Rainbow Bridge
If you would like to include your HOH adopted greyhound on our memorial page, please e-mail your favorite picture and a short biography or message that you would like to include and we would be happy to post to our site.
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together…. Author Unknown
Jake
Jake came to us for a ‘trial visit’ during the Memorial Day weekend in 2005. His ‘trial visit’ ended on Aug. 20, 2015 when he joined his beloved sister, Lucy Lu, at the Rainbow Bridge. Jake was our sweet, gentle soul who loved to talk to us and loved his walks! Our hearts are broken but also rejoicing that he is no longer in pain! RIP sweet boy! We love you and miss you terribly! — Mary and Bill Leyrer
Lucy Lu
Lucy Lu burst through the doors of the Edmond PetsMart and into our lives on January 15, 2005. For the last ten years, she has been a momma’s girl and our little Diva! We lost Lucy Lu on May 22, 2015 to cancer. We will miss those bright eyes and that outgoing personality! Losing her has left a huge hole in our hearts and lives! RIP sweet Lucy Lu! We love you! — Mary and Bill Leyrer
Simon
Simon Cypress Halbert, 2002-2014. My buddy, my noble and trusty steed, my Greyhound/ Wooly Mammoth/ Polar Bear mix. Best & coziest spooner in the bed! Kept me warm at night, allowed me to wipe snot & tears on your neck all those times my life felt like it was falling apart. I can only hope that I made your time as an earthling as meaningful & beautiful as you made mine. Thanks for sharing a burger, fries and a beer with me last night and for “telling” me you were ready. My heart is sad of course but, you were right, I do feel peace. I’m gonna cry for you a while- because I will miss you. Soon tears will be replaced by fond memories of our time together- a family. You are & always will be…My Buddy. Thanks to Diana (formerly of HOH), Candee Scott and HOH for bringing to me one of my life’s truest loves! — Brooke Marie Halbert-Smith, El Matador & Stewart
Fresca
Yesterday, we said goodbye to Fresca, our beautiful black greyhound. Fresca came into our lives in 2002 at the insistence of our then high school-aged son. Never loud or boisterous, Fresca was a classy lady with a runway model walk. Age took its toll, and it finally became too difficult and painful for her to walk. I was fortunate to have her as my office mate and walking partner for 12 years. She will now be running free with her brindle pal Cleo and missed by her fawn greyhound friend Shelby. Making the decision to let Fresca go was difficult and painful, but we know she is now at rest. Fresca was a terrific greyhound and an even better friend. Thanks to Hounds of the Heartland for making it possible for us to have her. — Bob and Lisa Springer
Portia
Portia came to us in 2011 as an almost 10-year-old whose original owner in Arizona had been forced by ill health to give her up. She fit in to our family (Daisy, a Texas adoptee also almost 10 at the time, and Bodhi, then 6) immediately and seemed to fill a hole that had been waiting for her. She was the sassiest and maybe the smartest greyhound we’ve known; she was excellent at making her demands known without making a sound. She trembled throughout thunderstorms unless she could curl up with one of her people, something she also liked to do in fair weather. She enjoyed excellent health with the usual greyhound old-age complaints until the very end. We lost Daisy on a Wednesday and Portia became ill the next day. A week later, we knew it was time to end her suffering and send her on to meet Daisy. We miss her sweet face and her bossy ways. — Kate Pritchett & Neal Kellogg
Isis
We enjoyed the company of our wonderful dog Isis for 9 1/2 years. She came to us at almost 3 years old, and made many Air Force moves with us through the years. She was so quiet, gentle and loving. All of us miss her nose in the crack of the door when we would open it to return home after work or school, always greeting us and happy to see us. We miss the way she would lay in the door of the bathroom, right in the way of everybody, as we got ready for work in the morning. We miss the “nest” she would make on our bed, even though she wasn’t supposed to get up there! Isis did not have a stellar racing career, but she was the winner of the “bobbing for hot dogs” contest at a greyhound event in Arizona once. We always said that the day Isis didn’t want to go for a walk, we would know her time had come. It was getting harder and harder for her. The night before she died though, my husband called her and she sprinted about 50 yards to see him. I had not seen her run for 6 months. I remember thinking it might be the last time I ever saw her run, and it was. We love you, our sweet Oodie, and know you are catching those squirrels now!
