07/09/2025
🌈 In Loving Memory of Rori Bero💔
It’s with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Rori, Dr. Bero’s beloved German Shepherd and his “heart dog.”
If you’ve never heard the term heart dog before, it describes that once-in-a-lifetime companion—the one who knows your soul, walks beside you through every major milestone, and changes your life forever. That was Rori.
Early Tuesday morning, Dr. Bero and his family received devastating news: Rori had a hemangiosarcoma. A large mass had developed in her abdomen along with significant fluid buildup. That morning, they made the heartbreaking decision to say goodbye—giving her one final, perfect day.
She spent that morning at grandma and grandpa’s lake house, spoiled with an entire pack of bacon, steak, Wisconsin cheese, and sausage. She had one last joyful run playing fetch by the lake, surrounded by her favorite people. She crossed the rainbow bridge peacefully, knowing only love.
Rori had been with Dr. Bero since the day she was born. During his surgical rotation at LSU, her mother came into the teaching hospital as a gunshot victim. When she gave birth to a litter of six, each student working on the case took one home—Rori picked Dr. Bero.
She grew up with him through every chapter of adult life: becoming a vet, passing the NAVLE, his first job, buying this clinic, getting married, and becoming a father. She was there through it all—his shadow, his support, his soul dog. She gave life 110%.
In the early days of clinic ownership, Rori was a familiar face at American Animal Hospital. While Dr. Bero was still renting a town home, she spent her days here because her enthusiastic barking wasn’t exactly helping her make friends with the neighbors. When clients weren’t around, she’d fetch sticks down the long hallway or nap under the desk in her “office.” Over the years, many of you got to meet her and fall in love with her too.
As a veterinarian, Dr. Bero has stood with so many of you during your most vulnerable moments—grieving alongside you, comforting you, and helping you say goodbye. This week, it’s his turn. Yet even in the midst of his own grief, he continues to show up for the animals in his care and the clients who need him.
If you see Dr. Bero this week, please offer him compassion and kindness. Rori wasn’t just a dog—she was family. And she will be deeply missed by all of us who had the privilege to know her.
❤️🐾 Run free, Rori. Thank you for a lifetime of love.
