The Promised Lan

In spring of 1996, a young girl went to the pound and brought home an (as yet only slightly grouchy) 8 month old puppy who would live with us for the next fourteen years.

For many months now Snickers has been slowing down fast. Her ongoing trouble with arthritis and her vision made her not enjoy outings of hardly any type, and she’s spent nearly all of each day lying quietly. Only wandering about for the necessities. (Like moving into the sunshine 🙂 )
Early this year our living arrangements changed, mostly for the better, but for a number of reasons Snickers spent a couple months mostly living by herself. With me “visiting” only a few hours a day. In that time she’s seemed pretty content, having made the classic trade of quantity for quality regarding her people time.
But regardless of how content she was I’m still very glad that last week arrangements finally fell into place so that she was able to move back in with Crissy, the kids and I. She adjusted really well, and was getting on great with her “little brother” and the slew of cats.
The night before last, I spent the evening with Snickers curled up next to me on the couch, ( A privilege she’s duly earned.) And I will always be so glad that she was home with the whole family.
But yesterday just after the end of the workday, I received a call from home that she was having trouble standing up and was breathing very poorly.
She passed away in her mom’s arms just before I got home.
Snickers has been my constant companion for so long I’m at a bit of a loss imagining life without her now. But she lived a very long and very loved life.  And she still get’s to participate in her favorite passtime:

Lazing in the Sunshine
Rest well Snickers. You will be missed.