Leroy's Amazing Life as a Service Dog #GlydeDog

It is never easy to say goodbye to our fur-babies. Dogs make an important impact on our daily lives. In September, it is hard to talk about those dogs no longer with us, but they are always in our minds. This tribute is for them: the #GlydeDogs that make every day more special for their moms and dads.

We were sad to hear about the passing of long-time #GlydeDog, Leroy, the loveable Labrador Retriever. Leroy had a spectacular life. We are happy and honored to share the details of Leroy's life. Read on for their story!

We were honored Janet shared this amazing story about her dog, Leroy. We were glad to hear he was a #GlydeDog, and did many things to make the lives of others better. Here is what Leroy's dog parents had to say about the impact he had on them.

"Leroy had an interesting life and a great love of service. He was raised in prison through the outreach program with Guide Dogs of Texas, but lost a kidney at age 2 and had to retire from guide dog training. (He taught inmates how to care about others and improve their lives.) We adopted him and with his huge heart for service, we worked together for many years as a guide dog ambassador.

He especially loved visiting the special-needs children at Morgan’s Wonderland and also at local intercity elementary schools. One school even published a book about him called “The Dog that thought he was a pumpkin” after a Halloween day visit in which he wore an adorable Jack-O-Lantern costume. Leroy also visited and comforted nursing home residents and even hospice patients during his years of service.

Leroy was starting to age and was good at hiding his pain. It wasn’t until his mom learned about Glyde when working at a vet clinic that he started his daily regimen of Glyde. The cold-pressed processing of the green-lipped muscle was miraculous. He quickly became that fun puppy-like dog he once was. His family never realized that he was in pain and discomfort until he started taking Glyde, and started to feel better. After all the years of hard work, he deserved his daily Glyde to help him feel youthful and spunky again. They were the best heart-shaped treat and he loved them until the very end.

Glyde helped Leroy live a better life as he shared his home and love with other guide dogs and helped train them on the inner workings of living with cats that loved him. We will miss his daily Glyde happy dance along with his big heart for life. He was a special boy that helped others learn how to have a big heart like his.

Thanks for the opportunity to share how lucky he was to have had a yummy way to simply improve his life and give more service to others. It’s an amazing gift that Glyde provides and am proud that Leroy was a #Glydedog for so many years!!"

— Janet & Robert, Leroy's Mum & Dad

This was an amazing story from Janet about her dog, Leroy. We were honored to have him as a #GlydeDog tribute post. Leroy is gone, but certainly not forgotten. As you can see, Leroy had an extraordinary life. We wanted to honor his legacy and the good he did while he was here. Glyde Mobility Chews is so proud to have him as this year's Glyde Dog honoree. We celebrate his life and pay tribute to all the good our dogs do for us.

Have you lost a dog?

Please know you are not alone. As you reflect, there are several holidays with tributes for solace in hard times. Celebrate your pet's life on these pet memorial holidays: