With heaviest of hearts, the Mason Dixon Animal Emergency Hospital has announced that Dory the dog, who quickly captivated the hearts of many, has died.
Dory was severely injured following an unfortunate house fire earlier last week that left her owners, the Denmyer-Prenger family, displaced.
While medical staff initially saw progress in Dory, that progress soon diminished as her health started to worsen.
After this, the Denmyer-Prengers had to make the tough decision to end her suffering:
"Dory fought so hard to stay earthside with us. However, with how she started declining, the owners made the tough decision this morning to allow her to forever go chase all the bunnies carefree and swim for hours without tiring. Mom and dad wanted to extend a huge thank you to every single nurse and doctor that helped provide her with exceptional care while she was with us," said staff technician Lexy.
A statement was released to the entire staff at the hospital regarding Dory's sad passing:
I strongly encourage anyone on her case whether at home or at work to take a 30-second pause in memory of Dory. I know some of you guys have done this with me in other cases. Studies show taking even the smallest pause to sit with feelings of mourning for your patient increases caregiver resilience. We want to remember Dory as her family would. We also take solace in the fact that we were able to give the family comfort of doing everything we can for their dog while they experience some of their darkest days.