Nittany Beagle Rescue - In Memory

In Memory of Tina

It would have been 6 years ago this September that Tina waddled into my home and heart. I was Petco bound for a showing with NBR on a football Saturday morning and was supposed to pick up a foster dog there who needed a temporary place to stay. I walked into Petco and immediately saw Tina in all of her pudgy sweet glory. I remember saying WHO is THAT? I found out her owner gave her up and she was now staying at the kennel. Out of breath and barely able to walk because he was so stout, I said "she CANNOT go back to the kennel like that". The other pup I was supposed to get that day went to another home, and I took Tina. Challenge one was getting her up my front steps. I held my breath and she made it! I warned my neighbor friends (also beagle lovers) that I had a new foster and they should not be shocked when we stopped by about her appearance. It was hard to even tell she was a beagle mix. I don't even remember how long it took us that week to even make one lap around the apartment building. At first, she was too heavy and out of shape to even go on walks with Bucky and Dexter, and I had to leave her at home in the air conditioning. After a trip to the vet, we discovered she had Cushing's disease, but it was still at a treatable stage. In addition to having been fed people food, this was also a huge contributor to her condition. We put her on meds and she responded VERY well. With exercise, diet change, and meds, we got her to a much healthier weight and she started to play with Dexter and really start acting like a dog! When I met my husband Rob in 2007, by then, Tina was officially adopted into my home. So many people turned away from her when they heard the cost of her meds--and after having her as a foster for 6 months I just couldn't let her go. She had one of the sweetest dispositions I had ever encountered in an animal. It was clear by then that she was staying, and also clear that HER new boyfriend, Rob, was also staying for good! Over the years she continued to respond to the medication, and then suddenly, in July 2012, she developed an autoimmune problem that overtook her quickly. While it was so hard to say goodbye (for all of us, including her long time companion Bucky), we hope we did the best we could to give her a wonderful life. We certainly know that she gave us a wonderful, fuzzy, loving, comica,l and comforting 6 years with her. We will miss her little snort and her sweet little waddle, but we will never forget her. One of my favorite memories of her is in the following video. This is how we will remember her and she will live on for us in our hearts...