Our Beloved Dory….
When we got Dory from Save-A-Dog, we had no idea what joy and love was in store for us. The description of Dory on the Save-A-Dog website was that she was sweet and wanted nothing better than to sit on your lap or play with a toy by your side. It also mentioned how smart Dory was and we found that to be so true.

Dory was the sweetest dog who always made our day by wagging her tail and greeting us with her quiet bark that sounded like she was faintly saying "hup, hup". From the moment we got Dory home on April 2, 2004, we knew without a doubt that she was meant to be with us.

We had just put our 10 year old beagle to sleep as she was afflicted with renal failure and Dory came right into our lives with so much love and affection that SHE transitioned us and got us through that difficult time. The first night we had Dory home, she hoped right up into bed with us to watch t.v. and she snuggled up and put her body right across mine with her head on my shoulder! She really wanted nothing more than to be the best companion that she could, we joked about the fact that we were hoping she didn't grow to be too big because she just wanted to be a lap dog. Even sitting at the computer, she got up on the other chair in our office and curled up right next to us as we typed away. This, of coarse was only after she had been sitting in our lap for a while and she had just grown too lanky to be in our laps as we needed to do something!

Dory really touched everyone who came into her life, EVERYONE loved Dory. I was fortunate enough to have been able to bring her to work with me and she made everyone's day a little brighter and she loved loving people. She was my little companion and up until the end, she always kept her funny sense of humor and she was always still making sure that the humans were taken care of.

One of the pictures of Dory on the Save-A-Dog website was when she was standing on a chair outside. Shirley told me that they were laughing because Dory got herself up there, they took the picture and then she cried because she didn't know how to get down! That was so Dory, she was very funny and always made us smile.

We got Dory a sister, Gracie Loo in July and Dory did a tremendous job of loving and taking care of Gracie. Dory learned everything so fast. She helped me train Gracie and they used to run like two crazy nuts around our backyard. We brought Dory with us to find a sister and out of a litter of 8 puppies, Dory chose Gracie Loo. She must have known what she was doing when she picked Gracie, because they loved each other so well and now Gracie is doing so well but missing her sister very much. One of my greatest joys was first watching Dory run around and around the backyard, and then she and Gracie ran played and chased each other.

Our family feels a tremendous sense of loss without Dory in our home, although she will forever be in our lives and in our hearts. I have never met a soul as sweet as Dory's and we are convinced that she was supposed to be with us, even for her short little life. It was meant to be that she was ours.

Dory was put to sleep on October 3, 2004 at Tufts Veterinary Hospital. It was finally determined that she had a congenital disease that affected her larynx and pharynx, which was causing her to have repeated, boughts of aspiration pneumonia. We did everything medically possible for her but when we found out there was nothing more that could be done, we made the decision to let her go to find peace. We couldn't let her suffer or to be so frightened and scared, she deserved more than that.

Even though her life was cut way too short for such a sweet, sweet dog, we feel so blessed to have had her share in our lives. We took such good care of her and she did the same for us.

We want to thank the staff at Save-A-Dog for giving us the opportunity to have shared our lives with Dory. I know that many of you are devastated at Dory's passing, as are so many people who met her. You all took great care of her while she was in your care and we are thankful. Special thanks to Shirley for having that special place in her heart for Dory and for keeping in touch with me about her health. You guys are all so great.

There are some pets that come into our lives who touch us deeply and who leave a mark on our hearts and souls, Dory was one of those pets, the best dog anyone could hope to have touched their lives. She was more than a pet, she was our family.

Dory, we Love and Miss you so much. We will see you again someday….You keep running and playing and we'll be with you again. No dog will ever take your place.

Kim, Cheryl and Gracie Loo