LaKeshia Snyder, President and Founder – LaKeshia@doberinc.com

Matt Snyder, Vice President – Matt@doberinc.com

Matt and I started this journey waiting hand and foot on one ever-handsome red Dober boy named Dusty. Dusty came to us in 2005, when he was just over a year old, from a family member who could no longer keep him. Dusty was not only our first dog together, he was our first Doberman. In fact, it was our great love for him and his abundance of personality that enamored us with the Doberman breed and started us on the path to Doberman rescue. Dusty is honored in the DOBER, Inc. logo so that all can be reminded of the heart of this rescue.

In 2011, Matt and I added our second “baby” to the family, a black Dober boy named Cash. Cash was also a little over a year old when he came to us and he was our first “foster failure,” as we in the rescue world call it. Wild and quirky, Cash is definitely the comedian of the family! While Dusty has been very adaptive in allowing us to rescue dogs and bring fosters into the house, Cash is definitely the social butterfly and helps all of the foster dogs to adjust when they arrive.

On January 30th our precious Boo Boo told us that it was time, after a very sudden diagnosis of a terribly aggressive form of lymphoma. We let him go from home at 10:30 PM, surrounded by all of the people who loved him most, including his Uncle Bud, Pop Pop, Grammy and Aunt Pejie. Our worlds have just come crashing down, our hearts are shattered and it feels like the life has been sucked right out of me. There’s not a single motion of the day that’s not connected to Dusty in some way. One of the things that made him so special was how in tune he was to everything – every single thing going on, every thought that crossed our minds, and every little emotion that we felt. No matter what we went through, Bug was right there to make us smile, make us laugh, and to ease our pain. He always had something to say and was constantly talking to us and he always felt the need to make sure that we were safe and everything was under control. That happy little smile; those feisty little eyes, and the way he would stalk everyone just for fun! He loved to snuggle up for hugs to comfort you and you could always see his little nub tick-tocking in the background. The emptiness that surrounds us now is a feeling we cannot even begin to describe.

My little love went through so much in his 9 ½ years but he always faced everything with such courage. Yet despite all that he endured, he not only carried on with a glow in his eyes, but he shared his home and the family that he loved so much. In just the last few years, Dusty was a foster brother to: Winston, Beauty, Wilson, Kilroy, Cash (who soon became his “real” brother), Shelby, Daisy, Duke, Sarge, Zeus, Sergeant, Zane, Max, Jax, Remmy, Obie, and the many others that came through the door for just an hour or a night. It was because of Dusty that so many dogs were able to be rescued and rehomed and for that reason, he was honored and will now forever be remembered in the DOBER, Inc. (Dreaming of Better Endings Rescue) logo.

We have so many great memories with our Boo Boo and were truly blessed to be able to share our lives with him, though that time together could never have been long enough. The things he knew, the things he understood, and the things that he could do truly made him more of a person than a dog. We always joked that poor Buggy was a people stuck in a dog’s body! God gave him to us and us to him, all in His perfect plan, and we celebrate that very special life that we were able to be a part of.

Dusty, Bug, Boo Boo, Tinker, Beans, Boo Bear…so many names, but only one definition: my heart.

In Loving Memory
Dusty Snyder 7/27/04-1/30/14

Words cannot even come close to describing how much we already miss you. What will we do without you in this life that now seems so empty? It’s terribly painful to be waking up each morning unable to kiss your face and going to bed each night without tucking you in. But I’ll bet you’re already romping around in Heaven with Max, Remmy and Sarge, and waiting for everyone else to arrive so that you can show us how to navigate through everything, just as you’ve always done. Run free little Bug; we will see you again one day. Until then, be gentle on the enormous pieces of our hearts that you took along with you.

Love Always: Momma, Daddy and your pesky little brother, Cash