Squirt has passed peacefully away.

Squirt came to SAINTS Feb 15 2008, we believe he was a puppy mill survivor. We guessed at his age..4? 5? 6? not a youngster but not an old fart either.
For the first while, Squirt hid in his crate in the corner of one of the back rooms. We gave him food and water in his crate and it took time for him to soldier up a little bit of courage to explore.
Eventually, with a lot of time and patience Squirt became a very good friend to staff and volunteers but if strangers were in the house Squirt always retreated to his small crate and would wait for them to leave before he would come back out again. We used to tell folks not to be concerned when Squirt stopped hiding at their arrival and started nipping at their heels as he chased them out the door. This was always the very last step in Squirt accepting them as a new friend. Getting ankle bit from our little man was a very good sign that a new friendship was forming.
When Squirt first arrived he was beyond terrified but with one tiny step at a time he sometimes became a little more brave. Below is one of SAINTS favorite stories of Squirts very first attempt at braveness.

Posted: March 4, 2008 at 12:48 pm

Setting the stage:

midnight…Maudie asleep in the laundry area oblivious to the closing of the gate. The characters will speak in human voices so you can actually understand them.

The Gate

2am all is quiet but the watchers are watching.

Suddenly an intruder is detected at the gate to the sleeping areas of the privileged. Sir Cuddles springs into action, leaping from the bed and sounding the alarm. General Albert Spice joins him and together they hold off the intruder.

“GET BACK YOU BEAST” shouts Sir Cuddles to the frantic and gate climbing husky.

“The Gate is closed, go away” orders the general in a tone that brooks no argument.

“please, please….” begs Maudie, “please let me in, I need to be in there, please open the gate!”

“NO!” they both scream “THE GATE IS CLOSED! YOU CANNOT COME IN!”

Maudie loses her mind, and despite the two mean and unfeeling poodles, she starts to climb the gate.

” Send reinforcements! the bitch is scaling the gate!!!”

Suddenly out of the darkness appears Squirt (who apparently is sometimes brave) and he joins the other two in holding off the intruder.

The battle is fierce, the little trio stand their ground, refusing to give an inch.

Finally Maude sinks to the ground in defeat, still on the wrong side of the gate.

She begins to sob, “oh…will no one help me, will no one let me in???”

And in the darkness, a figure appears in a very ugly bathrobe. The tiny army respectfully gives way, the gate swings open and Maude dashes past to her bed, finally safe at last.

As the silence once again falls and peace reigns again, the poodles grumble to themselves…
”she woke HER up again, that’s why we lost”
”yes, but did you see how brave was the little Squirt?"

Squirt was euthanized at home by one of our most trusted vets, he was not afraid. Today as he was slipping off into a deep sleep on Renee's lap, Tang came up to him and gave him a gentle head butt, they had been trusted friends for many years. Squirt had many friends not just amongst SAINTS people but with his SAINTS animal family too.
Squirt has been so well loved here for more than a decade by all of the staff and volunteers. We were his family and this was his home and Squirt was happy here.
Rest in peace our dear little friend, the kitchen will never be the same but we will all carry you in our hearts forever.

We hope Benny, Odie, Cuddles, Albert Spice and all of your other past friends who you loved so well will greet and cuddle with you on the other side...(maybe even Maude if she has forgiven you for obstructing her that fateful gate night!)