January 19, 2026

Dear Gail,

It’s been 12 years so not sure if you’re still the contact, but I wanted to send a note to you and the folks at Save A Dog.

March of 2014 my wife and I adopted Ace (black lab/border collie mix). He has been the absolute center of our family over the past 12 years. We brought him home as two young kids just before we got married, just wanting to start our family adventures. We now have 3 children and Ace has been the sweetest brother to all of them. He was with us through so many major life events - getting married, first house, a move, 3 kids, jobs, and just life - and he’s been our rock through all of it. Sadly, he developed a fast growing nasal cancer a few months ago and we had to say goodbye to him this past weekend. Our family is completely gutted and heartbroken but we have so many amazing memories and are so grateful for everyday we had with him.

When we first adopted him I wrote to thank you for bringing him into our lives, we were so excited to have him as part of our family. Now 12 years and 3 kids later, that thank you is magnified a thousand fold. Ace was just the greatest part of our lives, he touched everyone who met him. He loved our children so much and lived his life looking after them. The love and patience he has shown them was beautiful, he was just such a love to them. I truly can’t put into words how much he meant to us and how grateful we are that you brought him into our lives. He’s going to be missed more than we can express, he’s leaving a gaping hole in this family. We hope we gave him a great life - he never stopped smiling (even til the very end) and he never left our side. He received all the love he deserved and more. He loved the beach, swimming, his family, was known for big hugs and greetings, loved a good sleep, and just had the biggest heart and bigger smile. We’ve made countless memories with him (our camera rolls filled with thousands of pictures of him is proof) and we will always cherish our time with him. 

The past 12 years with him were such a gift. His tumor started to affect him and we felt like we were loosing the Ace we knew, so we made the impossible decision to say goodbye. He went comfortably and peacefully, my wife and I were with him and held him til the very end. We are beyond devastated that he’s gone, he really lit our lives up in a way we never could have imagined.

Attached a couple pictures of him over the years, he really was happy every day. He was smiling and happy til the end. We wanted to let you know that he lived a happy, full, love-filled life. We can’t thank you enough for trusting us to raise such an amazing dog, you truly changed our lives with him.

Josh Lewis

Ace's original posting: https://www.saveadog.org/Printadopteddog.asp?Dog_Id=3430