29/05/2026
We lost Ollie Bear this week.
Ollie was a semi-regular dog walk at one of our senior living centers whose owner tragically passed away in April last year. He had no one else to take him and so one of our walkers, Scott, took him in at the same time that another dog from another senior living center had his owner pass away as well. Scott took that dog, Toby, in the same week and Ollie and Toby became siblings.
Shortly after adopting Ollie, Scott discovered that he had a mass in his lungs that affected his ability to breathe. Scott got him the best treatment possible and after several trials of medication, he underwent some radiation therapy that in recent months had made the mass shrink. The effect was instantaneous; he was living a wonderful, happy, exciting life full of love with his new dad and new brother.
Unfortunately, several weeks later, it was discovered that the mass had shrunk in such a way that it now blocked off his air tube and there was nothing to be done to help ease his breathing. On Tuesday, Scott made the difficult, always heart-wrenching, selfless decision to let Ollie Bear go.
Toby doesn't know where his brother went, but he misses him. Toby loved Ollie a lot more than Ollie loved Toby, but Toby stayed right by his brother's side in his last days and Ollie appreciated having him nearby.
We remember Ollie as a snuggler, a dog who loved all beds, a constant beggar for food, always looking like he had just been electrocuted with how his hair stuck up on his head, and most of all, a loving companion who was forced into an unfamiliar situation after his dad passed away. But Scott provided another whole year for him and helped him live that last year as comfortably as possible.
We love what we do, but it never gets easier saying goodbye to these dogs who become like family, especially when that dog actually does become family. We are proud to have walkers working for us who would drop everything to take in a dog who has no one to vouch for them.
Rest easy, sweet Ollie Bear, and know that you were so loved. Until we see you again...