Saying goodbye

Sasha 1998-2009

Yesterday, we had to say goodbye to a beloved family member. Sasha was our dog for the first 5 years of her life and has been with my parents for the past 6 years. My parents had to put her down yesterday after she developed kidney failure from her diabetes.

I can still remember picking her out at the shelter and driving home with her on my lap. She was only 8 weeks old and was a little puff ball. She had the worst separation anxiety of any dog and when we would return from being out, the entire front of her would be soaking wet because she had literally cried the entire time we were gone. Now, there were less desirable side effects of that anxiety, like the time in Chicago, when the pet sitter called me at work to tell me that the "little one" had done some damage to the house. I came home to find the lower half of our laundry room door missing. She had shredded it.

She had the world's softest ears and such a sassy personality. She was the only dog I have known that had a definite bratty look. She was born with probably the worst genetic makeup. At 6 months she had to have both hips repaired because she had horrible hip dysplasia. In recent years, she developed diabetes, seizures and eventually went blind from the diabetes. She amazed us all with her ability to ignore her physical problems and to continually approach life with the same gusto and zeal she always had.

I'll miss you Miss Chow Chow.