Ginger Schmoo was assisted through death on January 8th, 2022 at the age of fifteen. She joins Judy Whalen and Betty White on the other side of the rainbow bridge. She is survived by her person Melissa, her other person Jeremy, multiple guide dog puppies, and all of the neighborhood squirrels.
Ginger was born to a single mother in Yelm, WA on Christmas Eve 2006. Her mother was a lab-mix, and her father was irresponsible. She was placed in foster care with her 9 siblings and was adopted by her person on Presidents Day, at 7 weeks of age. She was an adorable, spirited puppy who earned the nickname "Landshark" for her teeth and audacity.
She began dating her other person - Jeremy - in summer 2007. They went on hikes together and she met his mother Judy. Ginger enjoyed napping with Judy after hiking - an activity which she continued until Judy's death in 2013. In 2009 her person and her other person began dating, and in 2011 they became her family.
As Ginger grew up, her loving and adventurous personality solidified. She qualified as a therapy dog with Pet Partners as soon as she was eligible, and maintained that title until her retirement 10 years later. Ginger served as a therapy dog to students and staff at Spruce Elementary, Edmonds Elementary, and Maplewood K-8. She also attended Cascade Camp Cedarbrook for several years. She loved meeting people, particularly children and custodians, and getting scritchy scratches.
Ginger was a high octane dog who could crush a 15 mile trail run or multi-day backpacking trip. She loved the outdoors and at her peak weighed 65 pounds of solid muscle. She could jump almost 6 feet in the air from standing - an impressive feat for any species. She was stronger and faster than any dog at the dog park and would rumble with dogs twice her size.
After her first decade Ginger developed an autoimmune disease which caused her to retire from therapy dog work. Once her condition was managed she enjoyed an active retired life of running, play dates with dog friends, camping and canoeing in the summer, and sleeping in the sunny spot of the yard or living room. She also began mentoring guide dog puppies in training, teaching them things like "don't eat that when Melissa is looking", and "all the squirrels in the front yard are assholes." She mentored 5 puppies in 5 years, pretending each time to dislike them when they arrived, and going on a hunger strike each time they left to show how she missed them.
Ginger will be remembered as a dearly beloved medium sized, moderately well-behaved brown dog.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to Old Dog Haven (https://olddoghaven.org/).