Thank you Alexandra and Wolfgang for fostering Beth, she had a great life with you for a number of years as a companion for your horse Hoots:
Our lovely Beth died on December 8, 2011. We found her that morning dead in the barn, where she obviously died from a stroke or a heart attack. She was a fantastic old lady and we are happy that we could give her a few wonderful years with her friend Hoots. The last few months she was kind of a service horse for him as he was blind like a bat since spring of 2011 and she took very good care of him. After Beth died we had to put him down as he was totally lost without her. We miss our horses badly, but decided no more horses as we are not the youngest ourselves anymore.

Nelson passed away suddenly at his foster home. Nelson was a wildie weanling from west of Sundre. He was so sickly and small when we got him but he soon became the biggest pocket-pet in the pasture. He had a severe puncture injury that entailed an emergency trip to and prolonged stay at the vet clinic (thank you Dr.Irwin and staff at Moore's) and he recovered very well, but then sadly passed away a couple of months later due to colic. Thank you Katey and family for giving him such a good home while you had him.

For Daryl-Anne, who adopted Baby from us:
I just wanted to let you know that we adored her and she was such a wonderful horse. She loved to be around us and she was such a good girl. She loved to ride for hours in the fields and trails around the country and she could even jump small jumps. I trusted her completely and we had a lot of great times together. Even though we only had a short time with her it was a wonderful time and I'm so glad we got to have her. She was very well loved and taken care for and she will be deeply missed. I think she was truly happy here as she loved her herdmate Smoothie. She was absolutley a character who was smart and funny and just loved to be loved. Thank you for allowing her to be part of our family. She was an amazing horse.

Spirit died suddenly, we believe from colic. We purchased her as a yearling from a feedlot where she was heading to slaughter, back in 2005. She was totally wild and unhandled, but incredibly beautiful. Marion, Spirit's sponsor from Austria, has this to say about her:
It was the first year I visited Kathy in Canada. It was 2005 when I walked down the pasture with Kathy to check the horses. I saw all those beautiful horses and everyone was special but one was catching my eye – it was Spirit. She was so beautiful and interesting. She was very shy and I wanted to get her confidence so I visited her every day and all I did was walking beside her. After a short time I could touch her and soon I also could put on a halter. She was very smart. I had always reward crunchies with me but the stronger horses were always in front of me to get the crunchy so Spirit couldn’t get one. I ran away from all the horses and she soon knew that she had to follow me to get the crunchy. Sprit was a very smart horse. I could adopt Spirit although I am living in Austria and so Spirit could stay in the herd at Kathy’s farm. Although she had to die very young I am sure she had the best life a horse could have. I am very sad about her sudden death and I will never forget her.

We are saddened by the sudden loss of Windy, a pretty little filly we purchased at auction. She never even made it onto our available horses page.

Cash was with us for over 6 years. We bought her at auction in mid-2005 by outbidding the meat buyer. We had her quietly euthanized at 26 years of age as we did not want to put her through another winter because her arthritis was getting worse. She was another of those nice, quiet, older mares that are discarded all the time once they've outlived their usefulness. Cash (registered name 'Give Her Cash') was very well-bred, a granddaughter of Dash for Cash. She raced 6 times as a 2-year-old and had 8 foals, all of which probably contributed to her eventually becoming arthritic. She had a good retirement with us; she really seemed to enjoy her acupuncture treatments.

Shadow, an elderly pony mare (Ginger's foal) passed away peacefully on Oct 8, 2011, close to her horse buddies and surrounded by love. She had become very mellow and even affectionate in her last year at her foster home - a good sign that she was happy despite whatever it was that ailed her. Thank you to Wendy and everyone at her foster home who looked after her so well.

Gypsy (#3), came to us very underweight and pregnant at the age of 3 years. She also had arthritis in both her front knees. After she foaled (her foal was Sugar) she was fostered by Steve and Patti and did wonderfully for over a year but eventually the arthritis and resultant abscesses were causing her too much discomfort. She was quietly euthanized at her foster home and is buried there. Thank you Patti and Steve for looking after her.

Sky (My Blue Jodi) was one of our first rescues. She was a PMU mare we purchased through PMUfoalquest in 2004. She had a deformed back foot that we weren't aware of when we purchased her but of course it made no difference to us, we wouldn't have given her up once we decided to buy her. Sky had over 7 good years with us. Thank you to Janine and Ashley and Dan for fostering her for various periods during her time with us.

For Lindsay, who adopted Mason from us: I think that everyone who had the pleasure of meeting Mason would agree that he was a very strange animal. Mason had a heart of gold and when I met him, as scared as he was, I could tell that he was a very gentle horse. When I brought him home, I had no idea that my life would be forever changed. Mason taught me so much about life and I now have a much deeper understanding of horses that I use to retrain horses that just need another chance. Mason had a great 4 years with me and when he died, he had put his head on my lap as he lay down and took his last breath while looking right into my eyes. He changed the way I think about life and he will always stay with me. He had a calming way about him, and it's amazing that he was able to overcome his fear of people. There is no doubt that Mason knew how deeply he was loved.

