My Dog Died Today

This is not a joke. I wish it was. Sophie, our 90 lb. black lab is not around any more. She was sick and not doing well when I saw her last week. Now she has been missing for 3 days. Terry says that animals do that and will go off to die. She has been a part of our family for years, like 13 or more. She was a good dog, and of all the dogs that we have had in our family she ranks as the best. She didn't want much....only a little food and water, and love pats. She used to come and lay at our feet when we sat outside and pant relentlessly. She wanted to be with us, no matter what we were doing. Even when I mowed the yard, she would follow me, protecting me, making sure I didn't miss any spots.

When her tail hit your leg you knew it. She was a good mush dog, one time she pulled me on a snowboard in the really high snow drifts. Her favorite thing was when we grilled out, she would lick the grass when meat drippings would land there. And if we dropped any thing meat she was there in a second, gulping it down with one bite.

On Sundays and holidays, she would get a treat and snarf down the chicken, turkey or ham leftovers. She would eat them and then lick her chops, looking for more, and not even know what she ate.

She was a loving dog, and always looked a little sad. She had a particular liking to skunks and tormented them. As a result, she smelled a lot like them too. Sophie will be missed.