Goodbye Gale

Gale had a stroke and did not recover.

She had been with us for a little over five years. It seems like just yesterday that we brought this skinny, skittish, amazingly affectionate little girl into our home. She used to jump into the bed in the middle of the night where there was thunder. She would sit patiently until we put the foot bowl down and stepped away. Eventually she opened up.

She became an integral part of our lives. She was polite, affectionate, well-mannered... everything we could have wanted in a dog. When we would have an argument, Gale would interpose herself between us. If it got too loud, she would run into the bedroom and sit at the foot of the bed until we came and consoled her. When we were sad, she would nuzzle up to us.

Gale aged rapidly. She started sleeping a lot. Gale developed arthritis in her rear legs. She stopped going downstairs in the house, and then she started having reservations about down the back stairs, even to go on a walk or when she really wanted to go out.

Gale made us really happy. I think we improved her life as much as she did ours.

2010-03-23