06/19/2026
Yesterday, we said goodbye to our Bentley.
Bentley was more than just our clinic dog. He was the heart of Southside Animal Hospital.
If you ever walked through our front doors, you probably met him. Bentley spent his days in reception, greeting clients, supervising the front desk, and making sure everyone knew exactly when someone had arrived. Whether you came in for a puppy visit, a routine appointment, or one of life’s hardest goodbyes, Bentley was there.
He was impossible to miss. With only three legs and his wolf-like appearance, people constantly asked what kind of dog he was. But while he may have looked a little wild, there was never a gentler soul behind those eyes.
Bentley took his responsibilities seriously—especially when it came to delivery drivers. No package entered this building without a full security report. He also dedicated a considerable amount of time to barking at passing cars and rolling around in the dirt outside, usually returning proudly coated in whatever smell he could find. Bentley was, without question, one of the stinkiest members of our staff.
And then there were the noises.
The grumbles. The groans. The snorts. The random dinosaur sounds that somehow came from a dog. Bentley had a language all his own, and over the years it became part of the soundtrack of our hospital. The clinic feels a little too quiet without it.
The thing about Bentley is that he was there for everything. He watched staff come and go. He welcomed thousands of clients through our doors. He comforted nervous pets and their people without even realizing it. He was present for ordinary days that became years, and years that became a lifetime.
Bentley wasn’t polished. He wasn’t elegant. He was loud, dirty, stubborn, occasionally smelly, and absolutely perfect.
The front desk won’t be the same without him. The delivery drivers won’t know what to do without their biggest critic. The dirt outside will go unrolled in. And all of us will miss seeing that familiar face waiting to greet us each morning.
Thank you, Bentley, for 13 years of loyalty, laughter, friendship, and unconditional love. Thank you for making Southside feel like home.
You may have looked like a wolf, sounded like a dinosaur, and smelled like a creature of your own species, but you were our Bentley.
And there will never be another one quite like you.
