Spirit's Homestretch, Inc.

03/24/2026

Godspeed, Riley. (Stacey posting.) Riley was 12 years old when her human mom passed away, and the family entrusted her to our care. Riley grieved and took a while to settle in, but she did adjust and enjoyed life with her new family. I could always count on her being nearby, and she even enjoyed sharing space with some of her canine siblings. Sadly, she was with me only a short time. After just 11 months, Riley joined her mom. There was no doubt a joyous reunion, and I know Riley is truly happy again. Run free, sweet girl.

02/14/2026

Happy Valentine's Day! Adorable graphics courtesy of Mallory Leucht.

02/01/2026

Shirley posting.

Goodbye, Popeye.

Popeye presented a lot of challenges and many rewards in our 8 months together. We rescued him from It Takes A Village in May of last year, and had to let him go early in January. He was a growly, uncooperative dog at first (bit me 3 times in the first couple of weeks), and barked and growled almost constantly at the other dogs.

He had really bad arthritis, bad teeth, and – we soon found – Cushing’s Disease. As we helped with his issues by way of tests, medications, and a dental, he gradually improved. He eventually became very loving with me and Wayne, and more or less accepting of other people. He came to us often for a good petting, and followed us around to stay close.

He loved the outdoors. He constantly ran, patrolled the perimeter, basked in the sunshine. It was so exhilarating to watch him in the yard. Those are my favorite memories of him.

After several months of good times with him, he began to worsen. There was something terribly wrong with his back. After 6 weeks of antibiotics, increased pain medication, and mood stabilizing medication, there was no improvement. In fact, he was even worse and showing signs of dementia. Cancer seemed almost certain. It was time to let him go. I consoled myself that he left this world knowing he had finally, fiercely been loved.

I still miss seeing you in the yard, Popeye. There’s an even bigger and better one for you now, and no pain and negative feelings. Enjoy the garden and your many playmates. I’m so grateful for the time we had together.

01/18/2026

Shirley Posting

Welcome, Magnolia.

A week and a half ago, It Takes A Village contacted Spirit’s Homestretch to see if we could take in a senior dog with health issues to live out her remaining time. She had heart problems and bad dental disease. We immediately said we would take her, and I brought her home with me. We did a total checkup with our vet, and she also has kidney and liver problems. We are having an ultrasound done by a mobile veterinarian specialist this Wednesday to see if there are any controllable conditions, or if we just continue palliative care.

Magnolia is very quiet and passive, and very loving. She has tried and approved all of the many dog beds in the house, but her favorite is in front of the fireplace. She eats well, and goes outside willingly. There has been no problem with the other dogs.

You always tell yourself to hold back and not get too involved with an apparently short-term dog, but of course that advice is always ignored. We are hopelessly in love with her, and doing everything we can to make her comfortable.

Thank you so much, ITV, for trusting us with this wonderful little girl.

01/08/2026

Star is doing very well. She is eating like a champ and is gaining some needed weight. Her test results were surprisingly good and her physical exam didn't give us any unpleasant surprises. Her skin and coat are much better. Her ears are improving, though slowly. Once she is in good health again, she will have her teeth cleaned and be spayed.

12/25/2025

Welcome, Star! (Stacey posting.) Star is in her forever home just in time for Christmas. Star was a stray who found herself at the Friends of the McLean County KY Animal Shelter, where they called her Nelly. She was in rough shape - underweight, skin issues, ear issues, dental issues, and horribly overgrown nails. The staff at the shelter did what they could for her there and got her to their vet right away. Test results from bloodwork are still pending, but in the meantime she has been started on meds for her skin infection.

I picked up Star the morning of Christmas Eve. She settled in to the back seat of the car immediately and rode home comfortably and quietly. When she started meeting all her new family members, her calm nature remained. She explored the house and yard intensely and repeatedly before finding a quiet place for a nap. She has been an angel all day. I think she knows she is safe and loved.

I'll post an update once we have test results and she's seen our vet. Until then enjoy some pictures of the first day of the rest of her life.

12/12/2025

I got a decent picture of Cooper in front of my tree. Then Riley wanted in on the action.

12/02/2025

The senior dogs in our care are loving, deserving, and expensive. We appreciate your past support and we thank you in advance for your continued donations. With your help we can continue to give these elderly dogs the good food and high-quality veterinary care they deserve as they live out their lives with us.

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10/21/2025

Shirley posting.

THE BIG REVEAL

10/18/2025

Shirley posting.

Welcome, Dodger.

Several weeks ago, a Facebook friend messaged us that she had visited her veterinarian that morning, and he had an adorable long-haired Dachshund he was trying to find a home for. The previous owners could no longer care for him, and he had convinced them to relinquish their ownership rights to him so he could find the dog a new home. The dog was 13 years old, with no apparent problems except that he was deaf.