Csi
Csi (Casey) was my heart. We were blessed with her for 6 years. She came to us from a vet where my daughter worked. Csi was being boarded as a blood donor because her previous owner was getting married and Csi and his kids didn’t get along. Csi immediately became part of the family. She got me through some of the toughest times in my life. She always knew when I needed her. She would jump up next to me on the couch and lay her head on my leg, look up at me and with her eyes tell me it would be alright. She was my “pillow puppy”. At night, she would get into bed and hog all the pillows. She always wanted to go for walks. Even when she hurt her back last year the rattle of the leash being moved when get her excited and she had to be restrained from running out to the door. When I got my 2nd greyhound Steady, she right away adopted him as her “little” brother. The Monday night before Halloween this year she and my new greyhound Steady were going out the back door and Csi hit her shoulder on the door and started howling in pain. I picked her up and brought her in the house. I thought she had hurt her back again. I gave her one of the pain meds from the year before and tried to settle her down. I put her in my bed. Any time I tried to leave, get a drink, bathroom, anything, she would try to follow. The next day I took her to the vet and found she had badly broken her leg and would need surgery. I said good bye and went home missing her already. Then they called me with the news that broke my heart. The reason her leg broke so badly was bone cancer. If they amputated it she would have another 6 months. I couldn’t do it. I made the decision and went there the next day. They had her well medicated so she didn’t hurt. Her previous owner actually worked there and told me how happy she was that Csi found such a loving home. She, my daughter, and I took turns telling stories, laughing, and crying. When the end came I was holding Csi in my arms. When I got home Steady ran out the door looking for his sister. He went right to the car looking for her. She will always be in my heart. She made me realize how special greyhounds are. I doubt I will ever own another breed. — John Hudson
Lulu
Lulu was a happy, silly, loving greyhound. Although we only had her the last 4 of her 12 years… we feel these were the best and happiest years of her life. She was a constant companion, always wanting to be where we were. Her stubborn streak made things like giving her a pill a true challenge. Lulu’s feisty, joyful personality made all who met her fall in love. She did her share of recruiting greyhound adopters. In her last 5 months after being diagnosed with Osteosarcoma (bone cancer in her left rear leg) she did her best to deny the pain she was in even on pain meds. In January Dr. Jim Lee and the staff at Wedgewood Pet Clinic assisted us in helping Lulu over the Rainbow Bridge. We miss you and love you our sweet silly Lulu. — Candee and Roger Scott and Reba and Johnny
Memo
In Memory of our sweet dog, Sleek Memory, or “Memo” as we called him. He was a gentle giant that was loving and affectionate. We would often find him snuggled up with one of our cats, one of my daughter’s small dogs, or even one of the kids. Everyone loved to share his bed with him and he never, ever minded – but rather seemed to enjoy the company. He came to our family when he was two years old, and lived with us until he was 12 after losing a hard battle with cancer. Our time with him was filled with warm memories and we will always be grateful for the joy he brought to our family. — Kristi Koelsch and family, Bethany, OK
Cleo
Cleo, our beautiful, happy brindle, lost her battle with bone cancer yesterday 6/14/11. She was 10 years old. She is missed by Fresca, our other greyhound and Bob and Lisa Springer. Cleo had a great disposition and enjoyed her daily walks and pestering our cat. Bone cancer is a terrible disease. She was diagnosed in mid-April and did well until about 10 days ago when she went downhill quickly. Lisa and I would like to thank Dr. Jim Lee at Wedgewood Animal Clinic. Jim is a greyhound lover and is a great vet. He was very nice to us yesterday during the euthanasia procedure. We also would like to thank Hounds of the Heartland for bringing Cleo to us. What a great organization! — Bob and Lisa Springer
Titan
Titan was the first of the Missile Dogs. He lived out his retirement at an Atlas F Missile Silo base in southwestern Oklahoma. His “front yard” was about 5 acres in size and he was kept safe by a fence all the way around. He enjoyed chasing bunnies that happened to stray into “his” yard and at least once there was evidence that he caught one without dad knowing about it. If the weather was right, he enjoyed taking a walk around the property once each day and making sure everything was still where it was supposed to be. He was the site supervisor when it was time to go to work and he was very good at making sure the job was done right. (While working on his sun tan at the same time) Titan was not shy about letting dad know when it was time to eat. He was very vocal at letting everyone know that “in a minute” or “I’m working on it” was not fast enough. Titan almost made it to his 13th Birthday, but time caught up with him and he was allowed to cross over the Bridge on Thanksgiving weekend of 2010. He will be deeply missed and he is fondly thought of every day since he left. – David, Hobart, OK
Polly
Polly was only with us for a short while, but she left pawprints on our heart. She is now running free with her friends in doggie heaven, just as she was born to do. We miss you and wish we had you longer to share your spirit with others.
