YRSTRY Legacy Books in support of New Hope Dog Rescue

 

“What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” ~ Helen Keller

At YRSTRY, we transform your memories into a timeless legacy book. Through our storytelling and your photos, we create books for any kind of personal story, including remembering our furry family members once they have crossed the rainbow bridge or telling the triumphant stories of rescue animals finding their furever homes. 

In May of 2020, our family lost one of our pets, Jeremy. Writing his story was truly transformative, as it provided comfort to look at all the photos, remember so many great moments, and reflect on the timing and symbolism of his death. His book is a much-loved treasure for our family.

When you commission YRSTRY to create such a book for you and your animal companion, tell us you saw us because of New Hope Dog Rescue. In turn, YRSTRY will donate $20 per book sold to New Hope Dog Rescue. We are proud to support a rescue: all our pets, past and present, have been from rescues. 

Everyone has a story to tell, and we can’t wait to tell your furry family member’s story. Contact YRSTRY to get started.

Read part of Jeremy’s story below.


Jeremy was just a little fluffball when we added him to our family.

At the time, we had a huge dog named Konan and a cat named Patches. Patches was the first furry family member, as she was with me before I met my husband, Doug. I am the self-proclaimed cat person. Doug is team dog.

Jeremy was so good with all our children. He was always down for playing with a toy, and he tolerated all the awkward cuddles.

When I became pregnant, he started cuddling against my stomach. After our son, Cub, was born in 2014, Jeremy was never far from the baby. We would have cuddle sessions on the couch since the cats were no longer allowed in the bedroom since Cub slept on the bed with us. One night, the only way we could get Cub to be comforted and sleep was on his stomach, even though he was technically too young (a month or two old) to be sleeping that way. Jeremy was lying beside him on the bed.

When he wasn’t cuddling against Cub, he was cuddling with me. Once I went to bed, Jeremy would join me, curling up between my legs or snuggled up against my side, purring away. Whenever I’d sit down on the couch, he’d find my lap. When I was working at my computer, he’d often sit beside it (or sometimes on top of it). He was never far from my side.


When it was time to say good-bye to Jeremy, the vet clinic staff gave me all the time I needed with him. I held him and pet him and sang this ridiculous song the kids and I had made up years ago for him – it is literally singing his name over and over to a tune. I don’t know what kind of awareness cats have, but I didn’t want him to be scared. I wanted him to know how loved he was right up until he was gone.

Before the vet gave him his final shot, she thanked him for the memories. I held him until his last breath and for a while after, and then left him bundled up in his blanket. We have his ashes to spread in the backyard and his pawprints to go with the pawprints of Patches and Konan.

Even though I was a bawling wreck before and during most of it, I felt like I was given a gift. I thought of the words a dear friend told me when we lost Konan: the greatest gift you can give your pet is to take their pain away. And not only did I take away Jeremy’s pain, I was there filling him up with love as he left this earth.

I had a hard time falling asleep that night: I missed the cat cuddled up against me, making me way too hot and making it difficult to move if I was uncomfortable. Looking at photos of Jeremy is a mix of warming my heart and stinging my soul.

Visit YRSTRY to read Jeremy’s entire story and see photos of his book.Â