From Shelley

It has been over a year since Valerie left my home and had her accident.  Today would have been her 60th birthday.  We were friends for many years and I miss her more every day.  It is very sad for her brother Gary to not see her any more after all the things she did for him and he has a hard time understanding what has happened.  She was so excited to be on "Pick a Puppy" that night and we were all excited for her.  When we left our home to go out for Halloween, she wanted to stay and watch the show again.  When we got home she was already gone.  When she didnt call me or answer her phone we went to look for her and came upon the accident.  She died alone that night while all her dogs were waiting for her at the house.  It has been a very trying year missing Valerie and I was very lucky to have had her for a friend.  All her dogs have gone to their forever homes except for one little puppy girl born one year ago today on Vals birthday.  Her name is Valerie.  Rest in Peace Valerie and please know I am doing my best to deal with everything and that Gary will be forever loved by us.  Thank you for being my friend.  ---- Shelley

Words from Susan van Dijk

Susan van Dijk

I first met Valerie when I shared a hospital room with her mother at the Scarborough Grace.  I was very ill and not often conscious but it seemed whenever I awoke Valerie was there, visiting with her Mom.  Valerie developed a relationship with my Mother, who was there daily caring for me.  Mom told Valerie how much I loved dogs and one day Valerie smuggled one of her Cotonpuppies into the hospital for me to meet!  A few years later my health was once again stable and I began to think about getting a dog.  I was living in Thunder Bay but as soon as I called Valerie she was willing to help and even ship one of her babies to my Mom and I.  It turned out that Valerie had a ten-week-old Coton whose planned family were unable to take him at the last minute.  "Josh" has been a beloved companion for almost seven years now.  I am so attached to Josh that I decided I wanted to add another Coton to my and my husband's "pack".  I'm now living in Calgary but again my first thought was Valerie and I emailed to ask whether she might know of anyone with an adult Coton needing a home.  Well...it turns out she once again had a special male for me.  This one was her former stud dog, Billy Idol.  Billy arrived October 19, 2011 and I spoke with Valerie several times to discuss how he was fitting in (Billy is very timid as he didn't receive proper socialization in his pre-Valerie days).  I emailed Valerie some pictures and a note on how well Billy was doing.  Sadly, it was Valerie's friend Shelley who responded to my email, informing me of Valerie's death.  I still cannot believe such a wonderful lady is gone.  As events turned out, it's obvious to me that we were destined to have Valerie's Billy and he is the sweetest, cuddliest, beautiful inside-and-out dog you could ever hope to meet.  I know if it's possible, Valerie is watching over us and I try every day to be worthy of the two beautiful furry gifts she has given me.