Wayne and I both have a soft spot for Dachshunds, and we’d never had a long-haired one. We’d always had miniatures before, so I was picturing 12-13 pounds. SURPRISE!

We went to pick him up the next morning, and were greeted by a 54-pound dog, listed by the vet as a retriever mix. But we had said we would take him, and he was already licking our hands and begging for loving, so my last vow to myself (never to take in a dog I couldn’t carry) caved, and he came home with us. Note to self: Quit making vows you can’t possibly keep, which is pretty much all of them.

We took him to our back yard, he walked all around, saw the open door and went inside, looked all around, then plopped down and looked at us with that look that can only be interpreted as “I’m finally home.”

I see retriever, Stacey sees Dachshund, our own vet sees both, so we’ve done a DNA test for the first time ever. You’ll know when we know. He needs to lose a lot of weight, and we are working on that.

He is fantastic, very loving, good with the other dogs, and has adapted perfectly to our routine. We’re so happy to have him.

09/29/2025

Shirley Posting.

Goodbye, Pepper Jack.
This is a very sad goodbye to my wonderful, beautiful, quirky Papillon. Usually, my dogs have given some indication for weeks or even months that there is something very wrong. Hard as it is to lose them, I am at least somewhat prepared. There was no forewarning of this loss at all, and I didn’t cope as well as I have before.

On Monday morning a couple of weeks ago, I picked Pepper Jack up to take him outside, and he was perfectly all right. In the early afternoon, I picked him up for some cuddling, and he could barely breathe. I took him to the vet immediately, and instead of the bronchitis or pneumonia I was expecting, it was his heart. We desperately tried meds for a couple of days, but there was no improvement and the veterinarian said there was nothing more we could do. Wayne, Stacey and I were all there to let him go.

Pepper Jack kept us laughing. He walked backwards across any perceived barrier – his crate, from one room to another, onto the patio from the yard – and it never ceased to amuse us. He was toothless, and if you reached for him “the wrong way”, he acted like he would take your hand off. We never figured out what was his wrong way – it changed from one day to the next. Being toothless also meant his tongue was hanging out most of the time.

He would come behind my chair and bark. When I stood up, he ran to wherever he wanted to be placed, maybe the recliner, or the couch, or outside, and stood there until I obeyed. If he would just continue barking where he was, I was to pick him up and hold him. I obeyed that, too, and it became much more frequent in the last few months.

Continue your funny ways, Pepper Jack. Everybody at the bridge will love it. We love you so much, and miss you so much. You were truly one of a kind.

08/27/2025

You guys are the best!! With all that was donated through Facebook, PayPal, checks, and cash, you have gifted us with over $2,000.00! We are beyond grateful.

Facebook does not show many names or any amounts of who donated through that platform, so if we haven't reached out to say "thank you", it's because we don't know who you are.

We also had one friend who shopped our Amazon wish list and sent all kinds of goodies. Thank you, Amy P.

We could not do this without all of you.

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Friends, we need some support. We've had a lot of unexpected vet bills this year. While we never expect our dogs to have zero health issues, these past several months we've had an abundance of expensive testing. Medication costs are ongoing, although the monthly bill has risen considerably with new diagnoses.

Cooper needed extra testing to check for Cushing's which cost$430 on top of his regular $300 bloodwork. Thankfully he does not have Cushings.

Riley also needed extra bloodwork and a $575 ultrasound for diagnosis of liver issues. Her medications cost nearly $100/month.

Thea had a cancerous tumor removed. That surgery was $650. She was also diagnosed with hypothyroidism. While the monthly medication for that is only $20, testing to get the dose regulated is around $80.

Pepper Jack was also diagnosed with hypothyroidism.

Popeye was diagnosed with Cushings. Again, testing is costly and his monthly medication is $85.

Milner has racked up the most in vet bills and medications. He had hookworms when I got him. Because hookworms in greyhounds are extra hard to get rid of, the first several months with me required treatment of $100/month just for parasite control. Milner also has two autoimmune issues. SLO is a disease that attacks toenails, causing them to fall off and then regrow crooked. It is quite painful. Medicine for that is $80/month, and he must have nail trims under sedation every few months as regular nail trims are very painful. (Yes, it's a weird disease. Google it.) He also has pannus, which affects the eyes. It can eventually take a dog's sight and can only be treated, not cured. He gets two eye meds twice a day, to the tune of $150/month.

Naturally, we always need funds for food, heartworm and intestinal parasite prevention, and flea/tick prevention. It never stops.

Please give if you can. If you use the Facebook donate button, we will get your gift in a few weeks. If you use PayPal we will get the donation immediately, albeit minus a small PayPal fee.
PayPal.me/spiritshomestretch
or [email protected]
If you prefer to send a check, the address is 524 E 27th St, Owensboro, KY 42303.

Thanks so much! We couldn't do this without you!PayPal

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