It is with the deepest regret and the most profound sadness that I am writing to inform our friends and family that our beloved dog, Emma, passed away today. She fought a valiant and courageous battle against cancer with quiet dignity and the calmest of demeanor. As hard as she fought, the cancer won.

Emma was our best friend, a source of constant joy, inspiration and a living example of how pure love and kindness can change people’s lives forever. Emma had no enemies. She chose to be a friend to anyone or anything that came across her path. She turned even the most ardent of “I’m not a dog person” into an instant and loyal friend for life. With a small wag of her tail, a gentle nudge of her nose and a playful smile, she melted hearts. She would love you with every fiber of her being and never ask for anything in return with the exception of an occasional biscuit or banana.

Emma was a family member. We never considered her to be just an animal, pet or dog. Her happiness mattered to us and anything we gave her was returned to us tenfold. She leaves behind four cats, Maddy, Penelope, Fiona and baby Sabrina. We used to joke that we only had two cats and the other two belonged to Emma. While all the cats were close to her, she was exceptionally close with Penelope and Sabrina. They would sleep with her every night, lick her ears while she tried to sleep and were always the first ones to wake her in the morning. They were inseparable and were co-conspirators in sneaking food off the kitchen counters. The cats would knock the food off the counters so that Emma could eat to her hearts content. She trained them well.

My fondest memories of Emma will always be the time we spent together at the cottage. She loved the lake, napping on the dock and was the self-proclaimed captain of the boat. It was impossible to pull away from the dock without her and she would proudly take her place on one of the boat seats and point her nose into the wind. It may be hard to believe but Emma was probably the only Black Lab on earth that did not know how to swim. I spent hours teaching her to the kind-hearted laughter and ribbing from nearby fishermen. She eventually learned but decided she was much happier wading in chest deep water than swimming and that was fine by us.

Emma was a survivor. She had both knees replaced in the dead of winter. She had Cushing’s Disease and lived well beyond the life expectancy of dogs with that condition. She got sprayed by a skunk and pooped on by a Great Blue Heron on the same day yet it never phased her. She never felt sorry for herself or let any obstacle get in her way……. until today.

The void we feel is unbearable but we take solace in knowing she is no longer in pain. We will grieve for her just as we would grieve for any member of our family. She will be greatly missed. We should all aspire to live our lives as Emma did. Love without fear. Show kindness to everyone. Live each day to its fullest. Give without expecting anything in return.

We are deeply indebted to our veterinarian, Dr. Vincent. She has been Emma’s doctor for the last 9 years and quite simply, was Emma’s guardian angel. We are also grateful for everyone at the Animal Medical Center in Wyoming that treated Emma as part of their family.

Thank you everyone for your kind words, heartfelt condolences and sharing your stories about Emma. We are truly grateful to have all of you in our lives.