It was a sad day here yesterday. We lost our 12-year-old Yellow Lab, Shadow, to cancer. He hadn’t been the same since we lost our Dalmatian, Penny, a year ago. He had stayed by her side for weeks, keeping her warm and guarding her. He never wanted to leave the garage after that. It was as if he was expecting Penny to return. Of course, during this warm summer that we’ve had here in the Ohio Valley, his move out to cooler air was a must.
He would stand at the sliding glass door on the deck and bark until I went to give him two large bones. He would gobble them up and then trot off to rest. When I came home from Texas last week, I noticed a huge change in him. He no longer wanted to play with the little pups, and he didn’t bark for his treats. Yesterday morning, he was non responsive and lying in the garage. Lance took him to the vet, where we found out he had cancer and there wasn’t much we could do.
We named him Shadow because as a pup he would follow the girls around the house. It seemed so appropriate – their shadow. He was a neighborhood dog, roaming from house to house getting his daily lovin’ and treats. He made friends with the little boy down the street, whose family all but adopted him. They had a bed for him on their deck and when we were looking for him that was the first place we would go. He received Christmas cards from the neighbors, addressed to Mr. Shadow Cheever. Our little pups loved him and Miss Ellie will surely miss him. He was her boyfriend, even though he favored Sydney.
Shadow will be missed not only by us, but his neighborhood families as well. He was a gentle dog but also very protective. Sadly, the only picture I could find of him this morning is one from when we had the garage built and it is rather distorted and blurry.
The fence was down and he was chained by the tree to keep him out of the workers way. Of course, a fence was just there and didn’t do much to keep him in the yard. He could, and would, climb it to get out to roam from house to house. When he was ready to come home, he would once again climb the fence to get back in the yard. Such a fabulous dog!
Sherry,
I am sorry to hear about the loss of Shadow. Lossing a pet is so hard, non-pet people don’t understand what it is like to love a furry creature unconditionally and how special their personalities are. Thanks for sharing the story of Shadow with us.
Awww, hugs Sherry.
Sherry, I am so sorry.
I can’t imagine going through this.
Hugs to you and your whole family, neighbors and the little pups!
I’m so sorry for your loss Sherry. I lost my Golden Retriever to cancer 5 years ago and am still not completely over it. My heart goes out to you and your family.
Awwwww……I’m so sorry about your family loss. What a good looking fella Shadow was!! I’m sure he will be missed dearly. (BIG HUGS) (now I’m gonna go give some luvs to my puppy)
Ahhhh, Sherry, my heart aches for you. Our furry babies are so precious to us. I lost my Evelyn in December and I still tear up thinking about her. I’m glad you have the others. While they don’t replace, they help us heal. Big XOXOOXOXO to you from Chicago.
I am so sorry Sherry. We are dealing with the inevitable with our Westie, Abby, right now and I am not dealing so well. I certainly can empathize with you. Hugs to you.
Cheryl
I am so sorry Sherry!
He sounds like he was quite the blessing of a dog!
(((HUGS)))
How sad for you and your family, Sherry….I am sooo sorry for the loss of your furry friend…..he was a real beauty!!!
I am so very sorry to hear you lost a beloved family member. Shadow sounds like he was a wonderful dog full of and surrounded by love.
Sherry I am so sad to hear about Shadow. It is as hard to lose a furry family member as it is a human member (at least to our family). Sending hugs to you and your family and neighbors who will surely miss Shadow!
Sherry, I it here crying, for you, for Shadow, and for my dogs who have passed, and for my 11 year old Buddy, who is getting older by the day!! Did you ever see the movie “Alll Good Dogs Go To Heaven”? I always wonder if I will ever see my dogs again. Our priest told Jane that if you want something really bad in heaven God will not deny you. I can only hope!!
Oh Sherry! I’m so sorry to hear that your dear sweet Shadow passed away. My thoughts are with you.
Hi Sherry:
I am a faithful reader of yours but usually just stay in the background and enjoy or blog so much.
I had to leave a comment this time though. So sorry that your Shadow has passed over and thank you so much for sharing his story. He is be dearly missed but has left behind so many beautiful memories.
Bless you
Debby
Losing a member of your family like Shadow is so sad. We had 2 such dogs and it is devastating. My thoughts are with you.
So sorry Sherry…{{{{{Big Hugs}}}}}
Well ya got me to cryin….What a wonderful but sad story! What a great tribute to Shadow too! We just love our animals so much and when the time comes it is so hard to get around it, because they are like our babies. I am SO VERY sorry about your loss Sherry.
I am so sorry for your loss. I also lost my yellow lab yesterday!!! Casey was 9 years old. She let out a big cry and by the time I got to her she was gone. The vet is not sure what happened, but thinks she may have had a clot or something that burst. She was just at the vet the day before for her check up and she was fine. We are very sad at our house and will miss her very much. Beth
Sherry, I’m so sad to hear about Shadow. Sharing his story with us is so touching. I’m sure he’s frolicking with other fur babies in Dog Heaven now and is free of pain. God bless you and your family.
Oh, Sherry! I’m so, so sorry to hear this. I just hate that you and the family have lost such a beautiful and loyal member of it. But wasn’t he the lucky neighborhood pup to have so many people who loved him!
