Farewell Akira

Spring arrived in 2024 to find us torn and weary as another beloved member of our Speedwell Family crossed the bridge. In February 2024, with broken hearts, we made the difficult decision to say farewell to our dear gentle Akira. How we will miss her sweet and pure smiles.

Akira was a sweet soul. Some dental issues in her past left her with a silly grin that anyone who met her cherished and adored. She had been through so much early in life, yet despite her past she always seemed to have a warm heart. While she was hesitant about socializing with her caretakers, she always remained calm and curious. Over time she learned to trust some of her caretakers enough for chin scratches and allow them to remove tufts of her fluffy coat as she shed in the spring.

When she arrived it took some time to get her to come out of her shell. She finally started to emerge and show her true personality in our quarantine when we rescued six pups from an animal care facility that was unable to care for them. They lived next door to her and she loved playing along the fence with them and watching them grow up.

Once she moved out of quarantine she was able to move to a larger wooded enclosure and start to really enjoy her freedom. It was here that she met Kodie. He was much larger than her but he was gentle when they played and the two adored each other. She loved pouncing and running around her enclosure with him, or on a warm day simply relaxing with him in the shade. Kodie will miss his darling Akira very much

For six years Akira lived a very happy life with Kodie. In February we noticed that something was very wrong. Early one morning she presented with a head tilt, tremor, and mobility issues. After consulting with our veterinarian, we administered several injectable medications, however by next morning her symptoms were worse. We consulted our veterinarian again and took Akira to see a neurologist. Her initial x-rays showed cancerous tumors throughout her lungs. More than likely the cancer had spread to her brain, which was causing the head tremors and tilt. We chose to humanely euthanize our beautiful Akira. Oh how we will miss her sweet soul and silly grin so much. Her packmate Kodie is doing well but you can tell he misses his sweet girl.

Farewell Akira. We will greatly miss your sweet, peaceful spirit and we will hold the memory of your gentle soul forever in our hearts.

IN LOVING MEMORY AKIRA OF SPEEDWELL
Born March 7, 2015, Rescued January 2018, Died February 8, 2024