It is very hard to watch a companion struggle and suffer and hard to find the words to announce that our companion Girlie has died.

Many of our guests have enjoyed our camp dog Girlie, she was a special dog for many reasons. We appreciate all of the calls, e-mails, letters and thoughtful words.

Girlie lost her battle with blastomycosis on Sunday 12/1/2013... we knew something was not quite right with her the last couple weeks, but she was still a kind spirited playful dog up until the last couple days when blastomycosis started to overtake her. Even on her last day, she would wag her tail often and lean up against us.

Girlie had seven great seasons of enjoying guests at Boreal Bay Lodge and she was a good example for us in many ways.... these were Girlie's Rules.

1) Spend every possible minute with those you love.
2) Protect everyone around you... chase away the bears, geese, otters and sea gulls.
3) Bark at strange vehicles... if a friend emerges, be sorry and they will forgive you.
4) Be Thankful for all affection.
5) Dogs are not supposed to jump up on the guests..... Jean is not a guest... so even when paws are muddy and Jean has a clean shirt... Jean is fair game :-)
6) Never miss a meal and be Thankful for all food shared... take food gently and eat with manners.
7) Play whenever you can or whenever someone else is willing.
8) Nap often.... but keep track of everyone, especially Kevin.
9) Thunder, motors and air tools are very scary.... better to hide until they go away.
10) Enjoy watching over your surroundings.
11) A friend who will let you watch YouTube, TV or movies with them... is a good friend.
12) Never turn down a boat ride.
13) Never turn down the chance to go for a walk.
14) Never poop where the grass is mowed.

Blastomycosis is just one of the several thousand bad things that could happen... we hope awareness will at some point help another dog or human. We have no way of knowing if Girlie encountered the fungal spore at the resort, an island or from a walk. With early detection blastomycosis can often be treated successfully. We will add some blastomycosis related links to our website.

We also want to encourage the use of NIOSH N95 Respirator Dust Masks as minimal protection when working in spaces where you may encounter things that are not good for you to inhale. For us that would be when working in and around freshly dug holes or working in crawl spaces under cabins where your face is near the ground.

A few of the pictures from this fall with our very special friend.

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