(Publisher’s note: Upon hearing of the passing of Sable, a community therapy dog extraordinaire, I asked his owner, Barbara Marshall, if she’d like to write a tribute to this very special dog.)
Sable, who touched so many lives in her work as a therapy dog, passed away on Monday, Aug. 8, 2016 from cancer.
She worked as a therapy dog from July, 2011 right up to the end, when she proudly marched in the Chelsea Pet Parade on Aug. 6.
Sable, along with her owner, Barb Marshall, volunteered at the Chelsea Retirement Community and the Saline Evangelical Home, where they visited residents weekly for the last 5 years. They also volunteered at the Chelsea Hospital, where they worked in the Head Pain unit and the Cancer Center and subbed in Behavioral Health when needed.
In addition, for the last 4 years, Sable was the official reading dog at North Creek Elementary school, where she visited 2 classes/month throughout the school year as well as also being one of the READ dogs at the library.
She was a very busy girl who looked stunning in her red therapy dog vest and who loved to “go to work”! Everyone loved to see her dressed up in her various costumes to celebrate the major holidays, too.
We called her the “miracle dog” because she came within an hour of death on March 31, 2016, when her spleen ruptured and she needed life-saving surgery, which was performed at Blue Pearl emergency vets. She went through 5 infusion treatments to fight her cancer and appeared to be in complete remission.
We joyfully celebrated her 11th birthday when she visited the students in Mrs. Karen Glover’s 1st grade class and they sang to her. Sable touched countless lives with her happy nature, her wagging tail and her beautiful, gentle spirit.
We are certain that there is a new 4-legged furry angel in heaven. Rest in peace, Sable, your amazing work on earth is done.
We will miss Sable here at the Chelsea District Library, and count ourselves lucky to have had her as one of our READ to the Library Dogs!
-Karen Persello, Head of Youth and Teen Services, Chelsea District Library
This is such a great story about Sable. We all loved reading about how incredible she was and how many lives she touched. It was an honor to be able to treat her and I am so glad that she was able to keep working until the very end. You two are the best family she could have asked for, and you should be proud of how much you did for her.
-Noah Bander, DVM, Surgeon at BluePearl Ann Arbor
Condolences on the loss of Sable. She will be remembered by all those whose lives she touched.