Mike Naylor was there the day Minnie was born, and for years afterward, the two were inseparable. When cancer made it impossible for him to care for her, he did what he thought was best for her, and it nearly cost him everything.
A Diagnosis That Changed Both Their Lives
Naylor, from Fort Erie, Ontario, was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in May 2021. Over the following year, his health declined sharply. He struggled to get out of bed, and Minnie, an English mastiff mix, stopped getting the runs and outdoor time she needed. In the fall of 2022, he made the decision to surrender her to the Humane Society of Greater Niagara.
“It wasn’t fair to her,” he told CBC. “She wasn’t getting her runs in and playing outside … I could see a change in her.”
Minnie went into the shelter’s short-term boarding program for owners in crisis, but stayed for nearly a year. Naylor kept her dog tags in his pocket and would drive by the shelter after treatments just to catch a glimpse of her outside. Staff say she struggled with the separation, too. According to Briana Howard, a senior animal care technician at the shelter, most surrendered dogs adjust; Minnie, by contrast, was “shut down, sad and reserved,” according to comments Howard gave to Yahoo/Today.
A Devastating Adoption, and a Second Chance
In September 2023, Minnie was adopted by another family. Naylor was glad she had a home, but the news broke something in him. “When I saw that she’d been adopted, I literally gave up fighting,” he told Newsweek. He stopped attending treatment and largely withdrew.
The adoption didn’t last. In May 2024, for reasons the shelter says had nothing to do with Minnie, she was returned and put back up for adoption. When Naylor learned she was back at the shelter, it changed something for him. “When I saw a picture of her back at the shelter, I went from bedridden to gaining some energy,” he told Newsweek. “I started seeing my doctors again and after a month, I was looking and feeling better than I had been in the last two years.”
Remission, and Going Back for Her
Naylor’s health kept improving, and his cancer eventually went into remission, roughly two years after he’d first surrendered Minnie. He went straight to the shelter to bring her home.
The Humane Society of Greater Niagara filmed the reunion. In a TikTok post, the shelter wrote: “After 750 days and a failed adoption, Minnie is back where she belongs. She has her dad, a forever home, and a special place in all our hearts.”
Settling Back In
Naylor has described the adjustment as seamless. “That was the best drive home ever, and she’s settled in like she never left,” he told Newsweek. “Our house is finally a home again.” He has also credited Minnie with saving his life, telling CBC it feels like she never left at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long was Minnie away from her owner? Roughly two years, or about 750 days, including nearly a year at the shelter and a separate adoptive home that didn’t work out.
What kind of cancer did Naylor have? Intestinal cancer, according to his own account to Newsweek. One other outlet reports an earlier, since-corrected pancreatic cancer diagnosis, though that detail wasn’t confirmed elsewhere.
Where did this happen? Fort Erie, Ontario, through the Humane Society of Greater Niagara.
Sources: CBC; Newsweek; Yahoo Lifestyle/AOL (via Today); CHCH News; PetGuide; Humane Society of Greater Niagara (TikTok).
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