Payton

From the Founder: My name is Hollie Hastings and I love animals. Dogs are the best. They give you unconditional love and always forgiving and trusting. Approximately ten years ago, our family adopted a six month old Rotweiler named Harley from our local SPCA and he was one of the best dogs. When Harley was 10 months old, he developed a limp, so we took him to the vet and it was determined that he had a rare cancer in his spine. Harley underwent surgery and soon was unable to walk. Shortly after, we began fostering a dog named Bandit who would play with Harley's toys and Harley got so sad. Harley began to receive radiation and after two two treatments, he started to walk. We truly believe that Bandit had more to do with Harley walking then the treatments. Just after his final treatment (a total of 15), Harley was able to fully walk, stand and potty on his own. It was immensely rewarding to see our dear boy getg better. He no longer needed to be carried, bladder expressed or use a wheelchair. At the age of four, unfortunately, the cancer came back and it quickly spread throughout his whole body and shortly thereafter, we knew it was time to say goodbye. Letting Harley go was one of the hardest things we've ever had to do. We cherish our meomories of him, still think of him often and miss him dearly. I realize that the four years we had together were worth every tear shed. My Harley was the sweetest boy even with the pain, and enduring the the bloodwork and radiation treatments. After losing our sweet dar Harley, when I would go to a shelter and see an older dog, I would think how could someone abandon their dog. Bandit is now nine, slowing down and having great difficulty walking and standing but I would never give him away because he is old. When the time comes to let Bandit go, tears will be shed. Dogs like Harley and Bandit are the reason why I decided to start a rescue so that I could help pets that need to find new homes because their owners could no longer keep them due to death, deployment, going into nursing home, moving, etc. AMMF wants to help dogs find the best fitting homes for each dog that comes into our rescue. We are especially interested in helping to place older dogs with older people. In addition, we want to take dogs to visit nursing homes, VA hospitals, schools, etc. because dogs truly help sick people smile and feel good, educate children about responsible pet ownership, including but not limited to spay/neuter, walking a dog, feeding a dog, approching a strange dog, etc.