A Tribute to Daisy

Today we had to put our dog Daisy down. We found out two weeks ago she had lymphoma. This is an aggressive cancer in dogs. We thought we would have another month or two with her but the disease hit her hard. Daisy has been THE BEST dog anyone could ask for. This is coming from a girl who never wanted a large dog (especially in her house) and never in her life has become attached to any pet she has owned. Growing up in the country, it just wasn't good for one's emotional health to grow to love an animal because it either ran away, got ran over or attacked by another animal. So, dogs were dogs to me....until Daisy came along. We got Daisy in June of 2003 (pre-kids). I actually should say Shea got her because he bought her while I was out of town. (It's ok, we had talked about it.) Anyway, she became our little child for her first two years. And believe me she was as much work, or more, than either of my two boys! Here she is when we first got her. We loved the floppy ears on a Doberman and decided we would leave them that way. Isn't she the cutest puppy?? Daisy was absolutely wonderful with the kids from the get go. We nicknamed her Mamma Dog because she always looked out for them. When W was born, Daisy would sit outside his room and if he cried she came running to where we were as if to say..."um I think you need to check that baby!" The boys could pull her ears and pinch her nose and she wouldn't budge or get upset.

The kennel we sent Daisy to in Louisville did the craziest things with dogs. They would dress them up and take pictures on occassion. Here is the funniest picture of her. It always makes me laugh. How they got her to do this, I honestly don't know.

Daisy was a smart dog and had many tricks. S had worked so hard with her and she could do anything on command. S actually got her to play dead when he did his finger like a gun and said bang. She was always a bit dramatic when she died - she would turn a circle and slowly fade away on the floor. This picture is another great trick S taught her. She would hold a treat on her nose until he told her ok. Smart, Smart, Smart!!

We loved Daisy and have so many great memories - good and bad. Like the time she ate a whole roll of cookie dough, wrapper and all. She swelled up like a hot dog and I had to stay up all night because she was so sick..... Or failing obedience school. I think she just didn't like the instructor or something ....Or how about all the dog treats she used to beg for from our old neighbor, Mr. King. She loved to watch him in his backyard.... Or, the emergency surgery one Christmas eve because she ate some silicone cupcake holders....Or the time she got sprayed by a skunk at 5am....Or all the many walks she and I took together. I think she's responsible for keeping me in shape.... Or the emergency stitches from a friendly dog bite at the park. The dog responsible sent her flowers the next day ....Or all the times she teased our cat. Which brings me to this question and I'll end on a light note. For those of you who know, you'll understand:

Why couldn't this have happened to our cat instead???

Daisy - you will be missed!!