It’s always an incredibly sad day when I have to say goodbye to one of my loving friends. Today, I said goodbye to Allie, my go-to-girl champion lead dog. Allie was 11.3 years old.
Allie was an amazing girl with great recall. She led for me most of the way on the Yukon Quest 250, and for several 100-mile and shorter races. Allie and I had a unique bond. She was always listening to me, waiting for a command or for me to tell her daughter Axel to line out (which means hold the line tight and don’t turn around). Allie was one of the smartest dogs I’ve had.
We adopted Allie when we lived in L’Amble, Ontario, and from the start, I knew she was going to be a great lead dog. She began slowing down at 9 years old. She had two mammary tumor surgeries, one in 2023 and the other in 2024. Even after these surgeries and moving inside, she still wanted to run. She LOVED to run. In Dec. 2025, after eating her bed (most likely because her tummy hurt), her obstructive bowel surgery revealed she had an ulcer. After recovering from surgery, she went on short runs, but had difficulty going uphill. Before a run, she was given omeprazole to help with the acid in her stomach.
On May 25, 2026, she wasn’t acting normally and didn’t want to eat. I knew something was up. A vet visit revealed that she most likely had cancer. The area of her stomach that was previously thickened had lost its normal layering. The lymph nodes in her abdomen were enlarged. And, she had gallstone blocking her bile duct. The doc gave her anti-nausea medicine, fluids, dexamethasone (a steroid), and pain meds. The steroid did not improve anything. Rather than have her suffer, I made the decision to say goodbye to my wonderful friend.
Allie– Thank you for being you. I will always remember you.
