Xena

Mission :

Our mission is to do what we can, for as many as we can and hopefully one day no longer be needed!

Our Inspiration :

Vega's New Leash on Life was founded because, and named after, a rescued Flat-Coat / Lab Retriever mix named Vega who came to be a part of our family when my boyfriend brought her with him to live with us. She fell quickly into the matriarchal role in our pack of pups at home. She was always by your side and happy to follow you around the house wagging her tail. She was one of the most loyal dogs I ever had the privilege to live with. She reminded me of my childhood dog, a black lab named Bianca.

In August of 2012 I came home to work over lunch to find her being a bit lazy but wagging her tail nonetheless. In a few short but whirlwind hours she went from acting a bit ill to passing away at the vets office from an apparent unidentified tumor. At the age of 7 or 8 years old, she left us way too soon! After trying to settle into life without her in the pack of now 5 pups, we soon realized that her spot in the pack needed to be filled. There was no doubt that it needed to be filled by another rescue. After weeks of searching online I found a 4-5 month old puppy who appeared to be about the same breed and looked like an angel! We started the adoption process and within a few weeks were wrapped up in a world of rescues, shelters and transports. We made the 10+ hour drive to the shelter where she was being cared for in Bamberg, SC where we met an amazing man named Bob who devotes his time to helping the helpless. The shelter was a ram shackled place with about 40 dogs who had been abandoned or lost. Each and every one touched our hearts and we wished we could take them all home. While we were there to get her we helped to rescue two abandoned puppies from a culvert under the road. It was then that we knew that we had found our calling!

Upon her arrival at her furever home… she was greeted by the other dogs with lots of sniffs and settled in quickly as the missing member of the pack. She fit like a glove! On our first walk that first night she led me by leash to our front yard and made a b-line to the tree where we had too recently buried our precious Vega. She walked slowly to her gravesite and bowed her head and “whisper-barked” and walked back toward the house. As if to say “it is okay, I will take care of them”! After spending an hour crying in disbelief, I knew she was exactly what we needed… and we were exactly what she needed!

From that moment on we have been dedicated to do our best to not allow any other of man's best friends to go without all that they deserve! And here we are today.