Frank
Frank, also known as Frankie, Franklin and Frank-the-Tank, came to us from the Sioux Falls Humane Society in 2007. We were looking for a companion for our older Dachshund Molly who suffered from high anxiety. When we arrived at the Humane Society and started to look at all the dogs needing homes, Frank instantly stood out from the rest. He was sitting very quietly in his kennel and I instantly noticed that his kennel was clean and his bed was intact; the opposite was something we dealt with on a daily basis with Molly’s anxiety. He seemed very calm and kind given the circumstances he was found in on a cold winter’s night in Sioux Falls. Frank had been abandoned and tied to a pole in the middle of February and was extremely underweight and frightened when he was rescued. We are not sure what kind of life Frank lived prior to his abandonment since he came to us well trained. Frank hardly ever barked, was potty trained and was trained to never get on the furniture (something we changed right away). From the start, he was perfect in every way. When Frank met Molly, there was an instant bond. He was able to calm her anxiety during night and day. He kept her emotionally grounded during life’s different transitions. Frank was more than just a companion to Molly; he became a best friend, cuddle buddy, fishing copilot, momma’s shadow, mouse and vole hunter, a so fast but yet so slow rabbit and squirrel wrangler, entertainer and master snack stealer. Frank radiated a sense of innocence and never ending kindness. Partly due to the mental slowness he received from his seizures going untreated before his adoption and his slightly chucky figure that he carried so well. Frank may not have been the sharpest dog on the block, but he excelled at loving his family and creating happiness wherever he went. Frank enjoyed many aspects in life; cuddling and burrowing in a blanket with someone was priority number one. He also enjoyed early morning fishing adventures on the boat with his dad. One of Franks many talents that will be forever remembered was when he would sit up on his bum and pump his front little legs in anticipation of that little piece of whatever we were eating. Frank will be greatly missed by all that were blessed to have known him. Saying his passing shocked us is an understatement. Frank was a one of a kind dog- “a diamond in the rough” kind of dog. He took the phrase “a dog is a man’s best friend” to a completely new level. He was a selfless dog that lived his life pleasing and loving his family immensely until the very end. RIP good friend, you are sorely missed every day.

Frodo
Frodo aka Mr Frodo came to us the evening of Feb.2nd 2017 from a horrible living situation. A friend had removed Frodo with permission from this situation. He was brought thru our back door in a cat carrier that he lived in for years and was hardly ever let out of as he and the inside of the carrier were coated in filth. The blanket inside the carrier went to the burn pile. He had no hair on his tail or ears . His ears felt like rubber & his tail looked like a Stegosaurus tail. I took him out of the carrier to meet him & immediately demanded a towel, dog shampoo and gently put him in the kitchen sink for a bath. I scrubbed and scrubbed this little stranger of a dog for 30 minutes and he let me do it! I & my husband immediately fell in love and I know he did too. We found out later that he was in fact 7 years old and had suffered a broken back when he was a puppy. I didn't care as he was ours now. I happily bought puppy stairs and doggy ramps to make it easier on him.We carried him & lifted him up when we had to. He brought so much life & love to our family. He acted more like a puppy than a 7 year old dog who had broken his back! He ran laps around the house and demanded that you rolled that red ball for hours. Oh that propellor tail! It never stopped wagging ! He was also the best camping dog ever! He gave the longest puppy hugs and tons of puppy kisses! We always said he was making up for those 7 years of living in that carrier. 5 months later I came home and knew he had hurt his back again. The tail was down and he was falling over sideways. We tried everything we could for 2 months to help him recover and on September 2nd 2017 he crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Exactly 7 months from the day he came thru our door. RIP my little buddy & know that you were loved and are missed greatly ......until we meet again.