It was with a heavy heart that we made the decision to euthanize Zephyr. We rescued him at auction as a weanling. He suffered a serious kick to his side as a weanling that broke some of his ribs, was a bilateral cryptorchid and required major surgery to be gelded and also seemed to have allergies. He was so sweet though, and one of my favourites. He became ill summer of 2011 and after several weeks of treatement, we had to let him go as he just wasn't getting better. I'll miss you Zeph.

Queenie never actually came to Bear Valley, though she was a Bear Valley rescue. She had foundered badly and was taken in by Birgitta on our behalf. Unfortunately she was in such bad shape that after a couple of months the decision was made to have her put to sleep.

Navajo came from Manitoba, I believe she was a pmu mare. She was a very sweet and gentle mare but she had a deformed arthritic leg that eventually caused her enough discomfort that we made the decision to put her to sleep. Until that time she had a number of good years with us and also as a foster with Janine in Water Valley.

Cracker was such sweet old girl. She was one of our first rescues, in July 2004, a registered QH mare named Dewy Dot San. We bought her at the auction where we outbid the meat buyer for her. She was with us for 6 1/2 years before she passed away after a bad fall at the age of 32. We will miss you Cracker.

We lost Jessie suddenly to colic. He was such a sweet and gentle horse, only 3 years old, and he was just about to leave for his new adopted home when he died.

Sally, who was with us for a number of years, had to be put to sleep as she had some back problems that worsened as she grew older. She was very sweet, a really nice mare.

Buddy was put to sleep quietly on Sept 10, 2010. Buddy was blind when he came to us, but had a good year or two before he had to be put down due to lameness before winter set in. He spent his last summer under the loving care of Kendra, in a nice big paddock with lots of grass (and few obstacles! ). Buddy went very peacefully, it was as good an experience as it could be. He had lots of treats and a good loving scratch that morning and was of course still munching away on grass. He was a good horse. He will be missed.

For Molly Petryshyn:
Charlie passed away on August 12, 2010. He was 33 years old and we got him when I was 6. He was in a very bad predicament, he was underweight and he wasn't eating, but then he started to get better and then we built our relationship. It was the best, he was my best friend.

This is a poor horse that came in from the ASPCA in the spring of 2010. He was such a sweet horse but his foot was broken and the decision was made to have him put down. At least he went with a full belly. I wasn't sure at first if I should post him on here because he looks so awful but it wouldn't have been right to not at least remember him here. He didn't have a name but now he's got two - Simba Braveheart.

We had to make the very difficult decision to euthanize Crackerjack. He was a beautitul bay we got from LIS (Livestock Inspection Services). They had seized him and asked us to take him in. He appeared to have broken his foot at a young age and it healed crooked but he wasn't in any pain from it. However it turned out that Jack was not gelded, either he was a bilateral crpytorchid or gelded on one side only. Though he was very sweet and nice to handle, his stallion-like behaviour around mares forced us to make the decision to put him down. We don't have the facilities to keep a stallion and it would not have been fair to keep him penned up, and we couldn't justify the cost of surgery to geld him even if we could have found a vet that would have been willing to do it, with his foot the way it was.

Sadly, we at Bear Valley Rescue have had to say good-bye to our dear Samson. While we could not halt the devastating progress of his ringbone, we were able to give Samson three great years at Larosa Home of Rest for Horses, where he won many hearts and became Kerry’s Beloved. We are profoundly grateful for the excellent care Samson received from Larry Nault and Tammy Thompson (Steppin’ on the Frog Farrier Services), Ashley Pederson (Timberlost Farrier Services), and Dr. Chad Hewlett (Energy Equine Veterinary Services). Samson was, indeed, a good and well-loved horse, and he shall be missed.

Rocinante (“Roz”) came to Larosa Home of Rest for Horses four years ago from Bear Valley Rescue. In her twenties, and despite her poorly healed broken leg, she was a sweet, beautiful mare. Unfortunately, her damaged knee was becoming unstable and painful, and she was put down peacefully with Samson —on Thanksgiving Day, 2009—before the difficulties of winter set in. Bear Valley Rescue is so thankful that Samson and Roz were able to enjoy their final years at Larosa through the compassion of Ed Johnston and the generosity of his daughters: Laurie, Robin, and Sarah.

Payton came to us on New Year's, 2007. She was SO thin that at first I only posted her picture on the site wearing a blanket. She did so well on her mash though, she had a couple of wonderful years with us before having to be put down due to colic. We will miss her.

Ginger was a sweet old pony mare that passed away at her foster home - thank you to the Ekvall family for looking after her.

For Michelle, who gave Cloud a home: Cloud came to live with us for a short time. Cloud was a special horse, he was a gentle teacher for my family and a wonderful pasture mate for the other horses. He loved to have his neck rubbed and any treat that had molasses in it. We love and miss him very much but we are thankful for the time we got to spend with him.

Lady was one of our first pmu mare rescues. Though she was only 16 years old, she was arthritic, underweight, had bad teeth and a fistula on her shoulder, and was also of course, pregnant. She spent almost 5 years here at Bear Valley before we had to put her to sleep due to her arthritis. I think after several years we managed to gain at least a little of her trust.

