Lily

Thank you for being a friend

So, she made it over to the other side, wherever that is.

Lily died yesterday surrounded by me and the veterinary house call death doula person.

In the moments leading up:

I watch the clock. Each minute counts.

I ask the cat to pray. He is noncommittal.

In the end there is cheese, only cheese, and lots of it.

It’s just been one day but I miss her being alive.

Lily showed up in my life in 2010. She was grown up, but I don’t know how old. She was in a PetSmart with 4 other chihuahua mixes in a pen. She was the most chill one. She just looked at me in a self- contained yet friendly little person way.

She was never harsh with other dogs.

She liked small children and would stand still and be calm when they pet her.

She was agile on hikes, running along, jumping small logs and letting me scoop her up to get over larger logs. She was small with short legs but quite athletic and capable.

She didn’t like the water but could swim if she had to. Initially she disliked my paddle board. She looked sad being put on it. But then, after a while and fairly quickly, ran to get on it when it was on the edge of water, to be sure she was going. She would sit or lie on the board, often between my feet where I stood. She liked looking around and especially liked all the smells, she sniffed in all directions. We would sometimes pull over to the edge of land and she would get off and run about for a bit and then come back to ride again.

She went with me to Port Townsend, Orcas island, Hood River.

She loved cars, in her younger years, she would happily hop into any car.

I’ve mostly been wandering around my house, feeling uprooted. My animals are my anchors. I am now down to one cat.

There is the sound of her nails on the floor sometimes, maybe it’s her energy echo.

She liked stuffed animals - car rides - lying in the sun- walks in the neighborhood and hikes out of town - looking into fresh bags of groceries.

She was not into sharing her things. She liked stuff.

I walked by a pile of dog poop in the back yard. I don’t pick it up. I’ll get it later.

In summary, Lily was a great dog and I loved her.