Happy Happy has a problem most of us would probably like to have:  She has outlived the expectations and predictions for her lifespan! You can see from her photo that Happy is an elderly gal. That is gray, not white fur, around her face and muzzle! She was adopted from a Virginia shelter by Evette, who did not want Happy spending her final days alone in a cold, sterile shelter. She brought her home, thinking she might have a few weeks, maybe a few months left. Happy became a beloved member of Evette's family. There was just one thing... Evette is in the military. She knew she would be called up again, but she also knew it would be a while until she was deployed, and so she would be able to care for Happy and be with her when the end came. Except the end never came! And pretty soon, Evette was going to be deployed and Happy was still alive and... well, happy! It was one of those "good news, bad news" things... Good news was Happy was still alive, long past the time anyone had ever imagined! Bad news was her mommy was going to have to leave! Then Evette found Smiling Dog Farms. Of course, Jay and Ricky agreed right away that Happy could come to SDF to live out her golden years and Evette got busy finding friends and family to donate toward Happy's retirement home and care! Suzanne Young agreed to coordinate a transport to bring Happy all the way from Virginia to Texas.  She signed up a lot of people all of whom agreed to spend their time and their gas to drive Happy part of the way. That's the kind of self-less, caring folks who get involved in rescue transport! Midway through the process of organizing the transport, a wonderful benefactor named Kelly offered to buy Happy an airline ticket and even provided the money to buy her a crate to travel in! Happy got to fly here in just a few hours, instead of driving for several days. Everyone agreed this was the best possible outcome for Happy! Happy arrived when Ricky and Jay were working on their Galveston property, so she spent a few days at the beach with them! She loved laying in the sunshine and feeling the cool Gulf Breezes blow across her body In spite of her age, it is obvious in her eyes and in her affect that she is still very much aware of what is going on around her, and she is still very interested in what life has to offer. Her back legs have begun to fail her, but she gets around using her front legs! She can move all around the yard without any assistance! We don't know how much time Happy has left. Only God knows that. But Happy will enjoy each day until the end finally comes. She is getting more than her share of turns in the bed right now! At the rate she is going, Happy may outlive us all!! lol And when the end does come, Happy will be surrounded with people who love her. Just as Evette planned for her and wanted for her! UPDATE:  This is Evette, my rescuer. Back when she adopted me, I could still run and play. My back legs had not given out on me, yet. Now I sort of drag myself around by my front legs because my back legs just don't work. But I still have fun and I can still get around! Because of my age and my bum back legs, I get to live inside the house now. At the end of January in 2011, Evette came to see me here at the farm. She wanted to see me before she had to leave for Iraq. Neither one of us wanted to think about it, but we both knew that it might be my last chance to see Evette, because she will be gone for about a year. We had a great time. She packed me up in her car and we went to the park and we just enjoyed being with each other once again. You can see how happy we both are in this photo Evette took of us in her car! I am really glad that I got to spend the afternoon with Evette one more time. She writes to Ricky and Jay about me, and they tell me how much she still cares about me. But it is still nice to be with Evette, to touch her and feel her touching me again. This has to be one of the things I like best about living at Smiling Dog Farms -- families who send dogs to live here are encouraged to come back to visit and can even check us out for a day or a weekend or however long they want! It meant that I got to spend one very special afternoon with Evette, whom I will always love! I will cherish those memories from that day, and keep them in my heart! Happy gives sloppy kisses and hugs to her sponsors: • Her mom, Evette B. • Her grandma, Diana B. • Adele N.                                                                                          Back to Tribute Page Smiling Dog Farms Giving hope to the forgotten, neglected & rejected... P.O. Box 743 Wharton, TX 77488 Home / Contact Us July, 2011: We were in Galveston on Sunday, July 3rd, 2011 ... the morning we lost Happy. Happy loved going to Galveston and laying on the beach in the sunshine, feeling the cool Gulf breezes blow across her body. We'd take her with us every time we went. That Saturday afternoon, she laid in the yard with the other dogs, who would stop by to visit with her. Her eyes still said that she was interested and alert, even if her body would no longer do as she wished. We were able to say our good byes and hold her and kiss her one last time before she departed on her journey, to a place where her legs will work perfectly again and she can run like the wind, just as she did so many years ago. And when the end came, Happy was surrounded by people who loved her. Just as Evette planned for her and wanted for her! Make a Donation in Honor of Happy’s Memory! Recent donations In Memory of Happy: • Adele N.  A 501(c)3 Non-Profit Corporation                                                Smiling Dog Farms is Absolutely, Unequivocally NO-KILL!!!