SANDPOINT — The loyalty of a furry friend is something many people in their early adult life come to rely on. 

They’re companions when times are tough, when your dreams stretch farther than the bare walls of an apartment or house. Even when there isn’t enough grass for them to run on, they’re still there, as if they know you’ll find a way to make those dreams come true. 

For Dr. Cameron VanDenBerg and his wife, Rylie, Ayla was that companion — a four-legged source of comfort for the couple and for many patients at Intermountain Wellness Chiropractic in Sandpoint. 

Now, a year after her passing, the couple plans to honor Ayla on Tuesday, Sept. 22, with the inaugural "Ayla Day” at their chiropractic office. Half of the proceeds made that day will be donated to Better Together Animal Alliance, an animal shelter in Ponderay. Any additional donations will go directly to the nonprofit.    

“We wanted to do something. We decided to have a memorial for her and have something that will honor her forever,” VanDenBerg said.  

Community members can also donate at https://www.mightycause.com/story/AylaDayDonation.  

In celebration of the day, Intermountain invites existing patients to bring their friendly dogs to scheduled appointments or stop by to say hello. The office will have special treats and decorations to honor Ayla and the comfort she brought to the clinic. 

During her time at Intermountain, Ayla held the official title of “professional greeter,” but VanDenBerg said she was much more than that.  

“While her official title was ‘professional greeter’, she was also there to, literally, hold the hands of any patient that she knew was in pain or needed emotional comfort of any kind,” he said. “Sometimes people would come in crying, and she’d always be in the room with me, and she would go up to the head of the table and then hold their hand with them while they laid on the table ... it was pretty cute.”

Ayla’s role as a source of comfort began long before she became Intermountain’s “professional greeter.” 

Trained as VanDenBerg’s service dog after his time in the Marine Corps, Ayla became his companion as he attended chiropractic school in Davenport, Iowa. At the time, VanDenBerg said, the two didn’t have much — including a yard for Ayla to run in while he spent long days at school. 

“We didn’t really have anything when I moved over there. ... And then I’d be in school for 12 hours a day, so she would have to sit inside. And I would always tell her, ‘When I get my own clinic, you’ll be a part of it,’” VanDenBerg said. 

That promise eventually followed them across three time zones and, in 2020, into Intermountain Wellness Chiropractic, where Ayla officially took on her role as professional greeter. 

Over the next several years, she would touch the lives of approximately 5,315 patients, providing the same companionship to others that she had given VanDenBerg years before. 

Ayla lived 11 ½ years before passing last September, leaving a gap in the Intermountain community. 

“We had people every week who would bring her freeze-dried hearts or freeze-dried kidneys. Sometimes they’d just come in to see her, not even get adjusted. They’d say, ‘I’m just stopping in to pet the dog,’” VanDenBerg said. 

Through Ayla Day, Cameron and Rylie hope to keep Ayla’s legacy alive by celebrating what she meant to them, their office, and the Intermountain community.

    Dr. Cameron and Rylie VanDenBerg with Ayla

    Ayla lying on the beach