Lily1

Dr. Whiteley remembers her beloved Lily

LILY WHITELEY

July 2009 – March 2025

THANK YOU LILY FOR ……

     For choosing me at the rescue. Lily had been patiently waiting for the right person to come and get her. Such a lovely and sweet dog. When I called about
     meeting Lily I was told not to get my hopes up since she had never shown interest in anyone.   Upon arrival to the rescue Lily was the first dog at
     the gate and seemed to interested in me!   After that she was playing with another puppy and having a good time. The puppies were wrestling and I mused       that Lily was on the bottom, clearly not dominant. I found it hard to believe that she had been there for over two months.

   For all of the daily walks. We would walk a mile or two every day possible. Our walks were the best part of my day. Even until the end we would do our walks.
   Lily never grew old. Even at 15 ½ years old she had no signs of arthritis, problems with hearing or sight. She was my miracle dog. Over the years we must
   have walked over 1,000 miles. Amazing.

For always being loyal, respectful and loving. For being an emotional support. Lily knew my every mood. Lily was the most intuitive dog I have ever known.

For the joy that you brought to my life.

For your enthusiasm during our play time. She caught on to obedience very quickly, and loved to do agility. She ran through the tunnel before it was
even set up, and would hide her favorite toys in her tunnel. She loved to play fetch with her toys and this was part of our daily routine.

For always choosing the right dog to play with at the dog park. Lily was very respectful of older dogs and if a dog came after her, she would run away.
Lily was very athletic and she could outrun most is not all dogs.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR FUNNY PERSONALITY….

Lily got along with all animals. She didn’t chase after squirrels or bunnies. That’s odd. The bunnies in our backyard would get within a few feet of Lily and
she did nothing.

Lilly never destroyed a stuffy toy. She had a very soft mouth and would carry them around without setting off the squeaker. When she wanted to play,
she would bring me toy of choice for that day. She loved to toss her toys up in the air and then spin around with glee.

My neighbors called her “SillyLily” a perfect nickname. She was always entertaining and loved to play with the dog next door, Charlie a very nice Shih tzu.
If I was throwing a ball for Lily, Charlie would join in the fun by running up and down the fence.

Lily never learned how to push open a door. If a door was open a crack she would wait for me to open it. One time she locked herself in a room,
and didn’t bark to get out but I found her.

     Lily never barked in the house, except for one time when the neighbors ‘car was being broken into in the middle of the night. I thought that she must
     have heard something outside, so I took her on a leash in our backyard to show her there was nothing wrong. I didn’t hear about the break in until the
    next day. I had no idea how she knew that something was wrong.

IN THE END…..

     Lily had metastatic cancer, but she never suffered. The only signs that she was not well was a decline in her appetite to complete anorexia. This only
     lasted a few days before her diagnosis.    During our last day together, I never broke down and just carried on as usual. I kept it together for her sake
     and waited until I came home from the vet to fall apart. I didn't want to have her see me crying or upset over what I knew was coming. I wanted to end on
    a positive note. At 15 ½ years on she was still able to jumped up on the bed, and loved her walks to the end.

I will always love you. You are in my heart forever.

YOUR MOM,
Mary Whiteley

PHOTO GALLERY

Lily at the rescue.

Lily has a play date. Of course she is at the front of the pack. She was so fast!

Lily at the pond on her play date.

Time to go home! Don't worry Lily, I will be right there but I will be driving!

Lily relaxing at home with her favorite toy

Lily opens her christmas present.

That is a good present! I love it.