With an orange dog

For a little over sixteen years, I walked through life with a white dog by my side.

When we met, I was twenty five, single, living in Memphis and working for a mobile tack shop on the A show hunter jumper circuit.

At the time of her death, I was a stay at home mother of two, living with my husband in our own house in the Denver suburbs. 

It was an entirely different life, and she had been there with me for all of it. She was my most constant constant. I could not imagine any dog ever taking her place.

A couple months after she died, Seth persuaded me to visit a local shelter, just to look at some dogs.

We all know how that worked out.

Although they were both extremely smart, trainable, vocal, medium sized, spitz/herding dog mixes, Abbie and Darcy had extremely different personalities.

Abbie was opinionated and had a strong independent streak. She loved me - of course, she did - but that wasn't her whole personality.

Darcy loved her entire family, but I was her person.

She loved me with every fiber of her being. 

I don't think anyone has ever loved me as hard or as completely as Darcy did.

Our lives together were not eventful in the way that mine and Abbie's were.

Her entire life was lived in this one house.

Her adventures...

were many...

but small.

She was just so bad in the car, it was hard to take her anywhere.

That's one of my biggest regrets, really.

Once she arrived at the destination, she was so good.

But getting her there... that was rough.

As often as not, I just couldn't make myself do it.

She didn't hold it against me.

She was always there for me.

It didn't matter how ridiculous the job was .

If I asked her, she would do it.

She loved me so much.

It didn't matter how many other dogs I added to our lives.

She was always the main dog.

I loved her so much.

She was loud, anxious and fragile.

None of that mattered.  

She was Darcy, and she was the best.

I never thought I would have another dog as important as Abbie,.

I was wrong.

My beautiful Darcy dog died yesterday morning from complications of old age.

She was my second dog of a lifetime.

For fourteen years, I walked through life with an orange dog by my side. I was so lucky.