Bye Deke - we'll miss you

The circle of life, we all know it's there.  We know that each life comes to an end at some point.  Yet, why is it so difficult to accept when a loved one is gone?  No, we didn't lose a person, but we did lose a family member last week.  Our sweet (yet certifiably crazy) lab mix crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Friday and we all miss her dearly. 

Ryan and I adopted Deke from the Denver Dumb Friends League just before Christmas 2001.  She was a hyper yet sweet lab boarder collie mix who had been in and out of three shelters in the previous months.  People kept bringing her back because she was destructive.  Ryan and I decided to rescue her from "death row".  We figured that with a lot of love and a lot of training we'd be able to turn this dog around.  Well, we definitely gave her a lot of love, and we paid for a LOT of training and there were many times that she was very well behaved, but for the most part she suffered from severe separation anxiety.  We dubbed her an "Escapologist"  there wasn't a door, gate, window, or crate that she couldn't find her way out of. 

Deke loved people.  All people.  She was never a huge fan of other dogs, wouldn't fetch or play ball, didn't like to swim, but she loved to run and hike and be with us.  She escaped run-ins with coyotes, porcupines, and skunks (OK, well she didn't fare so well with the porcupine or skunk).  She survived a jump from our second story window.  Deke was definitely a troubled dog who often got into the pantry, freezer, and counter tops.  She hid food all through the house (nothing like finding whole pieces of dog food under your pillow at night) she barked at dogs passing by the front window. 

Although she was a troubled soul who tested our patience she was never short on love.  She was patient and loving when the girls came along.  She was always ready for a pat on the head or a rub on the belly.  She was never more than 1 foot away from me and she loved us unconditionally.

So, it's super sad to say goodbye to our four-legged friend who was with us for almost 10 years, but we know that she is now running around anxiety-free and playing pain free and is wagging her tail fiercely. 

Anyone who has lost a family pet knows the grief we feel, but also knows that this too shall pass and our sadness will be replaced by fond memories and lots of laughs.   So with great love and happy thoughts we say "bye Dekers we miss you already!"