Zeke, an older yellow Labrador found in a roadside puddle, died on Friday shortly after being adopted, the Big Dog Rescue Project announced Saturday.
"Everyone fell in love with a sweet old dog who never complained and who was grateful for a pat on the head , a cookie and a warm bed," Mary Jo Conley of Mendham said. "His foster family quickly fell in love with him and officially adopted Zeke. So when his time on earth ended yesterday he was surrounded by his family, not alone in a puddle."
Zeke was found on Jan. 10 on the side of a road by a passing motorist in Clinton Township in Hunterdon County. He was thought to be between 10 and 12 years of age.
He was remembered on Saturday by those who cared for him and those who support the rescue project. He was even given his own hashtag - #bestlastdays.
"I hope that when we said goodbye today Zeke, you truly knew how much you mean to me and to all of the people who were lucky enough to meet you," Kristy Lee Linney, a member of the rescue who was among the first to help Zeke, wrote on Facebook. "It was not by accident that we found each other. It was not what I did for you, but what you did for me.
"Thank you for allowing me to love you and thank you for teaching me that love has no measure of time and that even the briefest of encounters has the ability to change everything. I can not wait for the day till I see you again boy, happy, whole and strong. Thank you for choosing me to spend your #bestlastdays with. If I had to do it again, I choose you every time."
N.J. rescue cares for yellow lab found in puddle
After being taken to Voorhees Corner Veterinary Clinic in Raritan Township by animal control, he was released to the rescue following a seven-day stray hold.
Big Dog Rescue said they would work to find a family to adopt him where he would receive hospice care. They also said they would continue to pay all his medical expenses. The rescue also received an outpouring of support for him. An online fundraising campaign raised $2,900 to cover his medical and living expenses and pet food maker Royal Canin provided Zeke with free dog food.
"You can see in the photos that Zeke looked 10x better in his last days then when he was found," Heather Paul wrote on Facebook. "You can see he truly knew what love was in his last days. Thank you for giving him the #bestlastdays possible."
He was named Zeke because in Hebrew the meaning is "God strengthens, or may God strengthen," Conley said.
Big Dog Rescue Project began about four-and-a-half years ago to help find large dogs in Texas new homes, Conley said, because there are many bigger dogs there that end up in shelters. The dogs are transported to either Seattle or to New Jersey, both places where there is a demand for larger dogs, and placed in foster care until permanent homes can be found for them.
The group became a non-profit organization two years ago, and recently began rescuing dogs in New Jersey.
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