Kari-Ann, Graham, & Foster Dog Xyla.

In loving memory of Geronimo.

"Geronimo was our world."

"He was part of every good memory from walking me down the aisle to Christmas mornings. We fostered Geronimo for a couple months before we adopted him. We did a couple meet ups with potential adopters. I was a horrible person and at 5 AM when me and my husband were getting ready for work I broke the news that Geronimo was getting adopted. He was gutted. I then showed him the adoption certificate that had our names on it. It took him a few minutes to realize we were the ones actually adopting him. He wanted Geronimo from day one but I was the hold out."

"My Husband had a local artist paint the mountains from our first trip with Geronimo."

"It is in my home office and is both a reminder of the amazing trips we took with him and how desperate I felt when it was gifted to me.

When Graham and I took Geronimo camping to Fernie for the first time we had a wonderful time. Geronimo struggled with the trip a bit. He was cold during the night and early mornings, unhappy being in a tent during a storm, and so unimpressed he couldn’t just explore the entire wilderness. One evening the rain quickly turned into an intense thunder and lightening storm. Taken off guard he wiggled out of his harness. Fearing that he would take off and I would never see him again I was instantly on the ground with my arms and legs wrapped around him. I just sat there with him unsure what to do next as the storm continued. Holding onto 78 lbs of nervous energy made me feel lucky for much more pounds of determination to hold tight. It felt like forever but could have been only minutes. The storm calmed and we got him back in his harness and into the car to warm up and dry off.

It also was the same trip that we almost blew ourselves up with the camp stove and a propane leak. We survived both which made the trip so much more memorable and the piece of art commemorates it… Not just a mountain, but the feelings of surviving the trip tied to it.

We continued to go on many camping trips since then. We learned to move camp daily to keep both my Husband and Geronimo entertained. Geronimo loved sharing the bed while camping as it was off limits at home. He also loved exploring the mountain paths where he hauled me up and down. 78lbs of muscle can be really beneficial on a steep incline!"

Original painting done by Local Artist Meghann Oakes Art

"Geronimo was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma right at the beginning of the pandemic."

"He had a slight limp and I thought I was being a paranoid dog Mom when I took him in. The Vet was not too concerned at the time but offered x-rays or some pain meds. I opted for the x-ray. About a week later he was recovering from the amputation of his front right leg. We expected 3 - 5 months with him afterwards but got 7 1/2. I was working from home and he was always by my side.

The vet was amazing with us through COVID. With the Pandemic, they had a "no people in the clinic" rule so they would meet me outside the clinic when I dropped him off. Between dealing with Geronimo's pain and the eventual seizures, I was at the clinic at least once a week. At the very end Geronimo had a big seizure at home in bed next to me. I couldn't lift him to get him out of the house, so they (the Vet) packed their supplies and came to my home to make sure he was not suffering in the moment. They then came back that evening to help him pass."

"After a quiet Christmas we are back to Fostering with Greater Edmonton Animal Rescue Society (GEARS)."

"Xyla has not had much interest due to her reactivity to dogs. We have been working on her training. It was really nice to get out with people that understand that she is special."

For more information on Xyla please feel free to contact Greater Edmonton Animal Rescue Society - GEARS