Lily's Story

 

 

Lily was born in Vernon, CT on May 5, 2006, into an A.K.C. agility champion family.  When Lily was only a few weeks old, her breeding parents knew agility wasn't in Lily's future.  They began to search for a family to love.  They found her mommy, Melissa.

 

Lily was a sweet girl that loved and was loved by all she met.  She welcomed everyone.  She eventually became the big sister, the best friend, the peacekeeper and the protector of her home.  She was our snuggle buddy, company in the bathroom, kitchen floor cleaner and overall shadow.  Lily was a sweet angel and a gentle soul.

 

Lily's best friend was her sister, Magnolia or "Maggie" for short.  Lily and Maggie were inseparable and got into all kinds of mischief together. They would find ways out of the fenced in backyard to go exploring in the woods.  They taught their cat siblings to knock food off the counters and into their reach.  You think of it, they did it together.  They also loved to go on vacation.  Their favorite spot was the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

 

Like many labs, Lily suffered from arthritis at a very young age.  That didn't stop her from running, swimming and playing with her siblings and friends.  Her mom made sure she ate healthy food and gave her the proper medicines to keep her condition under control. Lily was very healthy in all other aspects.  

 

Also, like any lab, Lily LOVED to eat.  If we were being real, it was her favorite thing to do.   That's why her mommy became very concerned when she wouldn't eat the night of December 3, 2014.  

 

Lily sat in the middle of the yard and wouldn't come when she was called for dinner.  She was having a hard time breathing and needed to rest.  Eventually, she came into the house and laid right next to her bowl.  Melissa knew something was wrong.

 

Lily's doctor could not hear her heartbeat on her left side.  It was very faint on the right.  Her lungs were filled with liquid and needed several tests to find out why.  

 

Lily was in and out of the doctor's office for the next few weeks.  She seemed to do better after a few days of anti-biotics, but then suffered some setbacks.  

 

A CT Scan showed that her left lung had a big tumor that needed to be removed right away.  The doctors were hopeful surgery would be a success.  The tumor was much bigger than expected and surgery was very long.   The doctors lost Lily on the operating table, but were able to get her back.  The surgery and anesthesia were very rough on Lily.  She was never able to regain concisousness and went to heaven on December 21, 2014.  Two days after her surgery.  

 

We were devastated.  Only 18 days had passed since she started showing signs of being sick.  Our sweet angel was gone.

 

Lily is survived by her mommy, Melissa, her sisters Maggie, Daisy, Violet and Chloe and her brother Jake.  She was predeceased by her sister Spike (yes, I said her sister) and brother Harley.

 

We know many of you know the pain of losing a beloved family member and best friend.  We know many of you will, and have done, whatever it takes to ensure your furriest of family members are safe, healthy and well cared for.  

 

We were fortunate enough to do what we could do for Lily.  Turns out, she wasn't strong enough for the surgery.  We can rest in peace knowing that we did all that we could do.  

 

If you've ever had a sick animal, or child, you know the stress and the heartbreak of trying to make them better.  Imagine knowing there is a proceedure or medicine that will save your best friend, but you can't afford to pay.  Many families are forced to choose euthanization due to financial constraints, even when treatment is available.  

 

Our best friends are only with us a short period of time and every moment is a gift.  Our goal is to help pet families stay together. We can think of no better way to honor our Lily and all the best friends around the world.  This is our gift to you.  

 

With Love From Lily