Tommy D’s Limoncello “Cello”

March 14, 2011 – November 2, 2023

“𝘐𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺, 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭.

𝘐𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭.”

Dear Cello,

You blessed us with 12.5 wonderful years of having the privilege to call you family. How we got so lucky to be the ones you picked as your people, I’ll never know – – but I will forever be thankful…the memories you created, the gifts you bestowed upon us, and the lessons that you taught us are things we will hold dear for eternity.

Little did we know the grand escapades you had planned for us when you joined our family! Camping…hiking…dock diving…rescue…social media…all things we knew NOTHING about until you came along. The interests and activities you introduced us to paved the way to countless memorable experiences, enabled us to help many humans & pups, and connected us to the most wonderful, supportive, kind-hearted people anyone could ever hope for in their lives. Our proudest moments were brought about by you. You ushered friendship, love, and adventure into our lives. You made us better as individuals – and as a couple – and guided us to find our purpose. We are forever grateful for your direction and enlightenment.

We are beyond fortunate to have an enormous network of extended family members -both near and far- all because of YOU. Our involvement in dock diving, Cello’s Corner social media and rescue has enabled us to be members of communities filled with support that is truly inconceivable to others. At times the wonderment of it all is even unbelievable to us. Thank you for renewing our faith in humanity and surrounding us with such an immense and astounding group of people.

Every pastime, hobby and passion we have began because of YOU. You have taught us so much about the remarkably strong bond between humans and dogs and showed us how it goes above and beyond what we ever imagined. It’s going to be excruciating to continue these ventures without you. We thank you for continuously introducing us to new activities and promise to proceed to 𝙎𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙚𝙯𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙮 in your honor.

Over the course of your lifetime, you benevolently accepted 8 new dogs into your pack. You took leadership with each one and showed them the way (aka YOUR way)! I loved watching the admiration in the other pack members as they followed your every move. They adored you. You heightened our pack expectations as you managed proper pack order and behavior with confidence and grace. The transition will be a difficult one for your pack, but we know in our hearts you will still be watching over us all, and guiding us.

You eagerly did 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 we asked of you with trust and love in your eyes. You let us 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 WE were teaching you – but the reality was: It was YOU who was schooling 𝒖𝒔. Thank you for tolerating our faults and humbly making us look like we knew what we were doing.

You are THE definition of 𝙎𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙚𝙯𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙮. You let nothing obstruct your path. A miraculous full recovery from Dilated Cardiomyopathy was just one of the many examples of your strong will, strength and determination. You loved to surprise your medical team! Intent on ending your journey YOUR way, you shocked everyone, and competed in the DockDogs World Championships for the 9th year in a row…letting cancer know full well that “𝑖𝑡” did 𝒏𝒐𝒕 have you … 𝐘𝐎𝐔 had “𝑖𝑡.” YOU called the shots. We will forever admire your fortitude, willpower and tenacity and pray that we have even a fraction of your strength as we try our best to continue to carry out the purpose you paved for us despite any roadblocks we encounter.

Your medical team was taken aback with the dramatic results of your CAT scan – yet you stood before them asymptomatic and unfazed. For two full months after your diagnosis you continued to silently fight a battle most humans could not endure- saving us the heartache of displaying how you may have truly felt. For those 9 weeks after your diagnosis you pressed on – hiding any signs of discomfort from us- and ambitiously continuing to do things that most healthy dogs don’t ever get the chance to do. You are a true inspiration and the mightiest of warriors.

On November 2, 2023 you let us know that you could no longer quietly fight. We had been nervous wondering 𝘩𝘰𝘸 we would know when “the time” had arrived. Thank you for clearly alerting us that you were ready to cross the rainbow bridge. It was one of the most difficult days of our lives but our grief is just a small price to pay for the abundance of joy, love, and companionship you unconditionally gave to us. It is worth all the tears and pain in the world to make sure you are not in agony. We are heartbroken and devastated that you are not here with us, but we are comforted knowing you are no longer suffering.

You hold a place in our hearts that no other being could ever fill. We are grateful beyond measure that you chose us to be your family. Thank you for for loving us and for completely changing our lives for the better. We will miss you each and every day – every single second – for the rest of our lives. As God embraces you in His arms, we will hold you closely in our hearts and pray that you continue to guide us until we can meet again.

We love you, Limoncello.