Juno
The Yturbe Family

Crossed over: June 25

Juno was adopted from Tails of the Tundra in 2008 as a companion for our beloved Simba. Tails volunteers came to our home, with three potential adoptees to see who was the best match. As it happened Simba did not click with any of them.

Ready to give up, Juno who was then called Uno, showed up with his foster mom. He was introduced to Simba, and after a short walk it seemed like they got along okay.

After a trial weekend, we adopted Juno even though we had pretty much decided that first day we met him. We started to call him little man.

There after, any time there seemed to be tensions between the two of them, we had to remind Simba that he had "picked" Juno so they had better get along. Juno and Simba had three wonderful happy years together until Simba crossed the Bridge in 2011.

Juno stepped into the role of only child with great ease, rebuffing our attempts to adopt him a sister a few years later. His puppy energy would last well into his senior years, so he needed an outlet.

Our dog walker started to take him on hikes, to the dog park and on many errands as he loved to go for rides. He became a well rounded socialized boy who made a lot of canine friends.

Our memories of him in include our own slow, lazy walks around our neighborhood; hikes in the woods; trips to the Dairy Queen or the dog park; playing in his run where he'd run figure eights and chase his toys and tennis balls; sitting by the TV eating pizza crust, and last but not least sitting in 'his' lounge chair on the front porch surveying his domain.

He loved his toys and would just spontaneously pick one up and start throwing it around.

Juno slipped into seniorhood as "the healthiest twelve year old dog" his vet had ever seen and was showing no signs of slowing down until one fateful morning in late April when he tore an ACL while playing in his run.

Sadly that turned out to be just a footnote, because after several weeks of medication for the injury he stopped eating and began to lose weight. His vets were unable to get to the cause. In early June of '19 he finally underwent an emergency ultrasound and needle biopsies to reveal that he had lymphoma. We decided to treat it with medication, rather than have him undergo the rigors of chemotherapy.

In the second week of June, an oncologist gave him a couple of months. He briefly rallied and his appetite returned for about a week. He took a turn for the worse several days later; had stopped eating again and began to get weaker. Less than two weeks after being diagnosed, Juno crossed the Bridge at home on his own bed with his dad at his side on June the 25th at the age of twelve.

Juno was beloved by many and was an ageless wonder; never acting like a senior dog. He never ceased to amaze all who knew him, especially his family and friends, with his crazy personality and zest for life.

He is reunited with his beloved brother Simba, and the skies may be a little brighter tonight... but our home is now that much darker.

Goodbye little man, we'll never forget you.