Help Leah Honor Lucy's Life and Legacy

If you know and love Leah Shapiro, then you know and love Lucy—the soulful, snuggly pit mix who adopted Leah back in 2017 and never left her side.

They met on a group hike for shelter dogs in Asheville. Leah was participating as a volunteer. Five minutes in, Lucy crawled into Leah’s lap—and that was it. They were family.

Lucy had been at the Humane Society for a long time. At least two families had tried to adopt her, only to bring her back. She was a sensitive soul, and shelter life was hard on her. But once Leah brought her home, everything changed.

With Leah’s love and steady care, Lucille McGillicuddy Shapiro transformed. Within months, the anxious shelter dog became a registered therapy animal—gently comforting schoolchildren in classrooms and offering love to nervous travelers at the Asheville airport. Lucy had a gift for finding the most anxious or heartbroken person in the room and resting her head in their lap. Just like Leah, Lucy made people feel seen and cared for.

When Leah and Lucy moved to San Diego, all of their friends in Asheville were heartbroken to see them go. But the beach life suited them perfectly. Every time I called, Leah told me Lucy was thriving—living her absolute best life.

A few facts about Lucy, as told by Leah:

She had expressive eyes, the softest fur, and a snore that could rattle the windows.

She loved the sun, the beach, and men aged 30–50.

She hated cardboard, loitering, and (most) old white men with white hair.

She was opinionated, intuitive, funny, gentle, and gloriously stubborn.

She laid her full body weight on anyone giving her pets—and refused to let them stop.

It breaks my heart to share that Lucy recently crossed the rainbow bridge.

When Lucy suddenly fell ill, Leah rushed her to the vet, where they discovered a large mass on her spleen. Emergency surgery was performed, but after two days in post-op ICU care, Lucy passed away.

She was surrounded by compassion to the very end. A nurse named Dani cared for her in her final hours with the same tenderness Leah had shown her every day for nearly eight years. Lucy passed knowing she was loved.

Leah pursued every option to ease Lucy’s pain, without hesitation. The cost of diagnostics, emergency surgery, and ICU care quickly added up to thousands of dollars. These weren’t just medical expenses—they were a final act of devotion to a beloved friend.

Now it’s our turn to show up for Leah.

If you’re able, please consider donating to help cover the costs of Lucy’s final care. Your contribution is more than financial—it's a tribute to the bond Leah and Lucy shared, and a way to be part of the beautiful, soft-hearted, fiercely loving community they built together.

Funds will go directly toward Lucy’s medical bills.

Thank you for supporting someone who gave a shelter dog the life she deserved—and made sure she was cared for with dignity, love, and comfort until the very end.