January 26th, 2019

We let our sweet Holly go today. Holly’s foster mom wrote a beautiful tribute to her:

“Two years & 26 days is not a long time to have a dog. In fact, she wasn’t even ours. She was a @ladybirdanimalsanctuary resident. She came to us as a foster dog who had been through hell & we did our best to give her heaven; warm beds, fresh food & water, so much love & some other furry friends for her to cuddle with. A few months in we found out she had a rare cancer that was impossible to treat. She was given three months to live, max. She became a ladybird resident & we did all we could to make her happy & comfy. She lived well past that three month mark & we only really saw her start to slow down this fall. She had her moments when she acted like all was well, like she was still a puppy. Today was one of those days which made losing her even harder. Maybe it was the sugar high from the three timbits she ate, her favourite along with hash browns & sausages. She was also known to steal a burger or two.
Our condolences to Holly’s second family, our neighbours @tammi_d_henderson @geoff_hen and their kids. They are grieving today just like us. They would watch her sometimes after school, have a weekend sleepover here & there & always watched her we were out of town. Holly attended their family parties & even once slept in their trailer with them. They loved her deeply & we are so grateful for their love & care.
Holly, you were the perfect dog. You were the sweetest dog. You were so kind & gentle and incredibly patient with Tui. You had some feisty energy when Sid tried to play too rough. You knew when to leave Rocco alone. You loved to cuddle and sleep & be warm. We can only use your injuries as a clue to how awful your life was before ladybird rescued you but we do know you were so loved in the two years and 26 days since then. We will miss the pitter patter of your nails your quicks didn’t let us cut shorter. We will miss your cuddles & warmth. We will miss our car ride together. We will miss you cleaning up all of Tui’s leftovers. We will miss our little red haired shadow & that one eyed, smiley face. I hope you are now somewhere warm & soft & that you’ve met my boy Jack, he’ll show you around.”

#hollyinhamilton

* March 20th, 2017 UPDATE *

We rescued Holly from Hamilton Animal Control where she was brought in as a stray.

Poor Holly was clearly neglected before she ended up at HAC. She was infested with fleas, her fur was matted, her teeth were rotten, she is missing one eye and had lumps above and below the other, and her nails were so overgrown that they had curled under her pads and she had to walk on them. It must have been so painful for her!
We rescued Holly and took her for a quick bath before taking her to the vet. Thank you to the Pet Valu on Upper James for the complimentary tub time for Holly, and for all the treats you gave her!
Our vets spayed Holly, removed the lumps from her face, removed three rotten teeth and cleaned her remaining teeth, and they did blood work, which came back perfectly. After a short time of healing at her foster home, it was discovered that our vets had missed a lump on one of Holly’s nipples that she was now scratching and chewing at. She went back to the vet to have this lump removed, and it was decided that her wonky eye should be removed at the same time. The test results from the lump removal showed that it was mammary gland tumour with low grade malignancy. Our vets did remove all the visible lumps, and she had another surgery to remove two more lumps that popped up later. Holly’s adopters should be diligent will checking her often for new lumps, as there is no guarantee that this may not recur in the future.
Her foster family have been taking her on fun adventures. She loved her trip to the winery, and she was recognized by many people while she traveled up and down James Street for Art Crawl on Friday night. Holly is a superstar!
Holly is now ready for her next adventure in a forever home!

Here’s a note from Holly’s foster home:
“Holly is a sweetheart! She is loves people and is always up for some pats and belly rubs. She loves to cuddle and seriously enjoys curling up on the couch or in bed. She is also adventurous. She likes car rides and enjoys visiting all sorts of dog friendly places. In her time with us she has visited art galleries, breweries, wineries and the homes of our friends and family. She enjoys being around other dogs and loves her visits at Munchies Coffee House & BARKery.
Not only is Holly a fan of dogs, she is great with people too! She likes humans of all ages and is very sweet with everyone. She has tried her best to be kind to the cat she lives with but still lunges at him from time to time.
Holly isn’t into toys or fetching balls. However she does enjoy walks and time outside. She likes to explore our yard and local parks. If she is feeling extra energetic, she will even run around for short bursts. One game she really likes is Hide and Seek! She mostly likes to seek and gets so excited when she finds us. This is also a game she likes to play inside.
Holly has arthritis and would do well in a home with few stairs. She will require pain meds for the rest of her life. She is also partially deaf. She would thrive in a home were she was either the only dog or with dogs that don’t rough house with her. She would like a home where people are around most of the time. Holly wants to be around people as much as possible and will get lonely is she is alone most of the day.
Holly doesn’t like her reflection and from time to time will bark at someone entering her home but that only lasts until that new person gives her a pat or two and then her tail wags a mile a minute.
It is important to keep in mind Holly is an older dog. She will require more medical care and vet visits than your average canine. She also has a tough time eating due to some past dental issues and will need a home that can be patient with her at feeding time.
Holly is one of the sweetest animals I am have ever met.”

Thank you to the lovely folks at Harlow and Sage for offering to pay half of Holly’s adoption fee, and for featuring her on their Instagram page!