Lily's Hope Bichon Rescue was founded by Lynn Ramich, member of the Bichon Frise Club of America and the Keystone Bichon Frise Club. These are her stories.

Hope and Lily were two puppymill brood bitches that were dumped at a kill shelter because they stopped producing. I got a call about them and went and picked them up. I remember it was a hot, hot Sunday. I picked up the two girls and they were the saddest looking creatures I'd ever seen. They stunk to high heaven and were flea infested. As hot as it was, we had to drive home with the windows open because of the smell. But more than that...these girls looked sick. Hope actually looked like she was dying. I did not think I would make the drive (2.5 hours) and she would live. I named her Hope because I was praying the entire time with the hope she would survive. Lily looked a *little* better. Her lips, skin and tongue were blue. She also had a cough. I knew she had heart problems. But Hope scared me.

We got home and I immediately dipped the girls. I had to get rid of the fleas first. I remember Hope like it was yesterday. She tried to urinate and you could see the pain she was in and all that came out was blood. I called my vet. She told me to bring in Hope. My vet took one look at her and said "she's staying". I got a call at 10:30 that night. My vet removed two bladder stones that were larger than her bladder. She did not know if Hope would live. She was suffering from steptic poisoning and pyometra. So, I continued to pray for the little girl.

I named Lily after Patty Burke's Lilly. Lilly was a rescue that had just died from cancer. Patty is a good friend of rescue and I wanted to honor her Lilly. When I got home from the vet, I put Lily outside with my dogs. I was sitting outside with them and it started to get dark. I opened the door and called the dogs in. My dogs all ran inside. Lily curled up under a bush to sleep. Oh my heart broke. I picked her up and held her so close. I realized that I was the first person who ever showed this girl any kindness, any love. I just held her, stroking her head and kissing her. I made a promise to her that she would never have a day in her life that she didn't know she was loved.

Lily had an enlarged heart, grade four heart murmur and asthma. Three days on medication and she turned a pretty pink color. The blue was gone. Lily was the most incredible dog I ever had. She was so loving and giving and expected nothing in return. And today she has the loving home she was promised with a Mom who adores her.

When I was incorporating my shelter, I hadn't thought of any names. It was going to be Bichon Rescue of Pennsylvania or something like that. But my friends took a vote and named it Lily's Hope.

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