For the past 10 years, Lexie guided her master through life—literally. The 13-year-old black Lab saw everything 55-year-old Mike Lantz couldn’t. He was born blind. And he relied on Lexie to protect him from busy streets, obstacles and overall danger.
In her younger years, Lexie managed to save Lantz from an apartment fire, but that was before her back legs started to give out on her. With her stamina in question, Lexie would get an honorable end to her service. She would retire to Texas with the family who helped raise her.
That retirement was just one day away when she passed away.
The service dog became ill on Wednesday and was taken to surgery. She did not, however, make it to her plane trip on Friday. On Thursday it was determined she had a perforated ulcer that flooded her abdomen with toxins. And later that evening she passed away. For Lantz, it was the end to a long and dear friendship.
''I told her I loved her,'' he tells the Miami Herald, ``and that was it.''
It was a painful goodbye for Lantz. And certainly not the one he anticipated. He had come to terms with Lexie’s retirement, because he knew she would move on to a life of rest and relaxation.
But Lexie had something else in mind. She died in service, staying loyal to the very end.
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''We've been through everything together,'' he said. ``We've been on buses and planes. We've been to radio stations and funerals.''
While Lantz has applied for a new seeing-eye dog, until he receives one he will be forced to rely on a cane to get around.
