On Thursday June 23, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. we said goodbye to our beautiful Laney.

We didn't see this one coming as she was only 10 years old and still was puppyish in the way she loved life. She loved to swim, run with Craig when he rode his bike at the cottage, harass waterskiers, go for boat rides, car rides, and play catch until your arm fell off. We saw no slowing down.

I am going to start at the end and work back to the beginning.

As most people are aware, I love the relationship that dogs have with humans. Laney was "in training" with me to be evaluated as a therapy dog. We were scheduled for our in person evaluation on April 24th in Orangeville. As part of the process Laney was to be vet checked to be approved for animal therapy.

We had an appointment on the Friday and I had no concerns about her getting the needed signature on the paperwork.

I was very wrong.

The vet said she was running a bit of a fever and she didn't want to vaccinate or sign the papers on Friday. We discussed blood work.

I agreed to this, more for establishing a baseline, to make comparisons, as she was entering into her senior years.

Monday, Laney did not seem to be feeling well at all. We thought maybe she had eaten something in the bush at the cottage and she would be just fine. We went back to the vet and she had the blood work results. They were not what I had expected to hear. Laney had an aggressive cancer called hemangiosarcoma. The vet felt she would not last even until the end of the week. I had to now go home and let Craig know this sad news.

It just seemed too hard to believe. We needed another opinion.
We decided to have my friend Debbie Gilbert's husband, Dr. Martin come to the house, with his mobile vet service and his ultrasound.

Dr. Martin was so kind and gentle. He showed us with the ultrasound the huge tumor on her spleen. He gave us options and Craig chose the option to love her for now keeping a close eye on her for signs of discomfort. Dr. Martin felt she might have a week or two, no more than a month.

Well, here we are 9 weeks later. We feel so grateful to have had this extra time with our darling yellow lab. But, it was time.

To go back to the beginning,..

Laney was a dog that was so wanted by Craig's late wife Irene. She was a spunky puppy and there are many stories of her counter surfing and eating things that had been prepared for the humans. She did get better with age, but complete confidence, if there were yummy things and no one was looking, we never quite got to.

Laney brought to the family something much more important.

Irene was diagnosed with ALS and after it began to affect her mobility she would fall. If she fell, Laney would lay with her back pushed against Irene until Craig came and helped her get up. Laney instinctively knew that pressure and comfort was exactly what Irene needed. She was the service dog extraordinaire without a lick of formal training. The heart of a dog often can do miraculous things out of the love for their precious human.

I had the pleasure of getting to know, live with and love Laney. We developed a bond, but it was not nearly as strong as the bond Charity and Laney created. They were best friends. When Charity passed away on August 3, 2021, Laney grieved. It was so hard to watch. We all grieved the loss of Charity, but to witness the grief of a dog over the passing of her bestie was heartbreaking.

Eventually, we got to see the happy, silly, fun-loving Laney again. Riding with Craig at the cottage, harrassing skiers, all of the fun was back. She became my strength and our bond just grew so strong. Laney and our very senior cat could also be found sleeping side by side, when no one was looking.

My whole family loved her. Zach and Candace, Craig's adult kids, and Craig have loved her from puppyhood. They knew how much she meant to Irene.

Craig and I took comfort in knowing we were right there with her and that she could lay on the couch where she was most comfy. We also know that Charity and Irene were on the other side waiting for her.

No one really gets the fact that the hardest part of loving a dog, is saying goodbye, until that time comes. It doesn't matter how many times you go through it, the hurt is as deep and the loss is as great.

I say, "it is worth every bit of sadness and heart pain to have experienced the unconditional, pure love of a dog. I would do it again in a heart beat." - Lori

Goodbye for now Laney. We all love you so much.