Logan was only 8 weeks old when the adorable German Shepherd puppy received a grim diagnosis. Vets discovered the young puppy suffered from a level-5 heart murmur and Pulmonic Valve Dysplasia, a condition that left his young heart unable to properly oxygenate blood.
But Logan’s foster mother, Lindie Saenz, and her family were determined help Logan make the most of whatever time he had left. Upon hearing the dog had just months left to live, the kids begged to take their new best friend fishing. This spawned the greater objective of building a bucket list of fun activities for the young puppy, whose sponsoring agency, Rescued Hearts Northwest, also agreed the young dog should live his short life to the fullest.
Logan’s bucket list grew to include visiting the beach, learning to swim, camping, picking out a new toy, visiting a senior center and playing in the snow. The Bellingham police even offered to let Logan work as a K-9 for the day. Upon visiting a nearby nursing home — another bucket list adventure — one spry senior wisely noted that Logan gets to be a puppy forever.
Some of Logan’s bucket list adventures required some community assistance, but their hometown of Bellingham, Washington, was only too happy to advice. When Saenz announced Logan’s wish to hug 100 different people, more than twice that amount turned out to give the puppy some love at his local Mud Bay.
Just then, veterinary surgeons from Colorado State reached out with some good news. They thought they could operate on the young dog, provided somebody could fly the furry young patient (who was too sick to fly commercial) over on a private flight.
Unfortunately, the surgery only revealed additional health complications, and when doctors tried to operate again operate six months later, little Logan didn’t survive the ordeal.
“We can’t even begin to put into words how thankful we are that we had your support through Logan’s whole journey,” Logan’s foster agency, Rescued Hearts Northwest, said in a statement. “We are completely devastated. We all did everything we could. The doctors and staff at CSU have been unbelievably supportive through this extremely rough time. Please keep the doctors and staff at CSU and Logan’s foster families in your thoughts as we hold you in ours.”
“Logan lived the best life he could have asked for during his time here with us,” the foster agency continued. “We wish we could have given him more time. Logan you will be so missed. We love you, run free little buddy. #loganstrong.”
