Brenda Kay Kyle, Bren to her friends, is an amazing entity. Bren is gone now, but her legacy lives on in Small Dog Rescue and Humane Society, Inc. Bren loved dogs – all dogs. It didn’t matter to her if it was a Doberman Pinscher or a Toy Poodle, a male or a female, old or young, healthy or ill, troubled or carefree. Bren believed with all her heart that every dog deserves a home. It may take some time to find the perfect home, but there is one for every dog, and every dog deserves a chance to find it. This is what Bren lived for.

Bren set up a kennel in her home to rescue all the dogs she could. When she ran out of room at her home, she convinced her friends to foster dogs she saved. She knew each of her dogs by name and personality. Bren knew who bit, who had been traumatized, who could be loved on, and who needed their space. She cared for them – physically and emotionally. Bren bathed, groomed, fed, loved and played with her canine family as though they were human. She never – absolutely NEVER – gave up on a dog. She had faith that each and every dog had a home waiting somewhere, and she only had to find that home.

In the beginning, Bren and some of her friends would take a few dogs and sit in front of a willing merchant’s store, interviewing and screening people who were interested in her rescued charges. Bren didn’t give her dogs away, or sell them. She truly put them up for adoption. She asked the right questions and educated people about proper love and care of a pet. Those who wouldn’t listen or who refused to learn would not get one of Bren’s dogs. Only the right person or family would get one of her rescues.

It has been said that Bren was stubborn, sometimes impossible. But she was usually right. If Bren believed a dog would find its forever home, you could believe it. In spite of what some saw as her abrasive manner, Bren had a heart of gold. She was selfless and dedicated to her rescues and her need to educate the public.

Bren is with us every time we rescue a dog from a pound. She is there nodding approval as we accept a dog from a family who does not recognize that their pet is more than a piece of property – it is a life and a member of the family. Bren is with us each time we screen an applicant and turn him or her down because the home is not right for that dog. And she is right there rejoicing with us when we place a dog in its new forever home and learn that the dog and the family are indeed a perfect match.

Bren’s spirit and her mission live on. She was the acorn that grew to be a strong oak tree. She has changed form, but she is not gone. Seventy-five people carry on her legacy. She has touched each and every one of us – even those of us who never had the chance to meet her. The dedication of the team she put together, their love for the downtrodden dogs of Atlanta, the successful placements of dogs who would otherwise have been killed for no good reason – these are Bren’s legacy.

Thank you, Bren. We love you – even those of us who never saw your face or shook your hand.

Touch the Dogs We'll touch the dogs more gently today We'll catch their gaze, then glance away We'll fondle their ears Kiss them through our tears Our friend, their champion, has passed away. We'll touch the dogs more gently today The sick, the wounded, will once again play We'll fondle their ears Kiss them through our tears The course she charted is ours to stay.