Anyone who met Rottweiler K-9 Lady came to know just how special she was. One that
served communities far and wide, not only with her search skills, but her memorable
motto, “Keep Your Paws Off Drugs!”
Early into the new millennium, Lady began to limp. Initial x-rays brought a diagnosis of osteosarcoma in March. In April that was confirmed through more x-rays and a bone biopsy. She underwent a successful amputation surgery of her left front leg on May 16, was up and around ready to go home just two days later. She began chemotherapy on June 5 and 6, then on June 8 she was rushed back to the hospital as her doctors and technicians tried rescue remedies, transfusions, IV’s in efforts to ease the ravages the chemo had wreaked upon her.
Her love for her work and her owner, trainer/ handler - my husband, Jim, knew
no bounds. At one pre-op visit to her Vet Hospital in Des Moines, even besieged with
pain, Lady greeted a class of elementary school children visiting the facility, each of whom
was able to pet her and take one one of her complimentary, collectible cards.
Although she helped fight the war on drugs, Lady did not win her battle with cancer. Despite the best efforts of a medical team who had come to love and admire her, Lady passed away on Sunday June 18, Father’s Day. It would be the last Father’s Day either Jim or Lady would ever see dawn.
Local and urban newspapers carried obituary tributes to Lady, acknowledging her accomplishments as a passive response K-9 trained to sniff out illegal substances, locate weapons and U.S. currency. She was recognized for her service to numerous law enforcement agencies in Southern Iowa and Northern Missouri as well as visits to thousands of school and civic group members nationwide. The American Police Beat newspaper noted her numerous career and personal accomplishments in a September 2000 issue.
Nominated by her primary vet, Dennis Woodruff, DVM ( who at one point during Lady’s care took her to his home to ensure 24 hour care for her over one weekend) into the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association’s Animal Hall of Fame, Lady won a posthumous induction to the Professional category. At a ceremony held in Ames at Iowa State University, Lady’s grandson, Bucc (Dandy’s Buccaneer) traveled with us for the honor of receiving the award September 15. Lady and fellow honorees were noted in December 2000 issue of Dog World Magazine.
Jim used to say that Lady made him look good. In a TV news interview last
summer, only days before her death, Jim reiterated that, saying, “She’s so smart,...she
trains me, I believe...” A team since her puphood of 7 weeks, and for her nearly 9 years,
they were always together: forging a forever bond that was powerful to behold.
When Red Ribbon time came around in October, we visited some schools with
next-in-line Heartland Canines, eager to carry on the legacy. But moving on would not
prove so easy, for the “pawprint-shaped hole on our hearts” weighed most heavily on Jim.
In the days that followed her death, Jim spoke of her last hours, when he’d sat with her
and prayed for her to survive: “I told God if he could give her one more year, then he
could have us both.”
And so that came to pass, for on November 14 Jim died of a heart attack. As Lady was cremated, so too was his wish. The service on November 18 was for both of them , their ashes side by side amidst the florals, wreaths and tributes. Lady (8/22/91 - 6/18/00 and Jim (12/2/30 - 11/14/00). Guardians on earth, and now my Guardian Angels. Jim and Lady were interred together at the K-9 Honor Wall June 30th.
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