Lily was not only the family dog but a business partner. She passed away all too soon after she emerged from a specialty center surgery with severe newly-onset seizures; a necropsy found evidence of brain damage potentially caused by hypoxia (20-94).
Lily's person had 17 dogs, with Lily having been one of the youngest at the time. He operates a wildlife hunting business and dogs like Lily are integral to its success; the dogs are in many respects the stars of the show both figuratively and literally, being in the public eye through hunting, published magazines, and TV shows.
Even in a life that had always been surrounded by dogs, Lily was one very special English Pointer. In fact, she was the only dog that her person had bred, yielding a total of 10 healthy puppies; eight went to wonderful homes while two remained to carry on the tradition.
After her passing, her owner commemorated her life with brief but touching words: "Lily, if you were on a golf course full of geese you would become a goose. Ya never made me mad once. You are my Best Dog. Pure animal. Pure bird dog. Thanks for everything fast. Now it’s time to move on."