Spirit's Homestretch, Inc.

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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07/31/2025

Shirley Posting.

No Goodbyes this time, just a very happy update.

Popeye has become the wonderful dog I knew he was hiding inside. A couple of months of good food, good meds, and lots of loving have done their magic.

He is very weak in the rear quarters, and pain meds have helped with that discomfort. His Cushing’s is under control, and he obviously feels much better. He has a dental next week, and that should complete the transformation.

When I’m gone for 2 minutes or 2 hours, he greets me joyfully and asks for loving. He doesn’t care much for the couch, but lies on the rug under our feet much of the time. He also enjoys the multiple dog beds. He and Miller have become the greatest friends, and he, Sawyer, and Pepper Jack accept each other peacefully.

His greatest passion is the outside. We leave the door partly open as much as we can, and he is in and out constantly. He is such a joy. I’m so glad to have him here.

07/28/2025

Welcome, Riley. (Stacey posting.) This gorgeous 12-year-old black lab joined our family when her human mother passed away. Riley had lived her whole life with one human and just a few other dogs. Honestly, she had a rough time with the transition to a new mom and a whole passel of new siblings. While she was not unfriendly, it was a long time before I saw love and trust in her eyes. Somehow that makes it all the sweeter now. She is also at ease with the rest of the dogs. Not surprisingly, her favorite is another relative newcomer, Cooper the yellow lab. When I check my home cameras when I’m not home, they are very often lying together in the kitchen, watching the side door for my return.

Here’s an interesting aspect to this story. About 7 years ago, I actually met Riley and her human mom when I did a home visit for the greyhound adoption group I volunteered for at that time. The previous greyhound in their family had passed away and they were looking to adopt another. They did (not from us but that’s irrelevant). So Riley was already familiar with greyhounds when she arrived at my house. Some other newcomers aren’t sure quite to make of those tall, skinny hounds, but that was one adjustment Riley did not have to make.

Now Riley is happy and comfortable here, and I’m grateful her mom’s family trusted me with her care for the rest of her life.

07/16/2025

Shirley posting.

Goodbye, Feisty.

We had Feisty for a little over two years. She had been surrendered to DCAC by an owner who could no longer take proper care of her. She had severe skeletal issues, especially in her legs. She had serious heart problems, and later developed Cushing’s.

In spite of all her problems, she was a wonderful dog. She loved everybody from the very beginning, never had a problem with the other dogs, and fit in beautifully. She was a special favorite of Dana’s, and I always checked when Dana left to be sure the dog was still here.

We fought harder than usual with the decision to let her go. It began to hurt us to see her walk, but she was still so seemingly happy that it just didn’t seem right. Finally, though, her spirits began to sag, we could stand her obvious pain no longer and made the dreadful decision to say farewell. We know it was the right thing.

We miss you so much, Feisty. Run and play on 4 strong legs and a straight back, and tell everybody there that you came from a place where everyone loved you.