Bacon was rescued from a shelter - he was in in pretty bad shape and was scheduled to be put to sleep. he was missing one eye and had a terrible skin condition. however, he had one thing going for him, his terrific personality and love for life! We rescued him, gave extensive medical treatment and bathed him every few days for weeks, lots of love and medications, Bacon went to his fabulous new home where he was much loved. Read on for the rest of his story in his family's own words:

It is with great sadness that I am writing to you to inform you that our sweet dog, Bacon, passed away this past weekend.  To catch you up, however, Bacon lived in a house with my husband and I, our other Boston (Max), our Rat Terrier (Roxy), and of course our 2 human children (Nate and Evie). Bacon completely lost his sight about 6 months after we adopted him, due to cataracts in addition to his injury.  With the help of Dr. Burke at Little Friends of Ferndale we discovered he had a thyroid condition which we got under control, and we also had his skin and fur looking beautiful on an allergen-free diet.  A little over a year ago we moved to Seattle so that I could attend medical school.  Bacon and our other 2 dogs rode in a car with my husband (they had quite a deluxe set-up) while my children and I rode separately all the way from MI to WA.  Bacon seemed to enjoy the ride! He adjusted well in Seattle, but in retrospect I think that he was slowing down gradually.  We found an excellent vet in Seattle, who helped us to fine-tune Bacon's diet.  Bacon was extremely well-loved by everyone who met him.  He was always so laid-back that even our children's friends who were afraid of dogs would be comfortable around him.  He was very stoic too, and never complained when he bumped into things!

Last Friday, however, he suddenly accumulated a great deal of fluid in his abdomen, and his back legs seemed very week and unsteady.  I was extremely concerned and not wanting to wait until Monday, we rushed him to an emergency veterinary hospital.  They did an ultrasound and found a mass on his liver as well as extreme inflammation throughout his abdomen.  The fluid in his abdomen also contained cancer cells.  The emergency center was also a cancer specialty center and said that this kind of cancer was basically untreatable with only a very grave prognosis. They recommended euthanasia.  We were stunned.  We had even had thorough blood work done on him 6 mos prior that was fairly normal for his age.  But he showed no signs of discomfort and we would probably have never known something was wrong if his abdomen hadn't become enlarged. I got Bacon some pain pills and brought him home to say his goodbyes.  I had a tearful conversation with Dr. Burke in MI.  She said that the emergency vet had done a thorough job and that his cancer must have been advanced as cancer cells are rarely seen in fluid.  It was an extremely difficult decision because Bacon is so stoic, but his abdomen was getting very large very rapidly and the fluid could not be removed.  He had also developed diarrhea and was having difficulty standing.  We realized that it was not fair to wait any longer when it was inevitable that he would be in extreme pain within a few days.  We put Bacon to rest on Saturday, January 3rd, 2009.  I held him close and let him know how much we loved him as passed away.  His final moments were spent licking a spoon full of peanut butter...his favorite treat. 
Although our time with Bacon was somewhat short, we would not change it for anything. He added so much to our lives, that we only wish we could've been around for more of his.  And we only hope that we were able to give him some happiness in his last years.  He taught us a valuable lesson about beauty and love and we think he was the handsomest dog ever.  He has inspired us to adopt senior and special needs dogs from now on. We will miss him terribly.

I included a picture of Bacon at his best (see photo to the right)...just before losing his sight but with a beautiful coat. I was so happy to see a picture of Bacon on your website, listed as a dog that your rescue has helped.  I am hoping you will keep his picture there.  And if you feel the need to update the caption, maybe state that he spent the remainder of his years in a happy loving home.  But for some reason I would be very sad if his picture was removed.

Thank you so much for all you do. We are forever indebted to you for bringing Bacon into our lives.

Carrie, Myron, Nate, Evie, Max and Roxy