06/23/2026
On May 29th, we fulfilled our promise to Frosted Face Gertrude.
Gertrude entered Riverside Shelter as a stray, and it's heartbreaking to picture this delicate little girl out in the world by herself. Gertrude was not doing well at the shelter, so staff emailed asking us to rescue her by the end of the day on May 26th.
Upon rescue, we realized that Gertrude was not well. Despite having normal lab work, she had ulcerated mammary masses, but more significantly, she was struggling with CCD or something terribly wrong with her brain. She was not within herself, and while we tried to give her some time to be monitored and heal from a potential neurological event, she was was suffering. We made the hard decision to let her go, despite not being able to "fix" her as we so often have the privilege of doing.
Thank you to all the volunteer who shined their loving lights on sweet Gertrude so she knew she mattered.