Lana Steiger

Lana passed away on September 29, 2025, at the age of seventeen after a long, beautiful life. She will always be remembered for her companionship and her larger than life, diva-ish personality. Lana was born in Brockport, New York, on August 7, 2008. She was born to the same biological parents as her elder brother, Mr. Furley. It is believed that her mother was bred too soon after delivering her prior litter, causing most of Lana’s litter to die at birth, other than a brother. We met Lana when she was just two days old. During her first week of life, Lana was bit by a housefly in the neck, which required emergency surgery that may have stunted her growth—she was always a tiny dog, never really weighing more than seven pounds. She sported a distinctive Hunter’s Crest on her neck. From the outset, Lana established herself as a complement to Mr. Furley. Whereas Mr. Furley was unquestionably loyal to Mom, Lana was never partial to just one person (though she tended to favor Alex and Sarah). Mr. Furley loved playing with tennis balls and other toys; Lana rarely played with toys, preferring to attack her blankets instead. Mr. Furley would inhale his food; Lana would delicately eat her food, one piece of kibble at a time. Mr. Furley would hiss and snarl when he was upset; Lana would purr. Mr. Furley could be standoffish and stern; Lana was typically happy to greet visitors and always did things on her terms. Lana adored Mr. Furley and sometimes even tried to emulate him, going so far as to lift her leg when she would pee. Perhaps the most memorable photo of Lana as a puppy shows Mr. Furley staring at her with disgust after she curled up in his bed where he had been napping. When Finn was welcomed into the family in 2016, Lana made clear that she was the alpha—she would impatiently wait as he peed in the backyard so that she could immediately pee on the exact same spot. In time, Mr. Furley and Lana embraced Finn as a part of their pack. Lana never really demonstrated any motherly instincts—we joked that she would’ve dragged her feeding puppies along with her the moment she heard rustling in the kitchen—but later in life she showed remarkable concern when Mr. Furley and Finn were ill. She tenderly watched over both of them in their final days. Lana loved human food. She was always in the kitchen when she knew food was being prepared and without fail she would beg for food when the family was eating. She would also wait in front of the refrigerator in the basement when she knew there were leftovers—especially her favorites, pizza and Thanksgiving turkey. When she wasn’t feeling well, scrambled eggs were a reliable cure. Above all else, Lana loved cuddling and always wanted to snuggle with her people. She would cry in her trademark whimper to sit on your lap, whether you were eating, watching TV, or working. When I moved my bedroom upstairs, Lana would regularly sleep in my bed. She loved giving kisses; sometimes it would be ten minutes of kisses before she would finally settle in for bed. Lana’s longevity defied many expectations. She survived Mr. Furley and Finn and even outlived Mr. Furley. Even though she was frail and plagued by age-attendant ailments at the tail-end of her life, she was sharp until the end and she never lost her personality. There will never be another dog like Lana. She will be deeply missed.