In the early morning of June 23, one of the most beloved residents at Christopher Heights Assisted Living Facility in Northampton passed away: a chihuahua named Lil Bit.

Lil Bit was a 13-year-old service dog belonging to Janice Clark, who has lived at Christopher Heights for over two years. The chihuahua had experienced breathing difficulties the night before she passed and it was discovered that she had a tumor in one of her lungs.

“She basically was the perfect resident. She minded her own business,” said Elizabeth Ebacher, who lives at Christopher Heights. “She didn’t make a lot of noise or anything. And she just presented herself with confidence but not in a pushy fashion.”

Lil Bit was adopted by Clark from a breeder in Georgia. “My husband passed away. And I felt as though I needed something. And I started looking through the internet. And there were lots of Chihuahuas and I kept stopping at her profile,” Clark said. “I kept going back about five times. And then I finally decided that’s her. That’s the one I want.”

There are currently 83 residents at Christopher Heights, and Clark said everyone – even visitors – knew who Lil Bit was and loved her, “almost as much as I loved her.”

“She was friendly, very friendly, but not pushy about it. You know, she’d let people pet her and she would respond,” said Ebacher. “I’d often see her at the social hour, which is like every day at 3:30 p.m. I’d scratch her behind the ears, and it was too good.”

During dinner, Ebacher would always (and with Clark’s permission) feed little bites of chicken and beef to Lil Bit. The “serene and peaceful” chihuahua always had a helpful presence that would leave residents in a more calm and civil state of mind.

As Lil Bit got older, she started to experience more health issues, including heart failure.

“I spent a lot of money on her to have tests done with a heart specialist. They assured me that she could lead a normal life. And then things started going sour (six or seven years ago),” Clark said. “I had to take her to [an emergency vet in] South Deerfield and it was over $3,000 for them to look at her. I took her home the next day and she seemed better, but I watched her like a hawk.”

Residents who loved Lil Bit took note of the financial burden on Clark and decided to do something to help out.

“Jan really didn’t even think of doing a GoFundMe page. I took it upon myself and I cleared it with the administration here,” said Ebacher. “As long as I took responsibility for it, they would allow Shauna (the receptionist) to help set up the page and everything.”

The GoFundMe page, “Support Lil Bit’s Medical Journey” is looking to reach its goal of $6,000 to help pay for Lil Bit’s veterinary bills. As of this writing, the fundraiser has raised only $75.

UMass Amherst journalism student Paige Hanson is Arts & Features intern for the Gazette and Recorder.