Maple's Family Needs Your Support

This is my sweet Maple Wednesday. On August 2, 2025, after getting through a fence to chase a cat, she was hit by a car and did not make it. She was the perfect product of a German Shepherd mom and a pit bull/boxer mix dad. I raised her momma, Morticia, from 4 weeks old due to owners giving them away or selling them no matter what. I've never "raised" a puppy before but kinda had no other choice! Morticia was, and is, sassy, full of energy, and super protective to the point of anxiety. When she was four, my daughter and her dog Diesel moved in with us. Diesel was a rescue who was "neutered," at least according to the shelter my daughter rescued him from! Well, a "neutered" dog got my baby girl pregnant! As I mentioned before, I've only had actual children, only having had pets as a child, I didn't even realize she was pregnant. Before we could get her into the vet, the puppies were born. Maple was the lone survivor, never leaving her momma's side; they were almost two weeks early according to the vet. Maple had a gimp paw they thought just hadn't developed and a tiny part of her ear missing, but she was perfect to us!!

Our next-door neighbor, in recent months, has decided to collect all the stray cats in our whole town, I think. Well, stray cats have kittens; I honestly don't know how many are over there. Last time I counted, it was over 15 cats. We have a wooden fenced-in yard for the three dogs; it's reinforced with concrete, but Miss Maple, being the mix of dogs she was, was a BIG girl. All 101 pounds of sweetness, she was ALL bark and no bite! In the early morning hours, she and Morticia got through the fence, chasing a cat. I'm certain Maple used her weight to bust through. Several hours later, Morticia returned home, but she was by herself. I posted about them missing and called the non-emergency number for the police department. At around 8 am, I got a call from a sheriff's deputy that Maple had been located, been hit by a car, and was indeed deceased. We live in a fairly small town where there is no animal control, etc. So they put her in a ditch off the road, and she would stay there unless we picked her up. My daughter was able to get ahold of the vet clinic where the dogs are seen. They said they could take her and keep her for 30 days for a private cremation. Otherwise, she will be cremated with other animals just found on the road. My oldest son did the sweetest thing for us and picked up Maple's body and took it to the vet's office. I can't bury her anywhere near me; I don't own my home. I know $300 is a lot! But we really just wanna have our sweet baby home. Thank you in advance to anyone who can lend a helping hand; it will not go unappreciated!