Jedi’s short time within the Lycoming County Courthouse impacted hundreds of victims, staff and daily visitors to the facility. At nearly five years old, the mild-mannered facility dog’s cancer took his health much faster than originally anticipated and he was put to sleep Monday night.
“Unfortunately I cannot save him. As hard as I have tried there is nothing I can do that is working,” said Jedi’s handler Jerri Rook on in a Facebook post Sunday evening.
Rook, secretary to county Judge Joy McCoy, became Jedi’s handler when he first came to the courthouse in 2017.
He was trained to provide emotional support to victims and bred to be a calm and mellow presence in the courthouse, to provide a soft touch without judgement or pain.
Just over a month ago he became sluggish and nauseous. At first, the veterinarian thought he may have pancreatitis, but after further diagnosis it was determined he had stage 5 Lymphoma.
Stage 5 Lymphoma is a cancer within Jedi’s cells that could only be treated by chemotherapy. However, there is no cure for his disease.
Rook found out on Tuesday that the chemotherapy was not working and Jedi’s health was deteriorating fast.
By the weekend, he had stopped eating and didn’t like to be pet. Rook held on as long as she could, until there was no more hope.
Our memories of Jedi over the years.
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