September is Service Dog Month, an opportunity to recognize our service dogs. September also has a couple of tribute holidays to celebrate the pets we lost. September 11 is National Pet Memorial Day and September 22 is #RememberMeThursday, a day we remember the dogs that are no longer with us. This tribute post of Leroy is a perfect opportunity to honor these holidays. We were sad to learn about the passing of a long-time #GlydeDog, Leroy. He was a loveable Labrador Retriever. Leroy had a spectacular life as a service dog, adopted at age 2. We are happy and honored to share the details of Leroy's life. Read on to learn about service dogs, and read about Leroy's remarkable story!
What makes a great service dog?
While many of us agree that all of our dogs are a service to us, there are dogs that are highly trained to be of service to others. The best service dogs are smart, well-mannered, reliable, calm under pressure, and not easily distracted. Some of the breeds that you see as service dogs include the top dog breeds in the US, such as Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherd Dogs, Golden Retrievers and Poodles.
Read this post about Service Dogs to find out what kind there are and what they do.
Meet Leroy the service dog
Dogs make an important impact on our daily lives. In honor of Service Dog Month and #Remember Me Thursday, we are excited to share one amazing #GlydeDog that make every day special for his mom and dad, and all he helped along the way. We were honored Janet shared this story about her dog, Leroy. He was a service dog to the core, and did many things to make the lives of others even better.
"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 inter-city 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 Mobility Chews 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 Mom & Dad
We want to thank Janet for sharing the remarkable life of her dog, Leroy. He was an extraordinary dog, and we were honored to celebrate him as this year's #GlydeDog tribute post. Leroy is gone, but certainly not forgotten. Sadly, he crossed the rainbow bridge in August. Leroy had a beautiful life and gave his all to the service of others. We wanted to honor his legacy and the good he did while he was here. Glyde Mobility Chews is proud to have him as this year's Glyde Dog tribute. We are honored to celebrate his life and recognize all the good he has done.
What to Do if your Dog dies
Know you are not alone. Give yourself grace and allow yourself to mourn. Our dogs are family, and we treat them as such. As you reflect, there are several holidays with tributes you can participate in as you celebrate your pet's life. Here are a few pet memorial holidays:
- Their birthday, and/or the day they passed.
- Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, August 28
- National Pet Memorial Day, September 11
- Remember Me Thursday, September 22
It's important to give yourself grace and understanding as you miss your dog who was a big part of your life. Here are some ways to honor your dog, and preserve their memory.
Our dogs add a lot to our lives. Be sure you give them all they need to live their best life!