Jolie
Jolie came to us in 2003. She had been badly abused by a male and had been caught on the streets after giving birth. Jolie lived at Ranchwood Vet but was scared of all the commotion and needed a family who could spend time with her and all of her phobias. She lived in my closet for a month and was heavily drugged for several months. We love the resilience of greyhounds. They do heal and give back so much. Jolie was a mother to our two cats, loved to spend time outside- the backyard was her favorite – she would roll and roll around in the grass, and she owned the couch. Jolie did become whole again. She greeted my guests at the door and was able to move about without fear. We loved her and the void she left needed to be filled. Hence, we foster. -Monica Whitman
Ezra
This is our beloved Ezra that came to live with us in 2004 when he was 4 years old. He left us to go to the Rainbow Bridge 1-18-10 after a 4 month fight with bone cancer of his right front shoulder. He weathered the blizzard of 2009 like a champ as you can see in the photo. He loved his walks & we will always remember his smile & the way his teeth would chatter when he was happy, the way he loved to have his ears rubbed, the way he crossed his front paws when he slept, the way he could turn circles on a dime when excited, the way he could race around the backyard with the grace only a greyhound has. We never dreamed we’d ever have an inside dog, much less a “miniature horse” as we affectionately called him. Our hesitations soon vanished as he quickly became the 6th member of our household & my constant shadow. He will always hold a special place in our hearts & we miss him tremendously. Submitted by Diane Stroud
Oreo
OREO has lived with us since May of 2000, for almost 8 years, we adopted him when he was 4, his racing name was Dynamic Foundja. Oreo changed my life, we did have another dog Casi (whom, according to my husband’s words, I treat like my own baby and I do!) when Oreo came to our life and I was worried how Casi will be feeling about it. I was worried that she will think I do not love her anymore or less since we got another dog. But time did show that they became best friends ever and now Casi is looking for Oreo everywhere, outside, on his bed, all over the house…. But OREO is not coming back, he got sick this Christmas and I did not really noticed it till the moment when he start crying more and more and losing weight while he was eating really good. His back legs hurt a lot, he started shaking a lot, his strength to pull himself up was melting away, finally he fell on wooden floor and could never get up or walk again. We went to emergency vet. many times, Oreo spent 3 days at the hospital. At first they thought it was spine tumor or bad disk, than told us that is muscular and immune system disease, steroids helped for a little bit, but Oreo was getting worse. To make long story short, the moment when I held him tight and said I love you forever came at 4 p.m. on January 17, 2008. After that I am lost without him and feel so lonely what words can hardly describe. I have to take care of my family and Casi and I am asking you please post his photo for everybody to see how kind and loving was our OREO. Hopefully this will be conclusion for me and I will treasure him in my heart till the rest of my life. Thank you very much for understanding. Sincerely, Elena Miller
Blue
Our beautiful and loving boy. Blue came into our lives back in 2001, so full of energy and vibrancy. He touched our lives in a way that no other really has. No trail was too far, no mountain too steep, and no race too slow. Blue smiled bigger than any dog I’ve ever known. He was so curious about all things, great and small, loud and quiet, wet and dry. Favorite things included any toy that squeaked, Having a cool bath in the backyard mini pool after a long hot walk, and Hide and Go Seek around the house. Blue developed cancer in one of his back legs back in May, 2006 and remained a trooper even after an amputation. However, he lost his battle on October 13th, 2006. I would imagine that he ran not walked over that bridge when he was finally ready too. He can never be replaced and only now, remembered for who and what an incredible dog he was. He will be loved, admired, and fondly remembered by all of those who lives were touched by him. Rest In Peace Young Friend, your time here was much too short. In loving memory, Guy and Michelle
Kianne
I lost my dear love, Kianne, my precious angel, three years ago to bone cancer. I had her to three specialized vets and there was just nothing that could be done but amputation and chemo therapy or just take her home with pain meds and keep her comfy. I did the latter and when the pain meds no longer worked, I was told the cancer, which is fast spreading was spreading. I held my sweet angel and kissed her and told her I loved her until she journeyed to the Rainbow Bridge. I promised her that someday I would be there again and we would journey on together. She was 10.6 years of age and my first adopted Greyhound from Hounds of the Heartland. All I could do was cry and she knew I needed another Greyhound to love so she sent me Yasmin and I do love her too. Kay Whiting, Greybogranny
Coda
