To the dog I never wanted:

I said, "No".  Not because I didn't believe in you, but because I didn't believe in me. 

We had a full house and I was a little overwhelmed with the challenges I already had. When Shannon contacted me saying "we have a beautiful, unruly girl...who could benefit from your training...someone who will not break her spirit" I just wasn't sure.  I didn't know if I was up for another challenge. 

But Daddy wouldn't hear any of that! He clearly got to use a line he had been holding onto for a long time "How come *you* get to say we have to have that dog, but I don't get to say we have to have *this* dog?"  fair, fair

So, home you came.  And you rounded out the double stuffed cookie, a perfect fit. You made best friends with Chance, which was a miracle of its own. You were the only one to correct the puppy and show her proper manners (I mean, seriously, Mac and Zima...come on!). 

If you had an entrance song, it would definitely be "Wrecking Ball".  You didn't waste one minute getting down to business.  Unlike Zima, who learned from watching Mac do things, you insisted on being taught directly - in my face, always demanding more.  You never let me get away with 'good enough' and you made me work for every step.  I couldn't have two signs mean the same thing, I couldn't get lazy giving signs, I couldn't trust you to follow the pack if I hadn't given you direction - because you wouldn't, you made me work.  And you made me a better handler for it. 

In exchange, you did all the things.  Everything I asked.  Obedience, nosework, dock diving, tracking, travel partner, and the most freaking photogenic dog I have ever seen.  You were just as happy to dress up as you were to roll in a mud puddle.  You could sit as a sphinx looking so regal and then scale a vertical wall like a mountain goat. 

Regardless of what you were doing, you did it with your own flair.  You always had someone laughing. 

I will always be amazed at how you could shift from being a bull in a china shop to the sweetest, gentlest spirit.

  That was so perfectly you...sweet and sour. 

I will miss the way you entered a room like Kramer on Seinfeld. 

I will miss your enthusiasm for...well, everything.

I will miss the way you loved getting dressed up for holidays and photos.

I will miss you keeping my feet warm at night.

I will miss your side-eye and demise plots.   

I am sorry your fire was too much for one little body.

I hope.

I hope your two favorite men in all the world were waiting with open arms.

I hope Sammy found you. I hope he has found all the squirrel trees and he can't wait to show you every one. 

I hope Daddy has found a freezer full of "all the good stuff" to share with you and Sammy. 

I hope you are well.

I hope your spirit has come back and is shining for all to see. 

In the end, I can only hope that you got a portion of the joy that you brought to all of us. 

Until we meet again...



Nitro, Z4 Lil White Tornado

Puppy

Little Puppy $hithead

Ms. Murder Mitts

April 1, 2016 - April 14, 2026