My Marley and Me

It was June of 2004. I remember turning into the Super Walmart parking lot and saying, "Hey, look. There's someone trying to get rid of a puppy."

My husband (Michael) and I had recently been conversing about the possibility of getting a dog. That's why the couple with the sign "Free Puppy" caught my eye.

The next thing I remember, Michael said to me, "Stop the car."  And as I parked our vehicle, I recall thinking, he just wants to get a closer look at the dog. He just wants to see her.  So, he got out, and I waited.  And after some time passed (4 or 5 minutes), he made his way back towards me... with the dog in his hands.

I thought, he's going to ask me if we should take this dog, and he knows the answer to that question. No way! We had already discussed this.  We don't have the time or money to spend on a dog right now.  Of course we can't take this dog!

But my husband didn't ask me if we should take the dog.  Quite the opposite occurred. As he got in the car with this tan ball of fuz, I asked, "Are we taking this dog?" And he said, "Yes."

June 2004

At some point, soon thereafter, I suggested we name the dog Lucky - since she was dang lucky to have captured my husband's heart.  If it had been up to me that day, I would have opted to give the dog back to its owners.  But as soon as I saw how Michael looked at that dog, I knew that wasn't a possibility. That puppy had found its home, and it was in my husband's heart!

A man and his new dog.

She was so darn cute!  And although we named her Lucky, I never referred to her by that name.  She was always Puppy to me.  And as she grew, she found a special place in my heart.

She loved Frisbees, and she was GREAT at catching them!

Puppy was our baby until our first baby, Beth, came along. 

Puppy handled Beth's toddler years with more patience than I did!

That puppy was always there with us - in our midst.  In most pictures and nearly every video I have of Beth growing up, Puppy is right there - living life with us.

Having fun in the snow January of this year.

I guess I took that for granted.  I knew one day she'd be gone.  But sadly, there were too many times, most recently, when I wished her final days were sooner rather than later: Like after each time she peed on the carpet.  Or after each time we would have to pay the huge fees to have her boarded. Or after the time she tore up the carpet in our bedroom because she accidentally closed the door on herself after we had left for the day.

At times like those, I focused too much on the negativity of the situations instead of honing in on the joy she brought to our lives.

And for that, I am truly sorry.

Date of Birth (estimated): April 2004 - Date of Death: October 2014

We miss you Puppy.

Thanks for the memories, faithful friend!

Today's forget-me-not: Our Puppy