This is a picture of Coda. He was our first greyhound whom we adopted from the GPA-Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. Coda came off the track in Caliente, Mexico at the end of 2000 and into our home and hearts in March of 2001. We moved back to Oklahoma in 2004. We only got to spend 3 1/2 years with him before osteosarcoma took him from us in January 2005, but our love for him and greyhounds will last a lifetime. We now have two more greyhounds, Lucy Lu and Jake whom we adopted through Hounds of the Heartland in January and June of 2005! Thank you, Mary and Bill Leyrer Duncan, Oklahoma
Fancy
We have so many pleasurable memories of Fancy! I wish I had a photo of her in her favorite daytime position — on our bed, with the pillows plumped up beneath her. Our favorite memories include: howling when the phone rang and went unanswered; feeling frisky and running in greased-lightning circles around the backyard, with those white paws flashing; making noises on the weekend when we chose to sleep in (anytime after 6:00 a.m.) thus forcing her to rest at the foot of the bed; her Fancy-fangs (she had really long eyeteeth); and her uncompromising sweetness and gentle disposition. One summer our dachshunds had cornered a small opossum and were barking at it. Fancy rushed out of the house, grabbed it in her mouth, trotted back into the house, deposited it in the dining room and came out to stand by me and Jim, proudly telling us what she had done. It took forever to get that stupid opossum out of the house, although we finally managed to get it out the front door. But who could fault that sweetheart for saving the little creature? It was a privilege to care for her. She charmed everyone who ever met her, and she was always very gracious to the people who came through the house. We, of course, loved her very, very much. Thank you for bringing her into our lives. Robyn and Jim McMillin
Raisin
Raisin came to HoH from the western part of our state after he had been spotted roaming loose for quite some time and appeared to be injured. It was evident when he came in to our care that his foot had been caught in an animal trap. He was in very bad shape and needed immediate medical attention and then surgery. He had one surgery to amputate a toe that was too badly injured to save. His health improved some. He was a very sweet dog and full of love to give. It was obvious though that he was still in constant pain and the surgery hadn’t given him full relief. After many vet visits and much fundraising to ‘make Raisin a Grape again’ he underwent another surgery on his foot. This time he did not survive the surgery and died on the table. His time with us was most likely the best he had had in a very long time. We miss Raisin. Now he’s at the Rainbow Bridge with many friends and is pain free and running like the wind.
Tobey
Oh what a looker… Tobey was a big, handsome man – he could steal a girls heart in the blink of an eye. He came into my life and stayed for just a moment – but he taught me a lot about loving a dog. He left a 95 lb. hole in my heart but prepared my home and family for the joy of being “owned” by more than one of these beautiful hounds. I can no longer imagine my life without a greyhound in it. Thank you Hounds of the Heartland for all you do in spreading the joy of this breed ~ my life has been forever changed… Angie
Cinnamon
On December 24th, 2006 our wonderful Cinnamon was taken from us. She had been a member of our family for 5 years. I knew she would be ours the second I met her. All she wanted out of life was a soft bed, cookies, and our love. She will always be in our hearts and in our thoughts. — Steve Harzman
Tori
Here’s a picture of Tori. She was sweet, beautiful and loving. I only had this wonderful dog with me for around eight months before cancer took her from me – she just turned five this month. Tori was a real trooper through all the tests and procedures as they tried to find out what was wrong with her. She didn’t show how ill she was until three days before she left this world. When it was time, I held her and told her that it was okay to go and that I’d see her again some day… She loved sunning herself, going for rides in the car (I still haven’t cleaned off the doggy nose marks on the back windows), and lying on the couch with her sister, Brandy. Brandy is my other baby, an 11-year old rescued Dachshund who absolutely loved Tori and it was mutual. They were quite the sight when I walked them together. Tori was always in whatever area I was in, constantly interested in what I was doing, but stretched out on the floor while she watched. When the phone rang, occasionally I would let the machine take a message. When the person would hang up and the dial tone came on, Tori would start howling and would get Brandy howling with her. I would have to go in and get them to stop – what a duo they were!
Boomer
Boomer was our angel. Gentle and patient with our children, understanding and kind whenever a new baby came home, and always willing to go for a walk, snuggle, or play. He will be missed so much. We told our kids that my grandmother, also recently passed, needed a dog who was kind and gentle, and that Boomer was the right dog for her, so he went to heaven to be her dog. We adopted him in 2001, and he was our first dog. When he came to us he was terrified of everything, except going for walks. We had to be very still when he laid down, and stand where he could see us when he ate. At the end, he would only eat from our fingers, but he still loved his walks, even though he only made it a few houses down the street until he was ready to go home. Boomer’s quiet love and gentle presence has been missed so much in our home. We are all missing him so much, especially his constant companion Raven. –Amy Cooper