Dove Lewis is, as the staff purports “The place you hope you never need but are glad it’s there”. That was exactly our experience when it was time for Maddy to leave us; although everyone dreads the idea of having to take their beloved pet to their final vet visit, it was a huge blessing to us that they are available 24-hours/day and so she didn’t have to endure a long and painful night before our normal vet opened.Founded in 1973, Dove is the only 24-hr, non-profit emergency and ICU animal hospital in Oregon.

After we posted our rememberances of Maddy here, we received emails and cards from several of the amazing staff at Dove Lewis, offering their condolences but one employee, Abby Crouch, truly touched us when she left a tearful voicemail on my phone and saying that she would love to meet Maddy’s parents and take us to lunch to hear more about her.

By the time we did finally meet up with Abby, we were already the proud new owners of Porter, and were continuing to heal our hearts, and it was wonderful to sit at the Lucky Lab Beer Hall in NW Portland and laugh with her over fond memories of Maddy, and to hear about her own adopted pups. Afterwards she took all of us on a tour of the hospital. It is truly inspiring that they not only do such amazing work, but also are all so incredibly compassionate at understanding during such difficult times.

I’m sure everyone who has ever dealt with these wonderful people agrees with that while you hope you never need them, it’s so comforting to know that they’re there!