Saying Goodbye to a Wonderful, Faithful Friend

Thursday was a hard day for our family.  We sadly said goodbye to our dear and loyal friend and family member, Snickers. She was with us for almost 13 years after we adopted her in Houston, Texas.  She lived a very long life as she was somewhere between 15-18 years old; only she knew for sure her true age.  She had been slowing down significantly over the past couple weeks.  We think that she suffered from a debilitating stroke on Wednesday night and it was time to ease her suffering. We are all missing her immensely.  

We adopted her from an SPCA shelter in Houston.  She was in a smaller cage at the bottom of a stack of three.  I will never forget peering into the dim cage and seeing her bright eyes looking back at me and hearing her tail banging fiercely with joy as she looked at me with hope to be let out to play and possibly be adopted.  She was wonderful with the boys, who were very young at the time. Despite our house being dogless for only a week after Jake's passing, I could not see us leaving the shelter without her.  She became ours and we became hers. We thought that since her paperwork said that she was 5 years old that we would not have her with our family for more than 5 years or so.  Wow!  How wrong we were!  Snickers really gave us her all!!!

When I was sitting with her at the vet's office as she breathed her last, the vet remarked on her wonderful white face and once brilliant brindle coat.  She said, "Wow! You loved Snickers so much that you rubbed the color right off."  Such sweet words.  Indeed we did. 

Snickers' favorite food was peanut butter or any treat that tasted like peanut butter.  She hated balloons and loved to pop them (along with all sorts of insane barking).  She loved having tizzies and playing with balls.  She ABSOLUTELY loved the snow and loved bounding through the drifts.  She would beg for the boys to go out and play in it with her.  Her favorite place to sleep was with Zach or Ashton on their beds.  She was an absolute "bed hog"- so funny to see her stretched out and sleeping comfortably on 3/4 of Zach or Ashton's queen-sized beds while the boys (who are quite tall) would be squished in the last quarter. She loved going on walks ("Raus" in our family vernacular), enthusiastically greeting anyone human and angrily blasting anything "other" - especially other dogs.  She was especially protective of her family! Her favorite rauses were in Oklahoma after rains where she could snack on "worm jerky" as the worms on the sidewalk desiccated in the sun (yuck!). She also loved helping walk the boys to their bus stop and pick them up after school when we first move to Flagstaff- and of course she loved greeting the other kids too! Another of Snickers’ favorite activities was “helping” Derek prep the grill. She with her long tongue loved to help prewash and postwash the grill with all of those wonderful flavors. This past Wednesday afternoon before she had her fateful turn, she was outside with Derek, Ashton, and I “helping” as we grilled and enjoyed bratwursts together. (Don’t tell Derek that I snuck Snickers a bratwurst piece when he wasn’t looking!) 

It has definitely been hard not having her underfoot the past couple days as we are making meals in the kitchen.  She finally decided that kitchens were not scary once we moved to Arizona - keeping well clear of the kitchen in Oklahoma.  For the better past of 13 years I have not gone to the bathroom by myself as she has almost always accompanied me everywhere I would go in the house.  She is no longer here to "bust in" to the bathroom while I am in the shower.  It has been lonely not having her right at my feet.  My heart aches every time she is not at the front window or by the door to the garage watching for us as we arrive back home from errands or school.  

Twelve plus years and there is so much that I could and should say, but I can't see anymore to type through the love that continues to leak from my eyeballs.  Thank you Snickers for all that you gave to our family.  I miss you my dear furry friend.  You will be in our hearts and memories always. I love you.