a tribute to snowy

If you follow me on Instagram or are friends with me on Facebook, then you likely saw that we lost our sweet Snowy girl on Father’s Day. It was so very unexpected. She was a healthy 3 1/2 year old lab mix that adored our family, and we adored her. Literally, on Sunday she was playing fetch with us in the backyard, and a week later she died. We still don’t know what happened to her. She stopped eating a few days before she died, but the vet was monitoring her and even the day before she died, her vitals were good. He said he never would have guessed that she would have died the next day. He requested to perform an autopsy at his expense and still didn’t find answers. Everyone was left puzzled. He said you think you know everything, and then a case comes along that you can’t explain. Unfortunately she was that case.

It’s ironic. I was the one that dug my heels in the sand on getting a dog. My kids fell in love with Snowy when she was just a few days old. The dogs at the school they went to that year had puppies, and the kids got to play with them and walk them every day. Snowy was the runt of the litter, and she seemed to bond with the kids as much as they bonded with her. When they begged for a puppy, I gave in. Little did I know that she would grab my heart, too.

I’ve felt silly for grieving the loss of a dog so much. If you’ve never had a family pet, then you might think I am silly. If you have, then perhaps you’ll understand. You’ll understand how much they become a part of your family.

Snowy was our first family pet. I write this post as a marker of remembrance to look back on and reminisce on the fun times we had with her and the silly quirks that made her Snowy…

• I loved the way she greeted us when we walked in the door like we’d been gone for months. Every.single.time.

• She never met a frog or bee she didn’t like…even when her friendliness backfired on her. The foaming mouth and swollen face didn’t teach her the lesson the first time around. It was pitiful and funny at the same time.
• She might have thought frogs and bees were her friend, but thunderstorms were always her enemy. Her safe place was the shower. Emma Grace would lovingly cover her up with a blanket and bring her a pillow to ease her fear until the storm passed.

• She LOVED car rides. All you had to say was, “You want to go for a ride?” She would race to the back door and wait for you to open it. She would dart out the door and wait at the back of the car until you opened the hatch for her. 
• She loved the car but thought the back windshield wipers were a fierce enemy. For fun, we would turn them on. She would bark and growl as they wiped the glass. It was hilarious.
• She would run along our fence bending down to see past the wooden lads. She barked at every passerby outside the fence, but if that same person came inside the house, she would excitedly bring them her ball in hopes of playing. She loved people and even made friends all over the world.
• She learned lots of tricks including sit, lay down, roll over, high five, and shake. When it was treat time, she would just do an entire round of tricks in that order to make the process faster, so she could enjoy her treat!
• She loved to play keep away which is why fetch didn’t work so well with her. She would go get the ball, but part of the fun for her was you chasing her to get the ball to throw it again.
• She absolutely adored the kids and loved to be fair to them. Every night she would start out sleeping with Emma Grace. Halfway through the night, she would move to Joshua’s room. She wanted each of them to have a turn.
• If I slept too late in the morning, she would come upstairs to wake me up. It was never because she needed to go outside. It was because she would get lonely and wanted someone to get up. When I would hear her coming, I would roll over with my back toward her. If she saw my back, she would let me sleep, but if she saw my face, she would nose me until I got up.
• Popcorn and peanut butter were her favorites. These were the snacks at her 1st birthday party. 🙂

• She was not a loud dog, but she would moan loudly at the weirdest times (like staff meetings). It was hilarious.

So, yeah, we (I) miss this sweet dog loads. I wish we could have found out what took her life too soon. The vet assured us that we did everything right, and I have no doubt that was deeply loved and cared for while she lived with us. She could never be replaced, but we have brought a new puppy into our home. Tune in tomorrow to meet the new addition.