Obituaries

With an immensely sad heart, I share that my wonderful therapy dog, Leelyanne died earlier this year. Leelyanne, a black and white beagle basset hound mix, crossed the rainbow bridge on January 3, 2025 after early onset kidney disease took an aggressive turn. She was 12 years old.

Though her road to becoming a therapy dog was long and her three years of service short, she made an impact. Her sweet, calming nature was enjoyed by both humans and other dogs. She was loved and is greatly missed. Here’s her story:

My late mother, Sylfane Jean-Louis and I adopted Leelyanne on February 14, 2015, which became her birthday, from the K-9 Rescue League rescue organization. We adopted her to be a companion for my mom as I was moving to the house next door and taking my chihuahua, Bijou, with me. But Leelyanne quickly bonded with me and we switched dogs.

Dog with an oddly spelled name
She was renamed after my mother’s Haitian cousin Lillianne; I opted for the phonetic spelling of Leelyanne to spur the French-Haitian Creole pronunciation which would be ‘Lil-yahn’. No one got it! I instead pronounced her name Lily-Anne to make life easier for her and everyone else.

Therapy dog potential
Everyone who met Leelyanne commented on her soothing, friendly nature. They felt calm after sitting next to her or stroking her. That inspired me to consider training her to become a “comfort dog” as I heard they were called. My instincts about her were confirmed when at a Feast of St. Francis service at the Cathedral of St. Phillip in Atlanta where you’re allowed to bring your pets to church, I spied Leelyanne cuddling up to a parishioner who didn’t have a pet.

I let that thought simmer in my mind for several years until in 2019 a persistent PetCo Trainer tracked me down in the store with Leelyanne in tow to offer a six week training course that included an American Kennel Club (AKC) certificate. That would be our springboard to getting therapy dog certification. AKC certificate earned, we were poised to take the Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD) test in early 2020 and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit!

ATD Certification + cancer
Once vaccines were introduced and COVID-19 restrictions adjusted, we were able to pass the ATD certification test at the end of 2021. Right after receiving our ATD I.D. cards, Leelyanne was diagnosed with neck cancer! Thanks to early detection and the skillful vets at Clairmont Animal hospital, the tumor was removed, she was declared cancer free and ready to serve.

The Wonder Woman emblem
Because she survived cancer, we adopted the “W” emblem of the super hero character Wonder Woman, with a collar, harness and at times wearing a costume to signify strength, resilience and solidarity with cancer survivors.

A Therapy Dog Ambassador/Educator
Since we were coming out of the pandemic, we initially focused on events and visits about therapy dogs and pet rescue education. We collaborated with the now dissolved Atlanta Dog Rescue Cafe for visits to farmer’s markets, neighborhood festivals and Emory University stress relief for college students.

Expanding care with Careing Paws
We were thrilled to find Careing Paws to expand our care and comfort. Events and places we served included:
-Micron Technology mental health day
-Valentine’s Day dance with Focus Families
-Georgia Perimeter College at Georgia State University, Decatur campus stress break

Leelyanne and I were also proud to connect communications major Gabby Banks with Careing Paws to serve as an intern!

Canine pastoral care
Leelyanne and I were most in our element serving at my church, St. Luke’s Episcopal church in downtown Atlanta, where we briefly hosted a Canine pastoral care program. Through the program, we continued our mission of teaching people about and exposing them to therapy dogs. (A young parishioner told us he and his mom were so inspired by our inaugural session that they adopted a beagle rescue afterward!)

In 2023, decked in her Wonder Woman costume, Leelyanne joined young parishioners for a Halloween costume blessing then helped “handout” candy during the trunk or treat event afterward.

She last spread joy to those who couldn’t bring their pets to the Feast of St. Francis outdoor service at the church in October 2024.

Leelyanne was preceded in death by my mother and her co-parent, Sylfane Jean-Louis, Bijou, the chihuahua and Nairobi, the cat.

She is survived by me and my brother, Gerald Jean-Louis; Neo the applehead chihuahua; and Katara, the deerhead chihuahua who leaned on Leelyanne for comfort when she was first adopted.