Henrico steakhouse treats dog to last meal during final hours of cancer battle

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) - Sitting in her living room, Kelly Blumenthal walks down memory lane with photos of her dog, Emmie.

“This is when we first got her,” Blumenthal said, showing pictures of the golden retriever as a puppy.

The 7-year-old golden retriever became a beloved member of the family.

“Just exactly how you would picture a typical golden retriever, just loving, loyal and extremely maternal,” she said.

During a routine check-up with the vet in August, the Blumenthal’s world turned upside down.

“Lots of dogs get lumps and we had seen one start to form a couple of weeks prior and very, very quickly,” Blumenthal said.

The vet discovered several lumps on Emmie, which turned out to be blood cancer.

“We were just completely devastated,” said Blumenthal. “At the same time, we looked at Emmie and said she is so blessed that she has no idea what’s going on. She’s young and can go do things. Let’s make these last few months the best of her entire life,” Blumenthal said.

The months flew by, filled with lots of love and snuggles, until January 22, when Emmie’s health went downhill.

On this day, the Blumenthal family learned Emmie only had a few hours to live.

“They gave her a 4-hour blood transfusion to give her some more energy so that we could kind of think about, what do we want to do in these final hours,” Blumenthal said.

Determined to make the hours count, the Blumenthal family wanted to have one last meal with Emmie.

As the family pondered where, they found their answer at Perry’s Steakhouse, which was across the street from Emmie’s oncologist.

“I called the restaurant to see how early they were open and what we could do,” Blumenthal said.

However, what happened next is forever etched in this family’s heart as the Short Pump restaurant rolled out the red carpet for Emmie.

“They truly rolled out the red carpet for her with an honor walk into the restaurant, an honor walk out of the restaurant, a private place in the outdoor area, which is actually temperature controlled indoor by the fireplace,” said Blumenthal. “They gave her her own sparkling water, which she drank. They gave her a bone with the marrow in it, steak. Although she didn’t have the energy to eat that, we were able to take some of it and put it under her gums and her tongue so that was the last thing she tasted.”

These moments meant the world to Jesus Martinez, the general manager of Perry’s Steakhouse.

“Myself, being a dog owner, I wanted to ensure that this memory would be lasting for Emmie and the family as well,” he said. “We did everything that we could, within our power, to ensure that they enjoyed themselves.”

Later that evening, Emmie passed away peacefully at home.

Blumenthal said hope triumphs the heartbreak, as the golden retriever spent her final moments filled with love alongside the staff at Perry’s.

“She had happy memories. She not once that day felt fear, she not once felt sadness,” Blumenthal said.

As a token of appreciation, Blumenthal gifted the restaurant a print of Emmie’s paw.

“Definitely brought some tears for everyone in the building. It’s definitely meaningful for the family and the Perry’s family as well,” Martinez said. “Just reminds us we’re in the business of hospitality. We want to do this because we care and it’s meaningful for everybody within the restaurant.”

A moment the Blumenthal family will always cherish.

“We all feel this sense of community that this dog is bringing people together that is humbling and grounding and just making everyone feel like we’re one,” Blumenthal said.