by Nancy Hassel, American Pet Professionals
As you may know, our mascot, my personal dog Cody, gained his wings on January 12, 2026, around 6 pm EST. He was diagnosed with *liver cancer back in August 2025, and he got an extra 5 months of many, many walks, mini adventures, lots of extra treats, toys, so much fun during the holidays (many days of extra present-filled stockings, Christmas was one of his favorite times of year).
While navigating the loss of your own dog, when you share your dog with the world, because he was too special to keep to myself, people who never even met him felt his loss. Messages started coming in from people who we met once on the ferry to Connecticut, or at a pet event in New York City, or from one of his many travels along the way. I then asked on his social media pages if anyone had photos/videos of him from over the years to please send them my way, and my inbox was flooded. That definitely helped the grieving process those first few days.
If you didn’t meet Cody, he drew a crowd, often a larger crowd, anywhere we went. If we were at a pet expo, his enthusiasm for being anywhere was unmatched. If he could wiggle and wag his butt off, he would have; he came close. But what drew a crowd was not just his pittie wiggle but his vocalizations, his party tricks (waving at everyone), and just his silly, sweet antics. I used to joke with my friends, “If I just had $5 bucks for every photo or video taken of him!”
Those videos and photos that did come in are so precious to me now. Not that I don’t have like 50k videos or photos, but seeing his silliness and pure joy of meeting people (or dogs) from their POV is priceless. (If you have one, please let me know!)
As pet professionals and pet parents, we are all faced with the day that our pet will no longer be with us, but hopefully, you’re like Cody and just living in the moment and to the fullest with your pets each and every day.
For my industry friends, and Members of American Pet Professionals, those who messaged me, sent flowers, wrote article(s) or made a post, made a video of him visiting your pet business, cried on the phone with me. I cannot thank you enough – how meaningful that has been.
There have also been so many kind donations made to the animal shelter that I adopted him from, to farm sanctuaries, and other shelters across the country in honor of Cody. I just made a simple post asking people if they could do that, foster or adopt, and many messages have been sent to me about donations for shelter pups, which makes me so happy to know. Thank you.
I have also heard from people who said they adopted their first pitbull or pit mix because of meeting Cody. Some of those people only met him once and briefly. So the fact that he helped multiple dogs get out of the shelter due to how sweet, silly, kind and smart he was – that is his legacy beyond the ability to say “I wuv youoooo!”
Businesses in and out of the pet industry that he frequented have also reached out, shared their own posts on social, from near and far. It’s remarkable to me how one dog can make such an impact. He didn’t have millions of followers; he had thousands, but he came everywhere with me and so many people knew him from that. From visiting the offices of Pet Age Magazine, to trade shows in New Jersey, on stage or in the breakout room with me as I was teaching other pet pros (hoping he would be quiet!), to TV segments in Washington DC and New York City, to so many pet events, and pet businesses in the past nearly 11 years that he was with me.
The silence is not fun, and if you knew Cody, you know what I mean. His presence is still felt, of course, and I will continue to honor him on his social pages. (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok). I have so many photos/videos that I just never shared. And his followers all gave a resounding yes to please keep sharing.
All of our dogs are special, and your dog sitting next to you right now is, whether or not they are a social influencer, working the room like Cody did or your walking buddy, they are just as special. So if you can take the time in honor of Cody to stop scrolling, take your pup for a walk, somewhere fun or just spend more time with them, your dog would love that.
Cody, is not the first dog I have lost, like many of you, and while navigating the loss is different with each dog, it’s still the tremendous loss of a family member. But I am so thankful and grateful that I am in this industry surrounded by people who understand, and know too well how short our pets’ lives are. So go and spoil your pet today, and make the time to spend with them, you won’t regret it.
One last thing, if we treated each other with the kindness that Cody treated all people, pets, animals, even just a smidge, the world would be a better place.
*As for his liver cancer, I have known so many dogs in the past 5 years that have had this disease, multiple veterinary friends of mine and other social media dogs across the country. Ranging from all kinds of breeds. So if you’re in the veterinary world, I would love to know if there is any research being done for preventative care? Better treatment options? What is being done, if anything? Seems more prevalent now, than 10 years ago. Please feel free to reach out and let me know if anything is being done so that we can be preventative for our dogs.