For Kelly, who lost her mare Tess:
Tess, my 14 year old "non-conformist" standardbred mare suffered a devastating injury and had to be euthanized. She was my true friend and I will miss her terribly. She was one of a kind.
"You took me to adventure and to love. We two have shared great joy and great sorrow. And now I stand at the gate of the paddock watching you run in an ecstasy of freedom, knowing you will return to stand quietly, loyally, beside me."Pam Brown

Lovie, the sweet old one-eyed mare we rescued just hours before she was to board the meat truck to the slaughterhouse. Thanks so much Shauna for caring for her and she became a much-loved fixture at the stable where she lived.

Eddie, the beautiful foal, lost tragically to colic.

Skelly was a sweet but emaciated old horse that we picked up from a horse dealer. He was only with us a few days before he had to be put down due to heart failure.

Tulip, the donkey, had to be put down when she developed ulcers. Poor girl never really trusted people, must have had a rough life.

Ike broke his leg in a tragic accident and had to be put down. Ike was one of my favourites, the most playful horse I've ever known. He was my bud, I miss him very much.

Anyone that came to the rescue when we first started will remember Joe. He was one of our first rescues and Mike's favorite. Joe had a hard life as a baby but we rescued him from the feedlot and gave him some good years and he'll be missed a lot.

Luna, a beautiful 2 year old filly had to be euthanized due to a serious illness. It is so difficult, especially with the young ones, to make that decision, but that's part of the responsibility.

Snowy was only with us a short time. She was the typical sweet well-broke little Arab mare, but obviously as soon as she had health issues she was discarded. We at least were able to make her last few weeks good ones.

We lost Twiggy suddenly after an injury. She was a sweet 2 1/2 year old bay filly that was just coming into her prime. We had her for 2 years and sadly she was still waiting for her forever home, but we were glad to have her and to know that she had a good life while she was with us.

Cleo passed away suddenly from a serious bout of colic. She was a real personality, her own horse right to the end. We'll miss her a lot.

Nellie, the old grey mare, was with us for 3 years. She must have been well over 30 by the time we had to put her down, but she gave us a beautiful filly, Sundae (yes, she was pregnant when we bought her at auction!) and hopefully by the end of her life Nellie had come to realize that people were not necessarily a bad thing.

Thanks so much to Joan for fostering Pumpkin and Winter through the last years of their lives and for being with them to the end.

Bear, aka Black, was an amazing old guy we bought at auction, thin, old, going grey, the shaggiest horse I'd ever seen. He thrived under the loving care of his new owner, Debbie, until a sudden illness took him. Thanks for giving him the best years of his life Debbie, and thanks for the courage to do what was best for him in the end.

Tess was a little chestnut filly from the feedlot. She was so thin and undernourished, she couldn't even stand up once we got her home. Unfortunately distemper, starvation, pneumonia and hypothermia were too much and poor little girl just couldn't survive. Too little, too late. No one cared for her while she was alive and we only cared for her once she was already dying. At least she didn't die in that horrible place.

Dani the goat developed a tumor in her jaw and had to be put down, poor girl.

Ben was Janine's first rescue. He was such a patient and sweet old guy (witness his picture, putting up with Ace's shenanigans!).

Emma, a 26 yr old QH mare with a badly deformed front leg, she spent her last summer under the wonderful care of Jane, one of the sweetest people I've had the pleasure to meet.

Jake was a draft/appaloosa cross gelding, a real sweetheart. His arthritis got the best of him unfortunately, and we had to make the decision to have him put down.

Lohan (Lola) was a standardbred mare purchased from a horse dealer in very bad condition. She never did recover completely but she had the best last year of her life under the loving care of Paula and Twyla at Autumn Hollow Sanctuary.

Dempsey, a beautiful QH ex-pmu mare (pregnant of course) suffered badly from founder. We did all we could for her but she never recovered and had to be put down.

Sienna, another pregnant QH ex-pmu mare, blind in one eye, died from colic but not before having a beautiful filly (Charlotte) that was adopted by Silk after she was orphaned at 7 weeks of age when Sienna died.

Rosie was yet another pregnant ex-pmu mare that came to us in poor condition and badly foundered, as well as pregnant. Unfortunately she died from colic and we lost the foal she was carrying as well.

Sera was a sweet donkey we purchased at auction. She also had to be put down due to a severe bout of colic.

Belle was an old brown swiss cow we bought quite a few years ago. She lived longer than most cows get a chance to live, but eventually we had to put her down as she had what was most likely hardware disease.

Chester was a wonderful standardbred gelding we rescued from auction, where he would have gone for meat because he had a cracked hoof. He had to be put down shortly after going to his new home with Kira, due to a tragic injury. I'm so sorry Kira that you didn't have more time with him.

Cisco was a donkey we bought at auction, he had very badly overgrown feet. He had to be sedated in order to try and trim back his hooves and his heart stopped while he was under sedation.

Scout, my first horse and the world's greatest horse ever. I had him for 22 years and finally had to have him put down at age 32.