Although we try to keep our posts relevant to the world of hot & spicy fare, we also realize that life happens all around us all the time and that we don’t live in a bubble. Below is an excerpt of a letter we sent about our dog, Loki, who passed away yesterday at an all-too-young age and will be very sorely missed. He made quite an impression on everyone he met and was well-loved by all. Goodbye, dear friend!

It is with great sadness and truly heavy hearts that we are writing to let you know that Loki passed away yesterday, at the young age of 5 years & 9 months. As you know, he had been suffering through the deadly disease of canine lymphosarcoma. He had fought the good fight for nearly a year, and handled the chemotherapy better than most humans would have. A few months ago as we prepared to move from Kentucky to Ohio after my (Joe’s) graduation from medical school, we found that we could no longer afford the intravenous drugs as we had used for the previous 8 months. So, we continued on just oral meds and TLC for as long as he would last.

Over the past week, Loki began to slow down quite a bit. The enlarging lymph nodes under his chin were no doubt affecting his airway and he was starting to retain fluid. When he lost interest in eating, we knew the time had come. We drove back to Kentucky to visit Loki’s friends at our last vet so we could all say goodbye together. We were with Loki as he left this world, just as we were when he entered it. Saying goodbye was harder than we ever imagined, and there was (and is) no shortage of tears shed about his passing.

He was our best & most loyal friend, protector of our house & home, and was as dear to us as either of our children. To say that we are emotionally devastated is not doing justice to how we feel right now, and the house seems way too empty without him.


Loki wasn’t just a pet to us. He had a wonderful soul, and his main mission in life seemed to make us happy, secure, and comforted. We may someday have another dog, but there never will be another Loki. Despite our grief, we consider ourselves lucky for the time we did spend together. Go in peace, dear friend.

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