05/23/2026
Definitely not the update we wanted to give..
If you know me, you know pyrs and rescue dogs have such a special place in my heart. ❤️🩹
I’m so thankful that we were able to love on Thor and make sure he knew he wasn’t alone in his final moments. He deserved so much better, but for the short time Speak had him, he was so loved.
I wish we could save them all. Rest easy, sweet boy. 🤍🌈
We can’t thank everyone enough for the outpouring of support for Thor. We wanted so badly for his story to have a better ending.
A volunteer picked him up from the rural veterinary clinic where he’d been since being found in the woods on May 8 and brought him to Northgate Small Animal Hospital, where our volunteers were waiting to get him to the university for answers to why he was unable to walk.
We were told he was growling and didn’t want to be handled, but we only heard moans expressing his pain. So before his journey continued, one of the vets examined him to make sure we could keep him comfortable on the trip. His smell was overwhelming, his body so frail, and one of his front legs was in an unnatural position. And when he urinated, he cried out — a sound that broke every heart in the room.
While at the vet, Thor’s gums turned pale and he was placed on oxygen. We feared he wouldn’t survive the trip to the university, so we rushed him to the emergency department at a specialty hospital. His color had briefly returned, but when he was moved, it faded again. The hospital team acted immediately, running diagnostics in order to help him.
It was then we learned the truth: Thor had a large mass in his bladder, and with his inability to walk and the lesions covering his body, the vet was certain the cancer had metastasized.
As much as we wanted to save him — to make up for the humans who had failed him — we couldn’t. The kindest, most merciful thing we could do was to ease his pain and give him peace. We stayed by his side, and he knew he was loved. He had no idea how many people from all over were rooting for him, but in those final moments, he felt it.
Our hearts are shattered. We were ready to do everything possible to help him heal, but we promised we would never let him suffer again. He had already endured more than his share.
Like we do with all of our beloved Speak family members, we drove Thor to Kurrus Funeral Home, where they understand that dogs are family and deserve to be treated and honored as such. His ashes will be spread at the Speak Sanctuary, the place we hoped he would one day enjoy while he healed.
Thank you for showing Thor that kindness truly does exist. He left this world knowing love — and that makes all the difference.
