Daisy

It’s been a few weeks since we had to say goodbye to Daisy, our Boston Terrier. It was sooner than we wanted or expected. This little one always lived at full speed. At one of her checkups when she was twelve, the vet commented on her having the energy of a puppy. She was silly that way. It was heartbreaking to watch her slow down so quickly.

All those years ago, back in Wichita, Rob wanted me to go with him to look at puppy. She was the last left in her litter. She was so little. She had those round eyes that melted you. Rob picked her up the next day. She was trouble from the beginning, but you’d forget when she put her head down and looked at you. She was so energetic and playful and curious. Our shih tzu wasn’t sure what to think of this little one. She was the little sister she didn’t really want.

She got into everything and she chewed everything. She chewed her toys, Rob’s shoes, legs on the furniture, books on the coffee table, plaster on the walls. She was something else. It was like she looked for ways to get attention. Our other dog didn’t want to play as much as Daisy wanted to play. She had so much energy. It took five or six years before she began to settle down. With all that energy came the biggest heart. She was the sweetest girl and always gentle with kids.

When Daisy was just over a year old, we added a cat to our family. I thought it would be nice for Daisy to have a playmate. She took to him immediately. They were like Garfield and Odie. The cat liked to stretch out across the back of the loveseat. Daisy would see him all stretched out and comfortable, and jump up to get his attention. It was like she was on a trampoline. Each time she jumped, he swatted her. They did this all the time. It was their little game. I remember laughing at them, watching her jump up and him swatting her, again and again and again.

She was seven when we moved to san Diego. That’s when I started working from home. Both dogs would spend their days with me in my office. Each had a bed near my desk. When I finished my work day, we would hang out in the back yard, enjoying the sun. She loved lying in the sun. I had to watch her because she could easily get too hot.

Rob and I took her to the beach one day. She wasn’t impressed. She didn’t care for the water and ran away as the waves rushed in. I don’t think she cared for the sand either. She was a little prissy and didn’t want it on her feet. She wasn’t a beach dog.

After our shih tzu died, Daisy and I bonded more. I think she missed her and sensed how much I missed her. She continued to spend days with me in my office. We started to let her sleep with us at night. She was a fifteen pound dog that could take up half the bed. Somehow I would end up sleeping on the very edge of the bed. And she burrowed. She loved to sleep under blankets. If we couldn’t find her, we knew to check the blankets.

Life is strange and time flies. One moment you have a squirming little puppy looking at you with those happy, bright eyes. The next thing you know, it’s fourteen years later and your old girl looks at you with tired, heavy eyes. The house has become very quiet. The snoring silenced. I miss her silly smile and big round eyes. I miss her snuggled next to me on the couch in the evenings. When I push my chair back from my desk, I look to the place on the floor where she slept in her bed. I miss the sound of puppy steps on the tile floor. I even miss the trips outside at all hours of the night. I miss her.