Photos courtesy of Arles Hendershott Love
When Joe and Arles Hendershott Love adopted Keanu in 2011, the first order of business was simply to nurse her back to health. The Border Collie, underweight at only 27 pounds and estimated to be just over a year old, had recently been rescued along with three of her newborn pups.
Intelligent and energetic, Border Collies are known for their herding abilities and working in search and rescue, therapy, and service dog roles. As Keanu stabilized, Joe – newly retired – started actively training to keep her brain sharp and busy. She quickly excelled at obedience, scent work, and tricks. Little did the family know that in the coming years Keanu would touch the lives of thousands of people, earn 81 different official titles and certifications, and establish a lasting legacy at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM).
“We took her as far as she showed interest in going – which was virtually boundless,” says Arles Hendershott Love. “Even with her 81 titles, therapy was where Keanu really shined. She had an innate ability to see when people were hurting.”
Over the next 10 years, Joe and Keanu trained and worked together to serve their surrounding community of Rockford, Ill., in countless ways. Hendershott Love was always by their side, often serving as her husband’s “ears” during training sessions and events due to his severe hearing loss.
Hendershott Love works for an organization that serves people with developmental disabilities, and so did Keanu. Amazingly, Keanu could get people who had been completely non-verbal to say a word or two. She served as a therapy dog to comfort clinicians, volunteers, and National Guard members at inoculation centers during the COVID-19 pandemic, for which she received numerous accolades including a Certificate of Recognition from the Illinois State Senate, United States Senator Tammy Duckworth, and Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. Keanu worked on “Goose Patrol” for the Rockford Park District, keeping geese off bike paths and golf courses. These are just a few examples of a list that goes on and on.
Unfortunately, at age 12, Keanu’s health took a rapid turn. During a training class, the Loves noticed she would yelp if her jaw was touched. A trip to the vet revealed an abscessed tooth, but additional tests revealed more concerning issues. Keanu declined quickly over the next 24 hours, leading her family to UW Veterinary Care (UWVC) in May of 2023.
They connected with Jordan Genovese (DVM’23), who was a fourth-year veterinary medical student at the time and now is a resident in emergency & critical care. Sadly, within a few hours there was a diagnosis of cancer. It had spread so far and so fast they made the incredibly difficult decision to euthanize Keanu.
“The bond between Keanu, Joe and Arles is a great example of the reason I became a veterinarian in the first place and chose emergency & critical care,” says Genovese. “Unfortunately, these times require selfless and difficult decisions on the part of owners. Since they cannot speak for themselves, pets rely on their families to communicate. Keanu was lucky to have had such incredible advocates.”
The feeling was mutual between doctor, patient and client.
“She really went the extra mile checking on us, asking if we needed coffee or anything else,” Hendershott Love says of Genovese. “The level of care and compassion was incredible and much needed during a difficult time.”
Keanu’s unexpected passing was heartbreaking for both the Loves. They were on the way home to Rockford when they realized they had failed to ask for Keanu’s collar as a keepsake. Upon returning to UWVC, they were again met with kindness as reception team member Kurt Schuchardt went above and beyond their expectations to find and return Keanu’s collar.
“We were so thankful and didn’t know what to do with ourselves without Keanu, so the next weekend we went and dropped cookies off for the staff,” says Hendershott Love. It was at that time they connected and started building a relationship with Pat Bowdish (’03), a vice president at the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA), one of the SVM’s development team members.
In July of 2023, the Loves held a celebration fitting Keanu’s life. Condolences and donations poured in from hundreds of individuals, organizations, and state leaders. Working with Bowdish, the gifts created the Miss Keanu Love Excellence in Veterinary Medicine Memorial Scholarship Fund.
“When Keanu passed away, it was an honor to help Joe and Arles create a special scholarship in her name,” says Bowdish. “While each situation is unique and special, it’s not uncommon for many human memorials to total around $1,000. In this case, memorials for Keanu totaled nearly $3,000.”
Inspired by the outpouring for Keanu and what the Loves had learned about the SVM and UWVC, the couple also took advantage of the Speaker Match to make a gift to the Animals Need Heroes Too building expansion and renovation campaign. In addition, they named a learning pod in the SVM’s Renk Learning Center and purchased a memorial brick in Keanu’s honor.
As anyone who has lost a beloved pet knows, a new companion can help ease the grief. In November of 2023, the Loves adopted Juno, a three-year-old Border Collie, who quickly became Joe’s constant companion and started training.
The Loves had several good months with Juno until the family got more bad news: what initially started as just a few aches and pains for Joe was diagnosed as a very aggressive case of multiple myeloma. He started treatment at the UW Health Carbone Cancer Center in Rockford, and Juno switched from star student to full-time therapy dog. She quicky adapted to her new role, supporting Joe through the difficult months of his illness and serving as a faithful companion for Hendershott Love when Joe had to be hospitalized for several weeks. When Joe passed away at home on October 6, 2024, Juno stayed snuggled at his side.
“The relationships we developed with the UWVC staff and with Pat, along with Joe’s love of Keanu and Juno, made my decision about where to direct memorial gifts in Joe’s honor an easy one,” Hendershott Love says. More than 100 memorials for Keanu and Joe have totaled nearly $9,500 to date, prompting her to summarize, “The story of Joe and Keanu is a story of two souls, one with four legs and one with two legs, who lived well and gave to others.”
Adds Bowdish, “The outpouring of support from those who knew Joe and Keanu has been humbling. Their love and generosity has positively impacted the lives of future veterinarians through Keanu’s scholarship, and will continue to do so for many years to come.”
As Hendershott Love moves forward, she continues to look for ways to support the SVM and has made adjustments to her own estate plan that will permanently endow Keanu’s scholarship and create a second endowed scholarship named for her and Joe. Both scholarships will provide perpetual support for future generations of aspiring veterinarians, a legacy Hendershott Love is proud to create.
She continues to train with Juno and says they help each other through the hardest days.
“After three years with a family, Juno was left at a shelter; then she found Joe and lost him so soon after,” Hendershott Love says. “But Juno has given me purpose. She sleeps with me, reads my moods, and is a cherished companion. To continue her training honors my husband’s memory and Keanu, too.”
Keanu held an impressive 81 certifications and actively worked in a wide variety of areas. Among her many accomplishments:
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Keanu’s peanut butter paintings As a member of the Goose Patrol for the Rockford Park District, she helped keep geese off of bike paths and golf courses.
- Keanu served as a therapy dog to comfort clinicians, volunteers, and National Guard members at inoculation centers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Keanu and Joe were the first Border Collie Therapy Team to earn AKC Supreme Title.
- Through “peanut better painting,” Keanu participated in art shows that raised funds for a local pet food pantry (her last show raised more than $3,000 along with two vanloads of donated food)
- Through Arles’ work as a volunteer for Crime Stoppers, Keanu worked as a therapy dog for the regional 911 center and Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office.
by Maggie Baum