Pet Memorials

Rhap

Came to HART December 2008 - April 2009

"A few weeks before Christmas, a family took their stinky dog in to see the vet. Since he hadn't received adequate treatment for his skin allergies, he had developed quite a nasty infection. When faced with the severity of his skin condition, they opted to give up on him. Luckily for Rhap, Dr. Oldson wasn't willing to quit so easily and contacted HART.

"When we first met him, Rhap was like every other lab, all smiles and happy go lucky. Having been relegated to the garage for the past year, he was ecstatic at the prospect of interaction with people. Despite his previous ordeals, he somehow managed to keep his exuberance at bay and behave like a perfect gentlemen to everyone who met him, tail wagging to the same cadence as the hand petting his head.

"Several weeks into his skin treatment, we noticed a lump on his side. This would turn out to be a very aggressive form of cancer. But Rhap took it all in stride, just as he handled everything. Even after a bout of surgery and months of chemotherapy, Rhap was still the same gentleman we had grown to love and he loved us all right back, including the vets. This astounded me when you consider that he was poked and prodded almost weekly for nearly four months. But given how much time he spent with them, you could say Caring Hands was his home away from home.

"In the end though, his ailments turned out to be too much for Rhap. Were it not for Dr. Oldson, we never would have known this diamond in the rough. She gave him the opportunity to know what a family could be. While I may have only fostered him for four months, Rhap found his way into my heart forever. He was never much of a looker, but he was one of the best fosters I've had, and he will truly be missed."

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