10/29/2025
Llini Lykins passed peacefully on Sunday, October 26, 2025, at home surrounded by her pack. Llini was a good girl. Whether you knew her as the dog on the top bunk in her spot behind the front desk at Grateful Pets, or if you knew her well enough to love on her and learn how she demanded you to keep the loves forever coming, she had her way of winning people over.
Rebecca and I adopted Llini from a rescue group in Southern Illinois nearly 15 years ago to accompany me at The Tom Rose School. We thought she looked like a miniature chocolate lab. She was an onery and stubborn little pup. Llini was the type of dog who didn’t chase trophies or titles. She was proud of doing things her way. Llini wasn’t driven to be the best, she simply knew what she wanted (usually food or loves) and always found a way to get it.
After graduation, Llini worked with me every day and loved the training-dog-life at Kennelwood. During our first year there, she gained 10 pounds from the amount of treats she convinced co-workers to throw her way! We started playing Chuck-It on our lunch breaks to help her regain her girlish physique.
Then came her matriarchal role at Grateful Pets. Llini loved to put dog owners at ease by demonstrating that trainer’s dogs don’t have to be perfect. She was infamous for bouncing on the edge of her climb bed - constantly pushing the limits - yet not breaking her command. Showing off her world-class food drive and keen sense of smell, Llini was signaling that she was ready to clean up the remaining treats from my training lessons.
There was a quiet pride in how she moved through life: steady, self-assured, and immune to the pressures of proving herself to anyone else. Day in and day out, Llini did her best to make sure others realized it’s okay not to be perfect. What a valuable life lesson for us all!
Llini witnessed the highs and lows of Bec and I raising two babies and opening a business. She helped our family achieve many of our life goals. Llini taught us things about dogs we didn’t know we needed to learn, including: dogs can be raised together from pups and still not be able to cohabitate; over-exposure to something as ubiquitous as clover plants can create severe dermatitis; bee stings can quickly cause anaphylactic shock; dogs can be allergic to routine vaccines and can have adverse reactions to anesthesia. We will be eternally grateful to Llini for providing us with the opportunity to learn from these experiences.
We should always remember that dog ownership comes with the caveat of expected heartache, and our beloved pets certainly never live long enough. It is our job as pawrents to provide for them the best we can throughout their lives and, especially, at the end, when they need us most.
Cheers to all who gave my ol’ girl, Llini, the attention, love, and treats she deserved throughout her long and eventful life.
Rest in peace, Llini girl…until we meet again.
~Richard
