Lily Louise 2001-2017

 

We returned home from the hospital on Wednesday after a smooth surgery for Andy to find that Lily (who had stayed home with my dad) was no longer able to get off her bed on her own.  She wasn’t in pain but it was clear she was ready.  So yesterday morning we called a friend/vet who agreed to come to our house to help her pass away.  Peacefully and gently she went with all of us holding and stroking her and telling her how much we loved her.  It was sad and beautiful and I’m so grateful she had us all by her side.

16 years ago we added her to our family of 3 (Andy, Frijole and me).  She was 4 months old, a border collie/coon hound cross.  Unlike Frijole who hardly ever got himself into trouble, Lily ate carpet, ripped open her belly on the barb-wire fence, destroyed many books and never got along well with other dogs.  She was quirky from the start.  She went crazy when we sang Happy Birthday to her.  She would let loose her hound dog howl at anything out of place, for example the laundry basket that got left in the yard.  She was unsure of the girls until they stopped toddling but as soon as she was sure she could trust them (and who can trust a toddler?) she loved them fiercely.   She loved to swim, was excellent in the canoe (riding rapids like a pro), and could find a stick you tossed in a brush pile a mile away.  She joined us on almost every road trip or camping adventure we ever took.  She slept under the covers in our bed until the girls came along.  Then she settled for sitting on my lap while I drank my coffee in the morning or getting belly scritches by the fire.  She was so, so loyal to her pack, which included us and a very few close friends and family.  Everyone else needed to steer clear.  She got shaky when she was scared and that was often.  Mosquitoes and flies were the scariest of all.  On camping trips she spent more than her fair share of time in the tent avoiding them.  

She was the light of Iris’ life from the beginning.  One of the first things Iris learned to say was “Dig it Ya Ya!” which would send Lily flying into snow piles to dig furiously while Iris laughed and laughed.  The two of them had a very special bond and I know that Iris (especially) will miss her for a long time.  

The house feels empty without her, but it’s hard to feel incredibly sad about an amazing dog life that lasted so long.  We’ll miss her soft ears that smelled so good, we’ll miss her chasing the cat around and laying by the fire for endless hours just waiting for us to lay down and snuggle her which we did so often.  We’ll miss her quiet company, her toenails on the stairs, the way she ripped up the grass and got crazy outside.  We’ll miss her deeply.  But we will love her forever and will never forget how lucky we were to share her life.