It is with an incredibly sad heart that I write of the passing of Shadoe D. Cabeca (originally “Nelly”).  Danger was literally his middle name.

I was watching the TV show, “Animal Cops” with a friend back in December of 2004, and mentioned how much I’d love a dog again, as I no longer travelled as much.  Her comment, which changed my life forever, was, “well, why don’t you get one?”  Within minutes, I was online looking for German Shepherds.  I had a GSD as a kid, and they were (and still are) my all-time favourite breed.

I quickly found VGSR and started on the paperwork.  Because I had a female black & tan GSD (Rebel) when I was younger, I thought that’s what I’d want.  So I made sure to include that in my documentation.  After filling out the paperwork, I made the contacts, and arranged for a home visit.  In walked a woman named Susan and an all-black GSD that his previous owners had named Nelly.  Susan looked around and got to know me, while I played with this dog.  I fell in love immediately, and he stayed with me from that moment until earlier this month.  Clearly, I had no clue what I really wanted, and I’m now the better for it.

My adoption of Shadoe was finalized on 12/23/2004, but prior to that, I decided to come up with a list of names.  One night, while we were out driving, I tried to look into my pitch-black backseat to see if he was sleeping.  Suddenly, a huge mouth opened inches away from my face and gave me a chin to forehead lick, followed by a smile.  That settled it.- Shadoe it was.

We spent what seems like years at various dog parks around the Herndon and DC areas, and later here in NJ as well.  We’d head out, chuck-it! and tennis balls at the ready, and go romp with other dogs for hours at a time.  While we were in VA, he played with friends like Klondyke (boxer), Joe (pitbull), Zeus (Great Dane), Charmer (greyhound), Keisha (GSD), and Kylie (a mix).

He would wrestle and play and run and jump and love every minute of it, whether it was 100 °F out, or just hovering somewhere in the low teens.  I taught him how to swim and he LOVED splashing and jumping into the water.  Our last dog park here in New Jersey even installed a huge pool for the dogs to swim in, and he was always wading into it to chew his tennis balls, stand in the cool water, and take a breather in between sessions.

I was a nervous parent at first, and asked copious questions of then VGSR President, Lea Spickler, who was always at the Herndon Dog Park with her boy, Remo.  She clued me in on veterinarians, leashes, dog foods and training tips.  She was instrumental in my development as a dog owner and lover, and I can’t thank her enough for it.

Shadoe went wherever I went.  Over the years, he travelled to most east-coast states, including Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, West Virginia, DC, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

He got to see the famed Washington DC Cherry Blossoms.  He got to romp on Florida Beaches.  We shared a sunset over NYC from a cold beach on southern Long Island.  He lounged in grasses in upstate New York.  He played in snow in New Jersey.  He swam in lakes.  He truly experienced life.

We often got in the car just to drive around.  We’d pack food and drinks and drive together, aimlessly, for hours at a time.  Together, we spent hundreds of thousands of miles together in various vehicles.

We moved to New Jersey in 2006.  We visited dog parks, and were the second members of our new local facility.  Shadoe donated blood, and we donated the food they gave us in compensation to local shelters.  He even got mentioned in the local paper, but they spelled his name wrong.

He loved to swim in the ocean, and even taught other dogs how to fetch, the same way that he was taught back in 2005 at the Herndon Dog Park by an Australian Shepherd named Dazzle.

Shadoe got a friend back in 2012, in the form of another all-black GSD, who was also a rescue.  Lady had lived her entire life in a concrete kennel, and was an unwanted Craigslist find.  She fit right into our little pack, and Shadoe and Lady stayed together for the last 3 years of Shadoes’ life.

As Shadoe aged, he had issues with his health.  He had Pannus, a common German Shepherd eye disease, which required daily eye drops.  He developed tumours all over his body, which were always tested, and always turned up benign (thankfully).  With age, his arthritic hips began to bother him, and he required daily Rimadyl.  This past winter, when it was -15 °F for days on end, I had to help carry him up my steps to our home.

The lenses from his eyes, now clouded with age, began to slip out of place, and he became totally blind in one eye.  To help him move around, I carried a flashlight with me everywhere, and we took our time on stairs.  Lady would charge ahead of us in both directions, and then pause so that her friend could catch up with him.

Still, he saw well enough to eat the double bacon burger that he always got each year on his birthday, which I arbitrarily picked as June 30^th, because when I got him, I was told he was around 6 months old.

On what was to be his last day, we slept in together.  We went for a nature drive.  He ate some potato chips.  He got to nap and play with his friend, Lady.  And he hung out with me on our deck, listening to birds and watching squirrels play with a watchful eye.

That night, I drove to the emergency vet at and they confirmed that he had bloat.  Shadoe was put down less than 2 hours later on 7/6/2015.  I had lost my best friend.

I still can’t believe that he’s gone.

Thank you, VGSR for introducing me to the best friend I could ever have.  I gave him the best life I could, and I love and miss him so very much.

Brett R. Cabeca

RIP 3/13/01 - 6/9/13
Shaggy came into rescue 1/31/13 with his lifelong friend Cam 3432. They had been junkyard dogs their entire lives with Shaggy watching over his doggie friend that whole time. They were fostered together with hopes of finding a forever family who would take them both, but they passed away, well loved, in foster care.

RIP Shira 3829  (adopted 3/8/14 - 1/18/23)

It is with a very sad heart that I am writing to let you know that Shira 3829 passed away on Wednesday Jan 18, 2023 while being treated at VT Vet School.  She wasn't doing well and my vet removed several large amounts of fluid from around her heart sac since Christmas. He submitted the referral for her to be seen by Tech's Vet School's Oncology staff and they wanted her to be seen by Cardiology first. I took her in on Wednesday for an echocardiogram and they found a large pool of fluid and requested permission to remove it. I told them to go ahead. While under anesthesia, they removed over 800 ml of fluid. She did not wake when they were done.

My other dog and I have been lost without her here. She had a great personality, always bossy and pushy with what she wanted, and loved to play catch as well as swim in the lake (I'm at Smith Mountain Lake). She was a great judge of character and knew when someone was to be trusted and when they weren't. The world lost a fantastic dog but the upside is that she didn't suffer and didn't have to go through radiation treatments. The staff at VT did notice several tumors around the heart. Anyway, just wanted to let you know. Thanks for helping connect me with such a great dog!  Joe Mollo

I sent my handsome boy, Shep, to the Rainbow Bridge this afternoon (Nov 24, 2013). We have been battling hip and spine issues for about 2 years, pretty successfully until now. He was sort of out of it and sick this last weekend and seemed tired and ready to go. I had the vet come to my house, I put him on his rainbow colored comforter and played IZ's version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow.  I had the perfect exit planned for him and that is exactly how he left this world, eating pepperoni all the way!!

Lea Spickler gave him to me as my first foster in 2003. He was so big, nobody really wanted him... so... my first foster failure!

What a statement he made walking down the street, both his size and his color! 134 pounds of white GSD coming at you! Great ambassador for the breed and the rescue. He was 11 1/2  and gave me 10 1/2 years of joy. It was an honor to foster, adopt, and care for him, and now to send him off to the Rainbow Bridge. I will miss the big goober.

Our sweet Sienna died on Friday January 26th.  She was such a gentle, intelligent, tolerant and loving soul.  Our home feels empty without her.  We are grateful for the 6 years we had with her, and thankful to VGSR for rescuing her.  Our only regret is that we did not find her sooner in her life, so that we would have had more time together. 
Lynn and Chris Desautels