Bowie is a very special Angel Ridge Alumni who had been tossed over the fence @ AR farm, close to 3 yrs. ago. He was adopted February 18th, 2016. He has a great mom that is now one of our volunteers/poet/story writer and the perfect Bowie buddy. The Bowie has a favor to ask of each and all this year. Keep in your heart all of the forgotten animals, and hold their memories dear. For some never made it home and never had a family to love. This message came to me, but it really came from up above. It’s too late for some but so many still wait for their dream to come true. So many lonely angels waiting, it’s now up to you. Please open your heart to a shelter animal, and bring home one or two or maybe even seven. Please don’t turn away from us. We’re not ready to go to heaven.

It all began with Ralph a senior dog that I adopted from Angel Ridge in 2007. This was when I had just started to volunteer with Angel Ridge. I missed my boy that I had for over 14 yrs and decided I needed a new best friend. Ralph was a Chow Shepard mix and who became my companion. I had him for four years and I knew that if and when I would get another dog it would be another Chow Mix. Several months after I had to put Ralph to rest another Chow mix that was 5 months old came available thru Angel Ridge. His name was Cabela, a Chow Golden Retriever mix. He was stubborn and people selective but once he knew you, Cabela was your bestie. So much to say about him, amazing, handsome, gorgeous and so smart. We had a wonderful life together, he was my constant companion, my soul and my heart. I lost Cabela to cancer when he was 6 yrs old. A time and emptiness that I will never forget but he lives in my being everyday and was so lucky to have had him as my friend.

Dallas is a 12 yr old Bull Terrier who came to us in January 2016 from a bad situation. Dallas was @ AR for about six months and during that time his body and mind had time to heal and learn about going for daily walks, belly rubs and lots of love from our volunteers. Recently Dallas was adopted by a family that is very familiar with the Bull Terrier breed. A few comments from his new owners: As you can see, Dallas loves the outdoors ! He’s also learning to relax without a ball in his mouth. He will drop it in front of us now, so I guess he’s beginning to trust us. He’s also becoming interested in the wildlife, chasing a squirrel this morning and searching for a groundhog last night in a woodpile. He still follows us everywhere, which is nice, and enjoys laying in the grass or on the deck and just observing what’s going on around him. Dallas has recently stopped eating his feces too. A few sprinkles of meat tenderizer in his food may have helped with that. He is very well-behaved, and we are starting to use some basic commands with him, which he seems to be familiar with. All in all, we are extremely happy to have Dallas as part of our family.

Ms. Karen Davison’s poignant quote summarizes our Darla’s journey: “Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.” In only three month’s time, Darla has made the transformation from an abused and suffering dog to one that has found healing, love and happiness. For those of you who are not familiar with pit mix Darla, she came to Angel Ridge from an impoverished shelter in December with her ears brutally cut off, open sores around her neck, a malignant tumor and heartworm disease. This is a brief update and a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported Darla’ s journey with financial contributions, needed supplies and prayers. Darla was adopted by Tim, and his daughter, Kaylee, a special needs child and also blind. Darla is now Kaylee‘s BFF and quite the support dog, sensing Kaylee‘s needs and moods and responding to help her. Darla has inched her way into Tim’s heart, too, and she is charming everyone that she meets. As a result, Tim has made many new friends, including the mail carrier, all of the customers at his barber shop, and people in all of the places that he visits with Darla. Darla has had her first heartworm injection. She will be tested soon to determine if she still has the disease. If she does, she will get another injection. Her tumor has been removed, and the sores on her body have healed. Darla is one amazing angel, an angel who can help the people in her life to heal and be happy. I believe that Darla has proven that Ms. Davison’s quote should go on to say: “And for the humans who love that dog, their world will change forever, too.”

This soon to be 3 yr. Old American Bulldog has had a sad past. Adopted from a breeder in Fla. moved to New York and then when an allergic reaction showed up, Drago was taken to the older in-laws in Belle Vernon, Pa. This poor boy had no idea what he had done so wrong to end up at a kennel in Washington, Pa. We had many interests in this handsome pure breed but it was hard to find a good fit. But Drago did find that family that was used to a bigger breed dog and he fit in very well with the family’s senior Poodle and young Yorkie. He is making up for all the shortcomings these past few years by visiting the family cabin in the Laurel Mtns. this past weekend having a ball in the snow. This will only be one of his many trips to the mountains. #love

Ralph’s Big Adventure! Pandemic isolation by February 2021 proved difficult living in a rustic cabin on a remote seven acre lake. I was lonely. My sons just graduated high school and have the whole world ahead of them. Five year old Ralph was posted online by Angel Ridge Rescue. A slow moving, somewhat aloof, obviously pampered, 80 pound (30 pounds overweight) Cattle Dog/Shepard Mix! His elderly owners had loved him, fed him well, and fell ill. They could no longer care for Ralph. He was described as independent and lacking manners. Quite true! The perfect stubborn but gentle companion – a worthy pupil – for a home bound, live alone college professor. I adopted Ralph immediately! Ralph came to his new home a nervous wreck. At first, he missed his prior owners very much. He truly longed for them. But activity outdoors, hiking around the lake, often on wilderness trails, his training began immediately. Ralph would train to be a registered Service Dog! But Ralph was obese. Ralph had difficulty running and could not jump in or out of a car. Within months his weight came down, and when his uniform harness arrived, complete with stylish patches, medical tag, and training registration cards… he wears them proudly. He trained in the area parks, along bike trails, even in the aisles of several local big box retailers. As summer opened up, Ralph became the star actor in hundreds of short videos and thousands of photos. Ralph travelled in a conversion van through 20 National Parks in just over 30 days, with myself and my two recent high school graduate sons, and their friend. Touring the DC complex, including the Lincoln Memorial, to Chicago, Ralph scaled the Badlands, visited Mt. Rushmore, observed Yosemite Falls, experienced Old Faithful and rode a sky tram to the top of the Grand Tetons at Jackson Hole. Always at our trusted side, Ralph trotted Bryce Canyon Hoodoo trails, and slogged through stream beds in Zion Park’s deep canyons. Ralph also took in the North Village Grand Canyon views before scoping out the Hoover Dam, passing through Las Vegas, walking among the Sequoias, and he awoke early to catch a sunrise at Yosemite’s Half Dome from Glacier Point (video included). An aspiring actor himself, Ralph even visited the Los Angeles Observatory and famous Hollywood hillside signage! Visiting the Santa Cruz beachside, Ralph walked the Golden Gate Bridge, along the San Andreas Park… and his coup de grâce? Ralph scrambled beyond the tree line of Mt. St. Helens! He and I watched and waited, as my sons and their friend scrambled all the way to the top and returned exhausted! Today, Ralph weighs a healthy, muscular 60 pounds, sprints with agility, climbs mountainous terrain, and hardly stops smiling! Afraid still of lake waters (we suspect he lived his first five years mostly indoors without much adventure), Ralph is learning to like swimming. Inspired by Ralph, I’ve also lost 25 pounds! Adventure is out there! Thank you Angel Ridge!