Thought hard about whether or not to leave this page up as we had to put Zoie down in July 2020. She nearly made it 13 years with us and was loved unconditionally as an important part of our family and never failed to love us in return. Zoie’s decline started a year earlier with the development of a neuropathy that weakened her hind legs eventually making it impossible for her to climb the stairs in our home to sleep in our room and preventing her from enjoying the afternoon walks at Champoeg State Park that we did several days a week throughout her life. She remained content and otherwise healthy in spite of being home bound (she still wandered in our large yard). Then early in 2020 we noticed that Zoie was limping on her right front leg. We took her to the vet thinking she had somehow hurt herself, but x-rays suggested she had developed bone cancer. The cancer got progressively worse at which point Theo and I decided that at nearly 13 years old (a good long life for a Labrador) we would not put her through cancer treatment. A second set of x-rays suggested the cancer was progressing rapidly and we made the decision to put her down. For anyone who has had to make such a choice you just how difficult it is, but it was the right thing to do. We had a full week to spend with her knowing what was coming and pampered her as much as we could. I came home from work every day that week and say under our cherry trees in the front yard where she loved
The Zoie Garden in early Spring 2021.
to just lay down and nap. Fortunately the weather was great. A former student who is a vet in the Corvallis area insisted on driving to our place and putting Zoie down for us so she could peacefully pass in her own backyard. I will be eternally grateful to Melody for doing this service for us. It meant a lot. We sat with her, cried a little, and surrounded her with love as she quietly passed. That afternoon we went to a nursery and bought plants as Theo decided she wanted to create a Zoie Garden outside her our den where she works. We had Zoie cremated and put a scoop of her ashes in each plant’s hole. Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital, where Zoie was cared for her entire life, unknowingly contributed to the garden by sending us a stone etched with her name. So, I think I’ll leave this page up and it reminds of many fond memories and documents much of Zoie’s life. Enjoy!
……….Zoie at 4 weeks old!
Zoie was born October 14th 2007 and joined our family permanently when she was seven-weeks old. She came from Alderwood Labradors near Sandy, OR. Alderwood has a quality breeding program producing dogs specifically intended for hunting or to be family pets. We of course opted for later and have not been disappointed. We visited Zoie when she was four-weeks old at which time we got to meet her mom Maggie and her dad Hooch. Over the last nearly four years Zoie has grown up to be a big girl weighing in at 80 lbs (no, she is not a fat dog)! When we decided we were going to get a labrador retriever we were told to expect a “puppy personality” for at least 4-5
Zoie’s mom Maggie
years. So far that has turned out to be prophecy. Even so Zoie has become an important part of the family. Where ever we go she goes. Zoie loves to ride in the car and will literally leap in the back seat when the door is as much as cracked open. So if you peruse some of the many pictures of our travels you will find it a common sight to see Zoie tagging along.
It is amazing how like people dogs have likes, dislikes, and unique personalities. One thing we have learned is that Zoie does not enjoy dog parks. She clearly
Zoie’s dad Hooch
does not have a “pack” mentality preferring open, natural places where she can run and sniff without being bothered. We bought a two-year pass for Oregon State Parks at a friends recommendation and now take Zoie regularly to Champoeg State park which is just a few miles from our house. Here she plays hard dumping her tank of energy in about 30-40 minutes resulting in a welcome afternoon of naps.
Zoie has become a beautiful young lady. She is well behaved and simply seems to enjoy her life. She is really intelligent learning things quickly. When she was a puppy we enrolled her in several classes to help shape her behavior. Some of these classes involved teaching her “tricks.” To this day each day I bring her
Zoie at Champoeg
home a special treat (please don’t ask) for which she is required to go through her repertoire. I think my favorite is “touching the target” that she learned during an agility course (she loves to jump). It is funny tossing her “target” and watching her sprint to stomp on it!
Over on the sidebar I will put up several slide shows showing pictures we have taken of Zoie as she has grown up. After all this page is about Zoie. Please enjoy!