Keep My Promise Fund
Donation protected
KEEPING MY PROMISE TO KATHY
I am writing this to all of the friends that I and my wife Kathy have made over the years and to anyone who has ever made a solemn promise to a family member or friend.
My name is Bob Conover and my wife Kathy McGeever passed away suddenly but quietly in her sleep on July 27, 2015.
A pulmonary embolism struck her down after several hospital stays in the weeks leading up to her passing. We had no life insurance, which meant I had to spend our savings to lay her to rest.
Some years ago, we made a promise to each other. If I passed first, she would do whatever it took to care for our three dogs while they were alive and to care for their remains after their deaths. I made the same promise to Kathy.
Kathy rescued three dogs.
The first is Dory, a black lab that showed evidence of being a breeder dog and who was then abandoned when she could no longer produce pups, was found scavenging for food and water on street.
The second is Odie, a large chocolate lab that was also found wandering the streets. Odie developed eye infections in the wild that left him blind despite our best efforts to save his sight once he was rescued.
Finally, there’s Piddy, a miniature shorthaired dachshund that was dropped off at Dachshund Rescue by people whom no longer wanted her because she wasn’t a “puppy” anymore.
All three of these precious animals were passed over for adoption because of birth defects, handicaps or age – so Kathy naturally stepped up to save all three. We don’t exactly know how old they are but that didn’t matter. Rescuing them was just the right thing to do.
And now that my wife is with God, I have a promise to keep.
Dory was born with pharyngeal paralysis – the inability to swallow normally. The surgery she needs to lessen the symptoms, allow her to breathe and keep her both alive and comfortable costs $4,000.
She will also require regular vet checkups, medicines and a special diet to treat the condition.
Dory also suffers from severe arthritis that I treat with vet prescribed dietary supplements, anti-inflammatory medications and non-narcotic painkillers. These costs are substantial and necessary.
Odie, a gentle giant who gets around by sound and smell, shakes when he stands – a sign that he is getting old too. He needs an annual aging checkup, his shots, a heap of lab tests and possible X-Rays to check out his joints. His end of life expenses could come due at any time. These costs are substantial and necessary.
Then there is our dachshund Piddy. We guessed that she was pretty young when we adopted her. Never the less, she also needs a checkup, her annual shots and X-Rays to check on her spine health.
Dachshunds are notorious for back problems as they age so we need to keep a close eye on this. Again, these costs are substantial and necessary.
And now that January is here, we need to renew their licenses with the city and to do that; we need to prove their shots are up to date.
We also have end of life costs we must be ready to pay – especially with Dori. I think she has months to live. When she stops eating, then we’ll know her time has come.
As part of our bargain, Kathy and I promised each other that when the time came to put them to sleep, we would place their ashes alongside all of the other rescued dogs we have cared for over the decades.
Right now, I am seeking a job and do not have the funds in reserve to pay these costs. To keep my promise to Kathy, I will need the generous help of friends, family and caring strangers.
That is why I am asking for your help in any amount to help us reach our fundraising goal of $7,700.
This is a bare bones estimate of what I figure it will cost to care for them properly in life and lay them to rest when the time comes to say goodbye.
$7,700 will pay for check-ups, medical tests, vaccinations, diet supplements and food for all three dogs… surgery expenses for Dory… and end of life expenses for both Dory and Odie when it becomes clear that their time has come to let rest humanely with dignity and in peace.
Kathy was fond of the idea of the “Rainbow Bridge” – the idea that all dogs go to heaven and that our dogs will be there to meet us jumping and barking with
excitement as they were in their prime – free of the infirmities they suffered from in life.
I am certain she is up there right now with our dogs that have already crossed the Rainbow Bridge along with those who will join them over time. Please help me send Dory, Odie and Piddy to her the way she would have for me.
Please forward this to family members and friends that you think might be able to help and accept our thanks in advance for any support you can provide knowing that every dollar you donate will help me reach our goal and allow me to keep a solemn promise I made to Kathy -- the woman I love.
