as long as we can stand it.

Jake is starting to slow down a little more each day.  Walks only last about 10 minutes before he is pulling to go home.  He is starting to have trouble with the stairs and sometimes needs to rest 1/2 way up. We did try blocking off the stairway, but he needs and wants to be with us so we do allow it.

His weight is still down a little but we don't really want him to gain too much.  Its so hard on a tripod and with his remaining back leg very weak, for now, thinner is better.  

Jake has finally taken to eating raw.  While he also likes his bones, food is not his motivator.  Yes treats are good, but attention is better.

Sashka and Jake still don't love each other but are managing to stay out of each others way most of the time.  A couple of days ago, Jake met me at the door while Sashka was upstairs with Jim.  Sash ran down the stairs and  under Jake (I'm sure without thinking).  Jake looked at her, quickly looked up at me, and then turned his head away as if to say "Its just not worth snapping at her".  There is still the odd growl when she comes near him, but everyone is managing quite well.

As much as I have tried not to let him, everyday Jake wiggles himself into my heart.  He has never been much for showing affection, but today I got 2 small shy kisses.

July 27th 2007

Today we let Jake go.  As is always the case, it’s not an easy decision but one that we make because we love them enough not to allow them to suffer.

Jake has been going downhill steadily in the past week.  This morning he had to be driven across the street to the park, one of his favorite places.  He just couldn’t make it that far.  His back leg has been giving out and his breathing was getting progressively worse.  There was a small amount of dark blood in his stool, and I found that he had thrown up his breakfast.  All of this combined let me know that his time was near.  I wanted him to leave in arms that loved him and for him to know that he was cared for right to the end. Jake and I went for MacDonald’s, then went and lied on the grass for one last talk before going into the vets.

Thank you to Kelly & German Shepherd Rescue of BC for bringing us Jake and allowing us to care for him even for such a short time.

Run free sweet boy.  There are many at the Bridge to meet you.

Thank you to all the people that cared about Jake and assisted us with his medical needs, and thank you to Mission Animal Control for calling us about Jake, and caring so much. Jake had a lot of people in his corner.

Be free Jake. The best is yet to be... 

We are a registered non-profit Charity as of April 1st 2005