When Marion and Mark lost their beloved Ollie to cancer a year ago when he was 12, they were devastated.

“Ollie was adorable at 11 weeks old,” Mark tells me one evening after dinner. “When he died, it was like a piece of our family was gone.”

They weren’t ready to replace Ollie right away but after a few months of missing him, they decided it was time to look for another dog and this time, they would adopt a rescue instead of buying one.

They made the rounds of all the rescues and the SPCA and finally chose Gerdy’s to help them. What they knew was that they didn’t want a puppy and that they loved dachshunds. “I don’t think it’s right to say we wanted to rescue a dog. We are not the rescuers,” Mark says. “Gerdy’s is!”

“We were lucky to find a rescue dog that had been fostered,” he says. “Oscar was rescued (by Gerdy’s) from a divorcedcouple who was going to euthanize him because they felt nobody would want an eight-year-old dog, and that the dog would not be happy with anyone else.”

Sounds a bit like the Solomon tale of cutting the baby in two to decide who the real mother is, right?

Oscar is eight, housetrained and seemed to be a fit for the couple. Of course they had to go through “quite a process” before they could take Oscar home.

“We filled out the online form and then another detailed form we were sent. We included our ages, habits, and then we got an email asking if we wanted to meet Oscar at his foster home.

“When we saw Oscar we fell in love. He was gorgeous and a trained, long-haired dachshund.”

The adoption cost $425, which includes medication for heartworm. Gerdy’s pays for dental work, which was a plus for a couple adopting an older dog.

Mark has nothing but praise for Gerdy’s. “The people who foster animals such as Gerdy’s people are the nicest in the world. They’re never paid and put their hearts into saving animals and that’s the highest tribute to our humanity.”

“The process of adopting from Gerdy’s is very thorough and caring,” says Marion. “To this day Marilyn contacts us to make sure all is well. Gerdy’s is also helping with the teeth cleaning that Oscar needs.”

After Mark and Marion met Oscar, Gerdy’s sent a volunteer to inspect their house. Then there was an adjustment period of two weeks.

It’s been two months and Oscar has settled beautifully into his new forever home.

“We are totally enjoying, Oscar,” says Marion. “He’s a very active little dog and definitely keeps us on our toes: lots of walks! He’ll keep us young!

“Oscar has almost completely filled the hole left in our lives when Ollie left us, but we will never forget him.”

As we end the interview, Mark is cuddling him. “We walk a lot with Oscar. We can express our love once again. A dog adds a lot to our relationship. It’s another aspect of caring.”