Posts by Gail Pope

Gail holding Ziggy Ziggy (named for the son of the equally incomparable Jamaican singer and musician Bob Marley) came to us in March 2018 from nonprofit Retrievers and Friends of Southern California. And as time went by, my late husband Richard and I often wondered just who rescued who, as Ziggy captivated everyone he encountered with…

Rosie’s soulful eyes (Photo by Blanca Walker) It is with love, joy, deep sadness and heartache that I write today to share the news of Rosie’s passing on Thursday 13th July at 9 a.m. Definitely a mixed bag of feelings as I say fare-thee-well to my darling girl. I also know that it was time for her to…

Gail, Richard, Sasha, & Lily November 19, 2022, is a date I will remember with mixed feelings as it marked not only the death of our beloved Sasha, but also the end of a BrightHaven era. You see, Sasha was the last of the sanctuary cats to die, leaving us with not only the memory…

March 26 th at 7:30pm saw the ending of yet another BrightHaven era, with the death of our amazing super-dog-man and old soul, Bailey. I am not sure that I can do justice to this larger-than-life character and the depth of the passionate being who lived life HIS way, played hard and NEVER suffered fools gladly!…

With Blanca Gem died at 5am on the 11th of April 2018 To see one who fought the odds for all her life, and succeeded by reaching double figures in age, is a testament to all the wonderful people who helped us to care for her along the way. Gem was such a one and…

Ellie with Gail In June 17th 2016 the BrightHaven family was joined by an angel named Goldie who we renamed Ellie, and on February 9th 2018 Ellie returned to join the angels. Back in 2016 we were told that Ellie would not be staying long and in fact was already on borrowed time and should…

On January 22nd, just before noon, Sophie Pope stepped out of her slender and lately fragile feline body and headed for the stars, leaving behind her more than twenty years of shared and cherished memories. Sophie was brought to me in 1997 by a volunteer who took her from a man standing outside the Orange…

At 3:24am on Friday 29th December 2017 BrightHaven bade fare-thee-well to our dearest Lily dog, AKA “Big Dog” (she was affectionately called Big Dog by Blanca as she was small in stature but with a huge, big dog spirit!) or “The sweetest dog on the planet” or “Lily-Pop”. Lily, approximately 7-9 years old, came to…

Lali loved to follow Richard everywhere he went. On January 30th 2014 BrightHaven life changed as a dear and joyful old lady skipped into ourlives. Lali was rescued in the nick of time from The New Hope Animal Shelter by our friends Barbara and Sue, and flown to Santa Rosa courtesy of Zachary Bryson of…

The Queen Has Died — Long Live The Queen   Dear friends, I am writing to let everyone know that Talya passed away on Friday the 4th August at 1130pm — in my arms and in bed. How she held onto her physical paraplegic self for so long is a mystery and a testament to…

October the 6th 2016 heralded a new angel treading the path to the afterlife and marked the end of an era for BrightHaven as Jack left us to join the many animals he had known and loved (well some not so much perhaps!) during his six year reign. Jack the lad, Jacky, Jackson, this vibrant…

King Tut in his new BrightHaven home It’s hard to believe this 17 year-old regal, dignified and oh so gentle senior, began life as a feral. Approaching 10 years old, his luck changed one day when rescued by a wonderful elderly German lady, Agnes. Agnes cared for Tut along with her other rescued family of…

Dear Friends, I am writing today with the sad news of the death of Dotty – the most special and adored old goat who could have ever lived! Dotty was originally found walking through a main street in Pinole, California in 2001 and rescued by a great BH friend, who brought her to BrightHaven after…

Hope being Assisted with Eating Hope came to live at BrightHaven six years ago. She came to us for hospice care and Tuesday (June 23rd) at 2pm this dear dog became another angel in heaven. Hope entered this lifetime as an overbred “Aussie”. It was hoped she would be “the perfect white shepherd”, but instead…

Gail holding Joey Dear friends, This little note comes to tell his friends of so many years that the BrightHaven sheriff, dear Joey, passed away Saturday evening shortly before 9pm. Joey came into my life eleven years ago and, after receiving his first set of wheels, proceeded to take over daily BrightHaven life to rule…

Molly in bed ~26th December 2014 From now forward, Boxing Day will take on new meaning, as it was the day that one of the sweetest souls we have yet to meet, left this world. Just once in a while one meets a person exuding peace, charm and joy and in August of 2013 BrightHaven…

Sam doing well and gaining weight ~October 20th 2014 The morning of October 20th marked the passing of a BrightHaven icon. Rescued from the streets, emaciated and desperately ill, Sam came to BrightHaven to die in peace, in July 2013. Instead of dying though, Sam concentrated his attention on living – with a capital “L”…

Johnnie on bed ~October 12th 2014 My heart is heavy this morning as I write to tell his many friends of the death of our beloved Johnnie angel, as he was fondly known. Johnnie came to us in 2001 as a young feral cat who became fascinated to watch our cats at play through the…

Emma with Neil ~14th August 2014 Here I sit with pen poised and no real idea how on earth to best portray this sweet and gentle giant whose only aim in life was ever happiness and to share it with everyone he met. Turning the clock back two decades found Neill and his sister Mimi…

~ September 13, 2013 As we pass closer to the end of life, we are always aware as in any hospice situation that death may actually not be the outcome expected – even sometimes in the most dire of situations. A short while ago we experienced just such a situation at BrightHaven and I would…