We buried Dottie today. She was Mom’s dog. She got her as a young puppy from the Humane Society. My grandson Kaleb chose her name based on the red dots in her long white hair, many of which only showed up when she’d been groomed.

She was Mom’s sidekick for many years. For the most part, where Mom went, Dottie went. Work, travel, you name it. And when Mom moved in with us towards the end of her life, Dottie came with her.

She quickly fell in love with Tom, my husband. Fueled by bits of cheese and genuine love and affection from Tom, she started greeting him with joy when he came home from work. 

Last spring we thought we were going to lose her from a stomach ailment but she pulled through. Since then, we’ve watched her slow decline. The occasional stomach issue, signs of kidney disease, and general old-age feebleness slowly wore away at her. Yesterday, a sudden unrelenting pain in the leg she’d long hobbled on, signaled the end.

We will miss her constant coughing - whether a physical issue or just her way of communicating, we’ll never know. She had such a sweet nature and those adoring eyes looking at Tom will sorely be missed.

As she moved on, I told her to head to the garden where she’d surely find Mom.