I am writing this to all of the friends that I and my wife Kathy have made over the years and to anyone who has ever made a solemn promise to a family member or friend.
My name is Bob Conover and my wife Kathy McGeever passed away suddenly but quietly in her sleep on July 27, 2015.
A pulmonary embolism struck her down after several hospital stays in the weeks leading up to her passing. We had no life insurance, which meant I had to spend our savings to lay her to rest.
Some years ago, we made a promise to each other. If I passed first, she would do whatever it took to care for our three dogs while they were alive and to care for their remains after their deaths. I made the same promise to Kathy.
Kathy rescued three dogs.
The first is Dory, a black lab that showed evidence of being a breeder dog and who was then abandoned when she could no longer produce pups, was found scavenging for food and water on street.
The second is Odie, a large chocolate lab that was also found wandering the streets. Odie developed eye infections in the wild that left him blind despite our best efforts to save his sight once he was rescued.
Finally, there’s Piddy, a miniature shorthaired dachshund that was dropped off at Dachshund Rescue by people whom no longer wanted her because she wasn’t a “puppy” anymore.
All three of these precious animals were passed over for adoption because of birth defects, handicaps or age – so Kathy naturally stepped up to save all three. We don’t exactly know how old they are but that didn’t matter. Rescuing them was just the right thing to do.
And now that my wife is with God, I have a promise to keep.
Dory was born with pharyngeal paralysis – the inability to swallow normally. The surgery she needs to lessen the symptoms, allow her to breathe and keep her both alive and comfortable costs $4,000.
She will also require regular vet checkups, medicines and a special diet to treat the condition.
Dory also suffers from severe arthritis that I treat with vet prescribed dietary supplements, anti-inflammatory medications and non-narcotic painkillers. These costs are substantial and necessary.
Odie, a gentle giant who gets around by sound and smell, shakes when he stands – a sign that he is getting old too. He needs an annual aging checkup, his shots, a heap of lab tests and possible X-Rays to check out his joints. His end of life expenses could come due at any time. These costs are substantial and necessary.
Then there is our dachshund Piddy. We guessed that she was pretty young when we adopted her. Never the less, she also needs a checkup, her annual shots and X-Rays to check on her spine health.
Dachshunds are notorious for back problems as they age so we need to keep a close eye on this. Again, these costs are substantial and necessary.
And now that January is here, we need to renew their licenses with the city and to do that; we need to prove their shots are up to date.
We also have end of life costs we must be ready to pay – especially with Dori. I think she has months to live. When she stops eating, then we’ll know her time has come.
As part of our bargain, Kathy and I promised each other that when the time came to put them to sleep, we would place their ashes alongside all of the other rescued dogs we have cared for over the decades.
Right now, I am seeking a job and do not have the funds in reserve to pay these costs. To keep my promise to Kathy, I will need the generous help of friends, family and caring strangers.
That is why I am asking for your help in any amount to help us reach our fundraising goal of $7,700.
This is a bare bones estimate of what I figure it will cost to care for them properly in life and lay them to rest when the time comes to say goodbye.
$7,700 will pay for check-ups, medical tests, vaccinations, diet supplements and food for all three dogs… surgery expenses for Dory… and end of life expenses for both Dory and Odie when it becomes clear that their time has come to let rest humanely with dignity and in peace.
Kathy was fond of the idea of the “Rainbow Bridge” – the idea that all dogs go to heaven and that our dogs will be there to meet us jumping and barking with
excitement as they were in their prime – free of the infirmities they suffered from in life.
I am certain she is up there right now with our dogs that have already crossed the Rainbow Bridge along with those who will join them over time. Please help me send Dory, Odie and Piddy to her the way she would have for me.
Please forward this to family members and friends that you think might be able to help and accept our thanks in advance for any support you can provide knowing that every dollar you donate will help me reach our goal and allow me to keep a solemn promise I made to Kathy -- the woman I love.
Organizer
Bob Conover
Organizer
Alexandria, VA