Quill
Quill is our young male Labrador Retriever — the dog we like to say our late Jackson sent to us. True to the Labrador temperament, he’s sweet, loving, and playful with a wonderfully silly disposition. But when his nose starts working, he’s all business, whether he’s on walks with Mom or patrolling the yard. We’ve just begun official nose‑work training to put that powerful sniffer to good use.
When Quill was just over a year old, he became extremely sick over the course of a few days and ended up in the veterinary ER with aspiration pneumonia caused by megaesophagus. After two terrifying months, we finally confirmed that he had developed Acquired Myasthenia Gravis. Thankfully, he now gets to live a regular, active life — chasing bunnies, exploring the yard, and making sure Mom gets her steps in each day.
Tinkerbell (Tink)
2013 – 2025
Tinkerbell chose us as her family by literally launching herself into my lap. My husband and I decided in that instant that she was our girl. True to her namesake, she was sweet, sassy, playful, and mischievous. Some of my favorite moments were waking up on mornings when my husband was at work to find her with her head on his pillow — I’d open my eyes, we’d make eye contact, and her tail would thump happily against the blankets.
Part of a bonded pair with Jackson, she was lost after his passing, but she welcomed Quill into the family with her usual playful spirit. In July 2025, after a long battle with liver disease, she went to the Rainbow Bridge. Tink proved that all you need is faith, trust, and a little pixie dust.
Jackson (Jax)
2011 – 2022
When Jackson was just two weeks old, he accidentally suffered a broken leg while nursing in the whelping pen. Each week, our breeder updated us on his progress — how unusually calm he was during vet appointments at such a young age, and how intuitive he seemed about not putting pressure on the injury. By the time it was our turn to choose our puppy, we wholeheartedly said, “Can we choose the one who broke his leg?”
Jax was the smartest dog I’ve ever known. I loved watching him figure things out, whether he was plotting how to steal something or pulling one over on an unsuspecting Tinkerbell. He was sweet, serious, and super chill, yet also mischievous and wonderfully silly. When we lost him after a year‑long battle with digital melanoma, my heart was shattered. Jax was part of my heart and soul, and I miss him every single day.
A lifetime of loving dogs
Babe
Babe was my first dog of my own. I adopted her from an elderly couple in my late twenties, and she quickly became my best friend — my ride‑or‑die in a dog body, my first heart dog. We spent weekends hiking together, she came everywhere with me, and she was by my side through some of the hardest times in my life. Babe was the kind of dog who made you feel like you could handle anything simply because she was there.
Dutch
Dutch was my parents’ dog, and he came to live with me after my mom passed away. True to his German Shorthaired Pointer breed, he was a “regal jester” — full of love, snuggles, and wild, joyful antics. When my parents first got him, my dad warned us to expect him to be more aloof than the Labs… but Dutch turned out to be the least aloof dog I’ve ever known. He had to greet you with something in his mouth, he overflowed with energy, and he was silly and chaotic in the very best way.
Maggie
Maggie was the first hound I’d ever known. Originally my husband’s dog, she made me laugh with her hound‑ways — her barking, her dramatic opinions, and the way she’d literally walk underneath Babe and Dutch with her little legs. When she needed life‑saving back surgery, we spent months doing at‑home PT and strict kennel rest. Helping her through that recovery made me fall in love with her even more. Maggie was sweet, silly, and full of heart, and she was so beloved in our family.
