Tatters is the name of a beloved stuffed animal from a children's book famous over a century ago. We borrowed the name because our sweet boy had a worn stuffed animal quality to him. He made you want to hug him, and the wear-and-tear of his years made him all the more loveable.

Tatters' pictures showed a sad dog in disarray. When we took in Tatters, he had been stray. His coat was stained with urine and he was terribly thin. He had a blind eye, but the other eye focused on you with a hopeful look. This neglected dog had seen the worst, but his life changed for the better when our volunteer saw him while picking up other future DAWG dogs. She was outraged that this little old guy would end his life in a shelter at the hands of a strange but kind technician, so Tatters was scooped up and left with her. We
offered Tatters for adoption knowing that he would probably never find a home with anyone else but his foster mom. And so that's how Tatter's life ended.

Unfortunately, we never updated Tatter's picture to show him as a rather chubby dog with gorgeous fur. He became healthy and sleek, but eventually went blind. Tatters was happy with his simple life of sleeping, eating, and going outside to trot around in the grass. He was obviously near his end when his behavior changed in subtle ways. On Tuesday, January 16, Tatters could not hold down his breakfast, and he wasn't interested in food. By the evening, Tatter's condition didn't improve. His foster mom rushed Tatters to the animal hospital early on Wednesday morning. In the early afternoon, her phone rang. Tatter's was gone. The diagnosis: a tumor in his liver had burst. Luckily the staff was with Tatters when he started to die. He simply stretched out as if to release his spirit. And so Tatter's spirit has flown to its rightful place on Rainbow Bridge.

Tatters left this world on January 17, 2007. He has good company on Rainbow Bridge. See you again one day, little buddy!