He’s gone but not forgotten.
Published on Oct 3, 2025 at 5:22 PM
In 2012, Spiro Vganges’ life changed forever. That was when he and his family adopted a shelter dog named Lex. And through the ups and downs in life in the years that followed, Lex remained Vganges’ faithful companion.
“He was always by my side,” Vganges told The Dodo. “He was the most amazing, loving, sweetest animal I’d ever met.”
And Vganges wasn’t alone in that opinion.
About seven years after adopting Lex, a new dog joined their pack — a younger, more rambunctious pup named Vaughn.
“Vaughn would always instigate some form of play with Lex. And Lex, being an older dog, would do his best,” Vganges said. “They definitely had that older dog and younger dog dynamic.”
As Vaughn got older and Lex settled more firmly into her golden years, the pair grew closer, seeming to always prefer resting by one another’s side.
But sadly, their sweet friendship couldn’t last forever.
Last month, after a lifetime of love and affection, Lex passed away.
Vaughn was allowed to see Lex one last time to say his farewells, which seemed to bring him some measure of comfort and understanding. But a sad fact nevertheless remained.
His best friend was suddenly just a memory.
To remember Lex, Vganges decided to make a memorial of sorts to share with his kids — a shadowbox containing Lex’s paw print and fur, his ashes, and a couple of cherished photos.
He placed the memorial on a piano in the living room, not realizing at the time how meaningful it would be for Vaughn, too.
A few moments after placing the memorial on the piano, Vaughn walked in and noticed it immediately.
“He got close to it, and then I started talking to him. I said, ‘Hey, do you see Lex?’ And then his ears went up,” Vganges said. “He moved in as close as he could and started getting excited.”
Since that first night, Vaughn has made daily visits to Lex’s memorial, seemingly to reconnect his senses to the old dog who still lives on vividly in his heart.
“It really exemplifies the bond he had with Lex,” Vganges said.
Those daily visits to Lex’s memorial, the chance to commune with his spirit, appear to have helped Vaughn cope with his friend’s sudden absence. And seeing the love reflected in his eyes has helped Vganges and his family, too.
“We were lucky to have Lex,” Vganges said. “And we’re lucky to have Vaughn.”
Related
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Rescuers Rush To Golf Course To Save A Couple Of Abandoned ‘Precious Angels’
“[They were] trying to make friends with each of the passerby golfers …”
By Ashley Ortiz
The other day, Matthew Lyson received a call that catapulted him into the car and set off an impromptu hour-long journey.
As the owner of Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary (MDRS), Lyson had other rescue-related plans that day, but as soon as he heard about two ducks abandoned on a golf course, he cancelled everything and raced to save them.
“It isn’t as if we don’t have enough rescues to do here in Michigan, but when you see two sweet little, barely adult, dumped domestic ducks craving attention on Crosswinds Golf Course in Perrysburg, Ohio, you pretty much have to change plans quickly …” Lyson wrote on Facebook.
While the lonely ducks seemed to only have each other to rely on, unbeknownst to them a community of people were rallying to help. One of Lyson’s friends, Lisa, notified him of their presence on the coyote-filled golf course, and another friend, Mike, tagged along for the rescue without skipping a beat.
When the rescuer arrived, the golf course employees filled him in on the ducks’ heartbreaking backstory.
“We were told that these two precious angels were hanging out at the 10th and 11th holes, trying to make friends with each of the passerby golfers, for at least two weeks to a month,” Lyson wrote.
Lyson worried that the ducks might face malnutrition after spending so much time on the course. When he finally caught sight of them from his golf cart, his fears were confirmed.
“They were so starved, it is no surprise they were trying to make new friends,” Lyson wrote. “I was also so surprised that they made it that long, as coyotes were know to traverse the course frequently.”
The pair of ducks — a boy and a girl — defied the odds while living on the course, and Lyson refused to let them stay even one more night. After spotting them in a watering hole, Lyson and Mike lured them out with a bag of nuts and soon captured the hungry couple.
You can see more pictures from their rescue here:
Finally, after a month of wandering aimlessly around the golf course, the two ducks finally met the friends they were searching for. Lyson and Mike cradled the ducks in their arms all the way to the car and didn’t let go until they were finally safe at MDRS.
The two ducks settled into their new home at MDRS without a hitch, quickly amassing more friends than they could’ve ever imagined.
Once abandoned and foraging around a golf course for food, the two ducks are now swimming happily in one of MDRS’ many ponds, and they couldn’t be more thankful that their compassionate rescuer dropped everything to save them.
To help more ducks get the care they need, you can donate to Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary here.
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“This is the last place we thought we’d find Whitey” 😰
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