Missing you

As a rescue that deals primarily with senior and special needs dogs, we all know and understand that there will be hard times, but February was a particularly difficult month for all of us at Hopeful Hearts. In addition to Maxwell's disappearance, Ollie's parvo scare, and Bookie's surgery, we also suffered the loss of four of our angels.



Bismark was 11 years old when he joined the Hopeful Hearts family in late fall. His previous family moved and unfortunately they were unable to bring Bismark with them.

These changes in Bismark's senior years didn't phase him though, as this stunning boy had been well loved and remained loving and loyal throughout everything. His foster family called him a gentle giant.

After suffering from a suspected heart attack, Bismark went to the bridge on February 5th.

You made a huge impression on us with your ability to accept all the changes so late in your life, with grace and charm. A true gentleman. We'll miss you Bizzy.

Jazz was found wandering the streets of Gatineau when she was only one month old. After being adopted from the Gatineau SPCA, Jazz was quickly returned when she began having seizures and that's when we received the call to bring her into rescue. Arrangements were made for Jazz to be seen by a hospital that specialized in Fanconi Syndrome, but after reviewing her medical file, the specialists determined that the diagnosis was not good and they gave her less than a month to live.

What they didn't know was that Jazz was a fighter, and she proved all of those specialists wrong, spending another 12 months enjoying every minute of her life. Jazz loved everyone - humans and animals alike - greeting them with big kisses and constant tail wags. She was a natural at swimming, cherishing the freedom of movement it gave her.

After 15 months in palliative care, Jazz sadly went to Rainbow Bridge on February 7, 2012. She was a very special girl that will always be in our hearts, and although time with her foster family was short, they feel truly blessed to have spent this quality time with her.

Poppy was rescued in January 2010 when she was four weeks old, and being a quarter of the size and weight of her litter mates, she was nicknamed "super runt" with a real determination to survive. Since day one Poppy was always a tenacious little girl with a big dog attitude. She wasn't afraid to tell the big dogs off, steal their bones and toys when the moment presented itself, and then watch them give up and walk away when they knew they couldn't win. And yet when any new foster puppies arrived at her foster home, Poppy took them under her wing and taught them valuable puppy social skills.
Poppy went to the bridge suddenly on February 9th while in her foster home, after two years in palliative foster care. Autopsy results confirmed that she passed away due to a pulmonary embolism, and thankfully she did not suffer. Special thank you to to Dr. Beltran for performing the autopsy at no charge.
Her foster family misses her feisty personality, and sometimes they think they can still faintly hear her in the background, giving the other dogs in the house her attitude. Poppy, you are an extremely special girl who will never be forgotten. Forever in our hearts.



When we picked up 10 year old Fritz from the SPCA near the end of January he was in bad shape due to neglect. He had fleas crawling all over him, his teeth were horrific, and he suffered from painful crystals in his urinary tract. 

Despite all Fritz endured, he was always smiling. He inspired us with his joy even though he was so broken, and he touched many hearts in such a short period of time.

We did everything we could to take away his pain, including IV fluids and medication, but nothing worked. Fritz left this world on February 16th, surrounded by people who loved him.



While we grieve along with their foster families and feel the loss, we also want to celebrate their lives. Some left us too soon and some exceeded expectations, but they all knew love until the end.