Mourning the Loss of a Special Dog

Lulu, the Danvers German Shepherd that captured the hearts of people across the country, has died.

Lulu, who had esophageal diverticulitis and was abandoned at the Spoiled Rotten Doggy Daycare, passed away after doctors found severe internal damage during a surgery that attempted to remove a blockage in her trachea.

Doctors discovered that Lulu’s lungs “showed a significant [development] of aggressive pneumonia” and that she would likely not survive. Her trachea was also ulcerated from previous issues and the blockage had “exasperated the damage to the point of rupture,” said Danvers resident Kimberly Hammond Donahue, who took in Lulu after she was abandoned by her previous owner at Spoiled Rotten Doggy Daycare.

Donahue said the necessary suction to clear the trachea could have caused it to rupture and Lulu would have “drowned in her own feeding and saliva.”

Donahue, who raised more than $25,000 for Lulu’s medical care, said the dog will be creamated and her ashes will be on her fireplace above her favorite spot “where she will always be now indoors, warm and loved.”

Donahue said any money that has been raised for Lulu’s medical care that has not been used will go toward “dogs who have like Lulu been left behind.”

Donahue thanked everyone who donated to the cause and those who helped her, including Spoiled Rotten Doggy Daycare and Angell Memorial Hospital.

“The compassion that every single Angel has shown [Lulu] and my family here has changed our lives beyond belief, and forever. I will be dedicating my efforts to helping dogs that have been abandoned, to find loving homes, and hopefully to find the love and tail wagging that we shared with her these past several months,” said Donahue.

Read more about Lulu's story:

Saving Lulu: Danvers Resident Hopes to Give Ailing Dog a Second Chance 

Readers Open Their Hearts, Wallets for Lulu 

Lulu is on the Mend, Visits Angell Memorial

Surgery Date Set for Lulu as Pooch Continues to Improve