Sherry, I know Shadow will be missed so much. I am sorry for your family’s loss. I lost my cat, Boots who was 16, this summer and she was a house cat. I really miss her. We get so close to our pets and they become family members.
Pinky
Sherry, I’m sending you and your family big, warm hugs … what a sad, sad time for you. =( I know the sorrow you’re feeling … please know that he loves you as MUCH as you love him.
Sherry,
So sorry to hear about your family’s loss. We have loss 2 labs to cancer so I understand how ya’ll are feeling. Thanks for sharing his story with us. It is great to know that he was so loved and ya’ll remember the good times you had with him.
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your beautiful shadow…..may only good times with him come to mind 🙂
My heart goes out to your entire family… Your daughters, all the children that got to grow up with this wonderful being…..and of course you….
He sounds like such a great character! I loved reading this post about his neighborhood travels and other homes… An inteprid spirit, eh?
Peace be with all of you….
Perhaps he is running amok with his first true love… Penny…
Somewhere in Gods great grasslands, known as doggy heaven…
I’m so sorry for your loss! My yellow lab “Busy” has a brainstem tumor, so he may be visiting Shadow soon. He has been such a joy to me, as I’m sure Shadow was for you.
Shadow and your family will be in my thoughts are prayers.
So sorry for your loss, my thought and prayers go out to you and your family. Jessie
{{{Hugs to you and your family}}} I am so very sorry for the loss of your beloved pet.
I’m so sorry. (hugs)
Rest in Peace, Shadow.
All dogs go to heaven. He’ll be with the rest of our beloved furry friends.
Oh Sherry, I’m so sorry.
I am sorry to hear about Shadows passing. It is never easy to lose a pet but at least he did not have to suffer and you will always have wonderful memories of him.
dear sherry,
i am so sorry to hear about Shadow’s passing – your family is in our hearts at this time
sending you much love,
sankari
So so sad to lose a fur child. Especially so unexpectedly. I am going thru the same altho mine is planned on Friday-and my Loki has cancer too. The best we can all do is know we loved another creature and gave them the best life we could. And that they will be happy and carefree in the beyond.
Shadow will be missed I’m sure. I am sorry! This picture of him is so adorable.
Sherry – so sorry to hear about Shadow. He will be missed.
I’m so sorry to hear of your loss of Shadow. Been there, done that, totally empathize with you and your family. We lost our Dixie, our 1st black lab, to cancer 4 years ago. We got a chocolate lab, Mitzi, a year later, but there are days I still miss my Dixie. My heart goes out to you. Know you are not alone.
So sad losing your beloved Shadow; it’s hard to say goodbye to pets we have loved as a family member. I hope that you and the family will do okay and that your other pups will give you some comfort during this difficult time.
Sherri, I am so sorry to hear of the loss of Shadow. My heart goes out to you and your family.
Sherry, I’m so sorry for your loss. I know how a dog becomes a family member and a lab is such a loyal dog. We call our lab the “perfect dog” because she is. Labs are so intelligent. What a blessing to have had such a wonderful member of your family.
Oh Sherry! I’m so sorry! {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Your post really touched my heartstings. I have a Black lab that is a little over one year that I named Shadow (for the exact same reasons that you listed). Please know that you’re in my thoughts and prayers. I’ll be sure to give my Shadow some extra loving tonight when I get back home.
Linda
Sherry, I am so sorry to hear about your loss! I’m sending you good thoughts and big hugs! Take care. I so wish there was something I could do to make this easier.
Sherry, I my 15-yr-old Schnauzer named Patches died 3 yrs ago. It was SO hard for me to function for a long time after losing her. My heart aches for your loss.
I am sorry to hear of your sweet dog, Shadow, passing away. Some pets have special personalities that make them neighborhood favorites.
We, too, had a dog who would visit neighbors when our family left the house. She would be welcomed into the neighbors home, get some lovin, and stand by the door to return home before we returned home. The neighbors never tattled on Penny until after she was gone, and they were saying how much they would miss Penny’s visits.
I am sure all your neighbors will share your feeling of loss.
Aww, Sherry, not only am I late in seeing this . . . but I am so sorry for your loss of your beautiful dog, Shadow. I am sure he was a faithful companion to your children, family, and nearby neighbors. We have some neighbor dogs like that in our tiny development, too. I recently made a card for friends of the family on my blog (but found the poem through a fellow SCS sister). It reads — “Our animal friends teach us more than we expect, and love us more than we could have hoped. That is why we miss them more than we could have imagined.” I really think that sums it all up very well for many of my pet relationships, too. Take care, sweet friend, and hugs to you in this time of sorrow!! Kel
Ohh, I’m so sorry! Your title caught my eye as I was reading posts in Reader. We have a Shadow that’s a Black Lab. We went with the name Shadow because he’s black, but he does a great job at shadowing too! Must be their nature. He’s usually a half-step behind me while doing any yard work and moves with me all around the house. He follows hubby on the 4 wheeler all around the property too (160 acres!). My thoughts are with you!!!
Oh, Sherry, I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. Sending big HUGS to you.