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| Sadie July 23, 2006 - February 4, 2021 |
Sadly, our dog Sadie has passed away. We miss her deeply and are grateful beyond measure for the fourteen-and-a-half years she was here as a part of our family. Her final illness progressed rapidly and while it took us by surprise on Wednesday evening, we are comforted in that she did not have to endure prolonged suffering. Although several procedures relieved her discomfort overnight, by Thursday morning we were forced to make the decision that so many pet owners dread. We were able to pet her once more and love her through her peaceful transition to sleep.
Throughout our years together, she brought us immeasurable joy and guided us through life in ways we didn’t always understand. We never imagined that one fateful trip to the mall for dinner in 2006 would change our lives forever. We DID know we couldn’t leave that little Australian Shepherd puppy in the pet store. She was “on sale” and would soon go to a shelter. We discovered that the reason she dragged her back end a bit was due to a lack of muscle, a result of being born into a puppy mill and confined to cages for her first several months.
Being familiar with the breed from my mom’s family, we knew she would require a lot of physical and mental exercise. Her leg strength developed steadily with plenty of walks, runs and play. She was a spunky, feisty little ball of energy who would not stop chewing on my shoelaces (while they were on my feet)! She was our first “child” of sorts and as we saw her through puppy kindergarten, countless training sessions, classes and play times, and never-ending adventures, she taught us well - while simultaneously maturing into the instinctive, bright, playful, and mischievous overgrown pup that she remained her entire life.
Eventually, she would receive her own dog in the form of “Bentley” whom she loved dearly and bossed around constantly. He loved her profoundly as evidenced by his absolute obedience and fierce protection of her. He looked to her for instruction (on even the simplest of matters) and dutifully became her personal bodyguard outside and whenever she was nervous.
They would both receive a human boy in their later years, whom they both cherished and they settled into “parenthood” with grace, maturity and a willingness to eat whatever he dropped on the floor or was stuck to his fingers. She overcame her fear of children in order to care for him and he in turn was born into a world knowing the love of a dog.
Through all our adventures and travels, (including crossing the country four times by car, visits to the Grand Canyon, Vegas, Memphis, Toronto, Virginia, Hollywood, pit stops along Route 66, countless hotels, muddy swamps, snowfalls, music studio sessions, music video shoots, and fourteen years’ worth of family events, laughter, and love), one thing she said to me once really stands out. (Oh… Did I forget to mention that she could talk?) ;)
I was thinking philosophically and considered that she was such a good dog, perhaps she would advance spiritually enough to come back to earth someday as a human. She looked at me with a sort of gentle pity. “YOU have it BACKwards,” she said in her melodic way. “If YOU advance enough YOU might get to come back as a DOG.” It’s true that dogs have indeed mastered unconditional Love in a way that we humans can only aspire to. People have always had a problem with hubris. She had it all figured out and I was just her silly human.
Thank you, Sadie. We love you. Your Spirit remains with us always and we are Blessed to have you as our forever Angel dog, or as Zachary puts it, our “SUPER DOG!”
xo
