My faithful companion…                             Ophelia                             In January 1994 I adopted a Doberman/Lab/Shepherd mix from The New Rochelle    Humane Society.  You named her STAR, but she quickly became Ophelia.  Over the years   she was a most faithful companion and a wonderful dog.  Regrettably, yesterday, I had to    put Ophelia down.  Although I know she had a long life (over 14 years) it was still very    painful to do but it had to be done to end her suffering.  Basically in good health, she suffered   from what the vets described as the "worst case of spondylosis" (deterioration of the spine)   they have ever seen.  Over the years that this developed, I had no idea until about a year ago.    She never let on that she was in pain. Although it became more heartbreaking to watch her   deteriorate, I tried to make her last months as pleasant as possible.  I held her in my arms    and looked into her eyes during the procedure yesterday until she was gone.  She was an    exceptional dog, a wonderful pet and a big part of my family.  Attached is a picture of Ophelia.   I    I thought it necessary to inform you as I know your organization works wonders for these    animals and I believe that you like to know the stories of the pets you adopt out.                                                    Stephen Cerini

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