01/23/2025
This year, NSAH has started rough for our staff; not just with the hospital loss of Crossie, but with three families having to say goodbye to beloved family pets, Robin and Petey, the Reavis' and Zora, and today, the Reed family said goodbye to Franklin (Roosevelt). I wish i had more to write about Petey or Zora, so I hope their families will attach their stories.
Franklin started "working" at NSAH in December of 2012. He was rambunctious, soft hearted, and lived for milk bones and peanut butter crackers. He was known to sneak up front to the lobby or into exam rooms to say hello, lay on feet and cuddle on dog beds, and sleep under a desk or leaning on cabinets. Although not the "OG" Pembroke Welsh corgi, he was the one that definitely made Dr. Reed fall in love with the breed and get 2 of his own (1st Eleanor with Kim, and later Eldean).
In February 2024, he began fighting a hard battle with a rare cancer, that currently only has 2 papers/studies with a mean survival time of 2 months given his grading scale. With the help and advice from our veterinary colleagues, family, and friends, he gave us 9 1/2 extra months to say goodbye (making it just 2 weeks away from a 1 year diagnosis). North Shelby Animal Hospital is irrevocably changed as we say goodbye to one of the bestest boys.
Attached with this is:
Paul Harvey "So God Made A Dog"
And on the 9th Day
God looked down on his wide eyed children and said they need a companion
So God made a Dog
God said I need somebody to wake up and give kisses, p*e on a tree, sleep all day, wake up again, give more kisses, and then stay up till midnight basking in the glow of the television set.
So God made a Dog
God said I need somebody willing to sit, then stay, then roll over then with no ego or complaint dress in hats they do not need and costumes they do not understand. I need somebody who can break wind without a first thought or second thought. Who can chase tails, fetch sticks and lift spirits with a lick. Somebody no matter what you didn’t do, or couldn’t take, or didn’t win, or couldn’t make will love you without judgment just the same.
So God made a Dog
God said I need somebody strong enough to pull sleds and find bombs, yet gentle enough to love babies and lead the blind. Somebody who will spend all day on a couch with the resting head and supportive eyes to lift the spirits of a broken heart.
So God made a Dog
It had to be somebody who would remain patient and loyal even thru loneliness. Somebody to care, cuddle, snuggle and nuzzle, and cheer and charm and snore and slobber and eat the trash and chase the squirrels. Somebody who would bring a family together with selflessness of an open heart. Somebody who would bark, and then pant, and then reply with the rapid wag of tail when their best friend says lets go for a ride in the car.
So God made a Dog
God said I need somebody who would stand at your side when the world around you collapses. Somebody to lie next to you during the long nights of pain and sorrow when it hurts to move, or talk, or think, or be. Somebody to stand guard, play games, snore for hours, and repeat as needed. Somebody to give you strength when you have none of your own. Somebody to fight when you have no fight left, to hold onto your soul as if it were their favorite toy, playing tug of war to keep you in this world. Somebody to be your companion and guide in this world and the next. Somebody to wait for you on the other side or stand guard in your absence until they can join you for eternity.
So God made a Dog
Paul Harvey 🐕
