Pappy is possibly the oldest eskie ever rescued as a stray.  His age could only be estimated, but he was thought to be around 17-years-old.  Right after Thanksgiving 2005, he was found and taken to a shelter in South Carolina.  Rescue was contacted and upon arrival, the rescuer discovered that he was dirty, matted, had horrible teeth, underweight, mostly blind & deaf and was just a sad old soul.  Would anyone want such a poor, beat-up boy?

A message was sent out to other eskie rescuers in the hopes that someone would take pity on the old boy.  While he was good-natured, he was also a bit senile.  It wasn't long before someone opened up their heart & home to this fella.  He was cleaned up, given a dental cleaning, and a warm place to stay before he began his journey to join Sonny and his mommy in Rockford, IL

The trip would consist of many good-hearted people who volunteered their time & vehicles to driving poor old Pappy and another eskie passenger to Illinois.  It took two days for Pappy to make it to his destination, but along the way, each volunteer spoke of how honored they were to be a part of something so special.

Once he arrived in Rockford, Pappy began to thrive.  Everyone expected Pappy to live only a short time, but he surprised everyone.  He was fondly known as Happy Pappy who always had a smile on his face and was the founding member of the Rockford Reskie Retirement Retreat. 

One night, Pappy decided to take a field trip.  While out on the tether at his foster mom's condo, he slipped his collar and hit the road.  He wasn't gone for long, just long enough to scare his foster mom.  But shortly after before she found him, Pappy made friends with the only two 18-year-old girls who lived in the condo subdivision.  After that point, he was known as the Dirty Old Man who was known for picking up younger chicks.

In April 2007, Pappy's foster mom decided to make things official and formally adopted him.  Who would want to adopt such an old, special needs boy?  And why up-root him from a home where he is comfortable and all the smells and sounds were familiar?

Sadly, in August 2007, Pappy suffered a stroke and then started having seizures.  Pappy's mom knew that it was his time to be sent to wait at the Rainbow Bridge.  It was a sad day, but one that she knew would come.  Pappy passed quietly in the arms of his mom, Deborah.  His ashes were returned to her shortly thereafter.  He is now in his forever home without pain, without the fear of being forgotten, and surrounded by those who loved him.  Pappy was probably close to 20-years-old when he left us.  He will always be missed, but will never be forgotten.