How a Township Family Gave Up Their Dog for Dying Boy

A Washington Township family helped fulfill a dying Monmouth County boy's wish by giving him their dog to comfort him in the last weeks of his life.

The Lyons family gave their Malti-Bichon-Poo Louie, who they had for five years, to grant a Marlboro boy's wish of having a Bichon.

Mark, 9, had bone cancer and really wanted a Bichon to call his own even though his older sister was afraid of dogs. Brenda Lyons and her daughters Grace and Ava had been involved in animal rescues for four years. Brenda received an e-mail from the Ashley Lauren Foundation, which grants wishes to kids with cancer, asking if she knew of any Bichons that could be given to Mark and his family with the option of returning the dog.

"We had just gotten our Great Dane who was a puppy at the time and I said, 'We always say Louie was meant to be somebody's lap dog and here's his opportunity,'" Brenda explained. 

Although it was a tough decision, the Lyons decided to give Louie to Mark. They drove Louie to a waiting car on the Garden State Parkway and made plans to meet Mark and his family two weeks later. Brenda said she feared watching the introduction between Louie and Mark would be too emotional.

But the Lyons never got to meet Mark. He died at 3:10 a.m. on the morning of the scheduled visit. He only got two short weeks with Louie, but Brenda said the bond the two shared was strong and immediate. She was told Louie ran right up to Mark when he was introduced and stayed by his side until his death.

Mark's mother even told Brenda that for two weeks after Mark died, Louie woke up at 3:10 a.m. every day and either barked or scratched his crate.

Because of the strong connection and the special meaning Louie had for Mark and his family, Brenda said she knew that Louie wouldn't be returned to Washington Township. While that made her, Ava and Grace sad, they said they made the right decision.

"I think he's happier there," said Grace. Louie did not like the Great Dane puppy the Lyons had gotten shortly before he went to be with Mark.

"I knew that we needed to because once when we were about to take him there, he was being so much better like he knew that he was going to go," Ava said. "He knew that he needed to go to Mark."

Brenda said she believed it was her family's destiny to raise Louie to be a good dog for somebody else. The timing also worked out perfectly.

"I would never have asked them if we hadn't just gotten a puppy. It just all felt like it was the right thing to do at the time," Brenda said. "And I think it taught them about doing something for somebody else even if it means that you have to be sad about it."

The Lyons still get updates about Louie, including photos, and have seen him a few times in the last year. The girls said Louie is like a celebrity in Marlboro because everyone knows him. A park in the area was dedicated to Mark and the Lyons went for the dedication ceremony. At the event, many attendees called out to Louie by name. The Lyons were supposed to travel to Marlboro to see Louie in person at the end of October, but the snowstorm canceled their plans. Now they intend to visit the park, Mark's family and Louie sometime in the spring.

Although Mark and Louie only spent two weeks together, Brenda said Mark's obituary noted that he died with his beloved dog by his side. While the Lyons were sad that Louie wasn't returning, they know he's in a good home and enjoying his new life.

"When we talked to the family and saw how much they appreciated having Louie and what it did for Mark, we knew it was the right thing to do," Brenda said.