We weren’t her first owners. She was obviously loved and cherished by that person who we think was elderly. There was an old lady who lived on our street and would walk up and down the street for exercise. Cookie would stare at her intensely. We will never know the real story – we wish we did.

Even though we were her second family, she loved us, her family pack, intensely. Anybody who doesn’t believe dogs love us unconditionally should have met Cookie. Her favorite thin...g was sit on your lap, press her head into you and stare adoringly up at you.

She believed other dogs were evil – particularly little white ones and golden retrievers. She would spare no effort or energy protecting us from other dogs.

She had a job: carrying Claire’s shoes around. Never chewing them – just carrying them up the stairs and putting them in her dog bed. She was quiet and for the most part well behaved. Until her final illness, she never had an accident in the house or the RV.

In later life she went deaf, so she would watch us for visual clues as to what to do. She did not hear us telling her how much we loved her, but she felt Claires hands holding and caressing her as she passed. I hope and pray she got the message.

She was not the perfect dog, nor were we perfect dog parents. But I believe we did right by her. I know she did right by us.

If you have that, you have everything they can possibly give.
Cookie Monster
2001(?) – September 2, 2016