Goodbye Callen... 5/7/21. This is a hard one to write…this weekend was planned for Callen to be in his new home with former GH adopters we adore who had been patiently waiting for him. It was not meant to be.

The past two weeks, Callen’s health took a perilous dip with blood values that warranted serious review, even an MRI. His symptoms of lethargy and a wobbly gait combined with extremely low white blood count levels could be partially explained by the stroke findings from the MRI. However, the deeper suspicion was bone marrow disease, likely cancer.

With guarded optimism, we waited for a turn-around but in fact, Callen broke with a 106 degree fever and labwork values so low, they were barely countable. In the quiet of the vet office with all the love everyone felt for him, this lovely little guy peacefully found rest. No more medical intervention. No more worries. His fight was over. He had seven pretty good months and three that were very good but his body was in charge. Nothing more could be done.

His name suited the time we knew him: Callen means “brave little battler” of Gaelic origin. And that he was til the very end. We truly saw the same distressing scene of poor health when he arrived in late September 2020, worried he might not make it then. But, after a few months there had been a turn-around, only to see that the underlying condition was now winning. Three vets weighed in on Callen’s medical challenges and agreed this was beyond the heartworm disease.

Callen’s true nature was to be a charmer, a funny guy with his tongue out in almost every picture…a curious fella who wanted to butt his nose into whatever was going on…and then there was THE window, really watching the world outside, deep in his own thoughts…we have dozens of pictures of his contemplative side.

We are broken-hearted as are the "almost adopters" and some of you who fell in love with him, too. Callen just opened his heart and so many people felt him…THAT was his real gift…a heart-worker who made the most of a short stay but gave a huge gift to everyone…LOVE…he was a small package of deep love.

Godspeed Callen….