Ace the Doberman

Date: 2010 to 9 Jul 2022
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: cheek henry

Ace Cheek-Henry was a doberman, and the adopted baby of Brian J. Henry and Frankie Cheek.

He was a velcro dog, always had to be at your side. You couldn't go to the bathroom alone, or go outside to check the mail without him screaming until you got back. He loved to chase squirrels and chipmunks, often spending his days laying at the glass sliding door waiting for one to run by so he could bark at it. He would do anything for a treat or a bit of food. While he enjoyed toys, he was not allowed to have fabric ones after he swallowed the fabric whole one too many times. His favorite toys, of course, were the ones that dispensed treats of some sort.

He LOVED carrots, and every morning, he would cuddle up next to Brian while they ate their morning turkey and provolone bagel sandwich, and Brian would always give Ace the final bite.

Due to Brian's PLMD, kicking frequently during sleep, Ace usually chose to sleep with Frankie. However, with Frankie's door shut during the day, Ace would sleep in Brian's bed when he was left alone.

Peni gave him to Brian and Frankie with a bag of Gravy Train dog food, which they quickly switched out for Pure Balance for a little upgrade. However, in the summer of 2017, after opening a new bag, Ace got suddenly very sick and would not eat the food (extremely unusual for him). He had heightened liver enzymes and possible pancreas problems, but after stopping the food, it all seemed to resolve fine. He was then switched to Taste of the Wild, a grain free dog food. Unbeknownst to us at the time, this would go on to then cause him to start to develop Dilated Cardiomyopathy. At the time, the link between the two had only just been noticed, so we swapped him to Purina Pro Plan (Sensitive Skin & Stomach), and eventually in the summer of 2019 he was thankfully in remission and was able to come off his heart medications.

In November of 2012, Frankie's mom, Peni, and her husband Mike, adopted Ace from a shelter in Florida. He had been running along a highway with no collar or identification.

In February of 2015, Peni decided she could no longer juggle caring for Ace on top of her mother, and Brian and Frankie adopted him on Feb. 20th when they were living in Cleveland, TN. They would later move to Chattanooga. For 7 years, he was cherished and loved.

In Summer of 2021, an MRI revealed he had Wobblers Syndrome, which he underwent a disc replacement surgery for.

Tragically, in June of 2022, his stomach bloated, and after a few days in the hospital of vomiting, they did an ultrasound and realized he had a mass in his stomach that was inflamed and bleeding. Shortly after, they called and asked us to come in because he had lost a lot of blood and likely wasn't going to make it through the night. Frankie and Brian slept on the floor of VCSG that Sunday night with Ace in one of their exam rooms, with the techs coming in to check on him every so often. He pulled through, and was able to come home a few days later. He spent about two weeks at home, playing with toys and cuddling with us, before we opted to say goodbye at home before his pain from his mass got any worse. Dr. Tapp at Sunset Vet Chattanooga provided at home euthanasia. He got to play with all of his toys, shred a cardboard box for treats, and eat carrots, cake cookies, bell peppers, chicken, and many many treats. He was eating right up until the sedative kicked in.

He will forever be in our hearts.