Saying goodbye to a furry friend

Yesterday Sis called Himself to come watch Sara in the afternoon.  Their dog, Hershey, who for the last three years or so has been 15 years old, had taken a turn for the worse.  It was time to take her to the vet for the final time.

 Sis was Hershey’s third owner.  Apparently the first one abused her.  She was terrified of men, particularly those wearing hats.  The next owners, friends of Sis, took Hershey in, but with small children it just wasn't a good fit.  They asked Sis if she was interested, and the rest, as they say, was history.

With a lot of love, training, patience and time, Hershey became a good dog.  She was super smart and never met a piece of food she didn't like. 

When Sis traveled for work either my parents or Himself and I dog-sat.  It was after doing that a few times I decided I wanted my own dog.  She was Jack’s first doggy friend.  No matter how much bigger than her Jack got, she was always the boss.  They were even blessed together on the Feast of St. Francis.

Hersey was patient when we "decorated" her with Christmas ribbons and bows or tried on her new raincoat.  She didn't think too much of that fashion statement so back to the store it went!

My mom just adored that dog.  When she was sick Hershey often laid nearby keeping her company.  The first time Hershey was in the house after mom died, she trotted to where the hospital bed had been, though she had never been in the house when the bed was there.  She ran in circles and whined.  She apparently sensed something wasn't right.

She protected the new little human that invaded her space when Sara arrived two years ago.  Sara learned quickly that her doggy would scarf down any food she didn't want to eat.  Food often went flying off Sara's highchair for her furry friend!

We often called her the "energizer bunny" since she was always happy to go for a walk.  Even age and health issues didn't slow her down.

Sis and her family are going to miss their Hershey terribly.

I think we will too.  Let's just say I stopped on the way home from work yesterday to get Jack his favorite goose liver and hot dog treats.  Got to spoil him while we have him!

AMDG