In case you didn't see my sad news on social media, I want to share that my sweet, beloved boy Burt passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, April 9th.
Just two weeks ago, we were walking in the woods. So it's still hard to believe how suddenly he was gone.
Burt is the most loyal dog I’ve ever known. I think he was able to live so long - to over 14 years old - because he couldn’t bear the thought of not being by my side. On our final day together, we went for a walk in the woods. We had no idea what was coming. He didn’t suffer at all. And I’m grateful for that.
adoption day in September 2018
I met Burt in September 2018. Browsing PetFinder, I came across a profile that caught my eye. Burt had one blurry photo and was described as special needs. I learned he had epilepsy and required meds every 12 hours. I also learned that he’d been in the shelter for over a year. I went to meet him the next day, and he immediately won my heart (as evidenced by this essay I wrote back then). Two days later, he met Lucy. They quickly grew to be an inseparable pair. When Lucy passed in June 2025, Burt was unmoored for months. When Burt first joined our family, he did things that surprised me - like opening the freezer and taking out a bunch of food, jumping ALL THE WAY UP on the kitchen counter, and removing the kitchen cabinet doors so he could get to his food! Despite a lot of messes, I was never upset with Burt.
The only time I was genuinely annoyed was when I had to scale the side of a hill in knee-deep leaves to find him INSIDE a deer carcass! Lucy was wondering, “What is wrong with this boy?!” We had to walk back to the car along the road, and I was not amused. Carcass diving aside, Burt provided endless joy to me, my family, and thousands of people around the world. Burt connected me with people like no other dog has. I got to know my neighbors because they would help with his 7 p.m. meds. My family planned all our gatherings around Burt’s evening pills. He gave our lives structure, and he gave my life purpose. For the past two weeks, the hardest parts of each day without him are 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. There is a void. I’m so blessed to have had nearly 8 years with Burt. And I’m so grateful that Action for Animals Shelter in Latrobe, PA brought us together. Burt, I love you forever and ever. I will miss you for a very long time.
Burt definitely made lemonade out of lemons in life!
Thank you for reading this email and loving my dogs.
Tori
P.S. I'm having a minor identity crisis being such a dog lover with no dogs. Not to mention a new job, new city, etc. It's a lot of change all at once. But I have some projects to keep my paws in the pet industry. It will be a nice way to keep the legacy of Burt and Lucy going.