Memories & Celebrations: Obituary

Pearl “Jam”

2010 -  January 11, 2024

Pearl “Jam” ’s friends are sad to announce that she was put to rest on January 11, 2024.

Pearl was born in Big Trout Lake in 2010, where she lived under the school with her pups until the kind people at Northern Lights Rescue arranged for her to be rescued.

As soon as I saw her face, I knew that she was the one I wanted to adopt. Although I wasn’t a fan of her name, I didn’t want to change it while I was training her so I added “Jam” to it, to give her some street cred. Although as time went on, it was clear that she was a Pearl, a one of a kind. I think her rescuers saw that in her immediately when they named her. 

Pearl “Jam” became a registered therapy dog with the St John’s Ambulance therapy dog program and she worked at the Meno Ya Win Hospital and also at the Sioux Mountain Public School. She loved her job comforting people and when she visited, she would always look back at me for confirmation that she was doing a great job. It was quite amazing to see kids spend their whole lunch break sitting with her and petting her.

To know Pearl was to believe that she had been here before. She was a natural when it came to training. Her ultra calm disposition allowed her to make friends wherever she went. She rarely barked, she asked for very little, she accepted the strange hours of a railway worker, she was happy just to be hanging out with people and she got along with all the other dogs that stopped in, needing a place to stay.  

Pearl loved to run, ski, bike and chase squirrels in her younger years. An unfortunate accident that never quite healed slowed her down as she got older and she started to enjoy a more relaxed life. She loved spending time at the cabin. She loved going to the beach where she would wander about and make new friends. She particularly loved boat rides where she would sit up high and enjoy the wind blowing in her face. And she was most comfortable laying in her favorite spot at Auntie Terrie’s, watching the ducks, squirrels and ground hogs while she passively guarded the kingdom.   

Pearl also loved road trips and travelled to Hatteras North Carolina, PEI and Nova Scotia, the upper peninsula in Michigan and most recently, South Padre Island. She made the best travel companion as she always stayed alert and she always enjoyed the view.

Pearl was the last survivor of her pack and was pre-deceased by her friends Oliver, Ossey, Aero, Bear and Tork.  

I owe a lifetime of thanks to Gary and Terrie, who watched Pearl for a good portion of her life. Pearl absolutely loved being with them and they gave her a wonderful life when I was out of town. Many thanks also to Bill, Karla, Lance and Larry who always helped when we needed it.