Van Zandt County’s Therapy Dog Teams, and members of Alliance of Therapy Dogs, mourn the passing of another one of their beloved therapy dogs, Ladybug, a 12-year old Giant Schnauzer, who lost her battle with cancer on May 25.

Ladybug was a rescue dog who found her forever family, Vickie and Marshall Ragle, when she was around two years old. Her loving demeanor allowed her to be easily trained and she quickly passed her testing and certification to become a therapy dog with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. She and her handler, Vickie, have been volunteers with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs since 2012.

She was a gentle giant with a beautiful, empathetic soul who brought a lot of comfort and happiness to so many over the years. She adored people of all ages, never hesitating to provide her special love to anyone who might need a giant’s hug and made them smile when she’d “sit pretty” as her way of saying “thank you” to everyone.

Ladybug made many friends throughout these last 10 years at local nursing homes, assisted living homes, libraries, schools, businesses, and the Dallas VA Hospital. She and her fellow team members also provided comfort to Van Zandt County citizens following the devastating tornadoes in 2017 and 2019. She helped many local students improve their reading skills as she listened intently at reading programs over the years. Her last official therapy dog visit was May 19 at the Van Zandt County Library.

In addition to being an angel of comfort to humans, Ladybug was the matriarch of Therapy Dog Teams, teaching her fellow therapy dogs many of their manners by example.

Ladybug’s handler, Vickie, shared, “Bug leaves more than a giant hole in my heart, it’s like a piece of me is now missing. Marshall is hurting greatly, too. She loved her ‘daddy person’ big time. He was her playtime human, and she never missed an opportunity to bark at him.”

Special thanks go to Dr. Tim Eberhart and his caring staff at Canton Veterinary Clinic who cared for her like their own over the past 10 years. He went above and beyond for her so many times in keeping her healthy and on the job. Also, in her last minutes prior to surgery, two that she lovingly knew as “Aunts”, Pat Hammond and Regena Weaver Bell, were there to see her. It was obvious Ladybug knew they were sad, so, even in her pain, she did what God created her for and shared her giant love.

Members of the group stated, “While there are no words to describe the profound loss that Vickie, Marshall, and anyone who knew and loved Ladybug are feeling, she truly did bring Miles of Smiles to everyone she met and her work will continue in Heaven.”