It's Hard to Say Goodbye

Way back in the Sanders days, we stopped at the post office on the way out of town (to the dentist, but any appointment of any kind in Sanders required a trip out of town).  We had a vanful (at least it seemed so at the time) so I stayed in the car with the kids while Terence ran in to check our box.  When he came back, he had the mail but he also had a tiny black puppy.  When you live on (or next to) the rez  you have to harden your heart against all dogs or you will go insane so even though she was adorable and super young and clearly abandoned (by her mother, I doubt she ever had an owner), I put my foot down.  I was NOT taking in another dog, we had one already and I was swamped with a new baby and a toddler and a preschooler.  Terence pled on behalf of the puppy- it was freezing outside, and we couldn't just leave her.  I gave in, not gracefully at all, on the condition that we would take her to the shelter on our next trip to Gallup.

Of course Willow never left.

Our rez dog was such a mutt that not even the vet would guess at what breed she was.  And her manners left a lot to be desired-- I am a notoriously inept dog trainer but we couldn't even train her to sit.  But she was super hyper, protective of her family, devoted to Peanut (our other dog), and a definite part of the family.

We had to say goodbye to her this morning.  She made it 13 years, and she was a fighter to the end.  But even a scrappy rez dog couldn't win against cancer.

Happy trails, Willow.  Thank you for giving us your love and protection, and say hi to Peanut!!