Lucky Dog

Twelve years ago this October, my dad went to the Humane Society and walked dog after dog trying to find just the right one for our family. After much consideration he decided on a one year old mutt who my dad was attracted to because she was friendly and entergetic, yet very well behaved. My dad walked to the front desk of the humane society five minutes before the closing time to tell them he wanted to adopt her. As my dad adopted her that night, the receptionist explained that the particular dog he had chosen was supposed to put to sleep that very night once they closed. When she was brought home for my brother Aaron's tenth birthday and my dad told us the story of her, we decided to name her Lucky.

For the last twelve years Lucky has been a constant in our lives. No matter where we moved, what we did, Lucky would always be at home waiting there to greet us. She loved running away to the beach and bringing us home a fish, long walks, and most of all human fo0d. On Sundays my mom would always cook a grand meal and when dinner was on the table and we would bow our heads to pray for the meal, Lucky would "join in" by whining...that's how much she loved human food. After the meal, my dad would gather all our leftovers and put it in her dish. She loved Sundays. We learned very quickly that we could no longer say we were going to take Lucky for a walk, instead we would have to spell it out saying "I'm going to take Lucky for a W-A-L-K"...becasue when she heard that word she would get so excited, almost hysterical. Even though Lucky was technically Aaron's dog we all loved her very much. My dad especially has a special place in his heart just for her. When he would go away on trips he would say to me "I really miss my daughter." I would say "Awww...thanks Dad." He would laugh and respond "Oh, I do miss you Danielle...but I was talking about Lucky."

Slowly, over the last year or so Lucky hasn't been as excited about walks. Her joints began to hurt and she didn't move around quite as much. In the last week or so she didn't move much at all, and quit eating. We made the decision as a family...Aaron took her to the vet and put her down today.

I called my dad (who is in at training camp six hours away) to tell him what time Aaron was taking her to the vet. Our call was lost and he texted me and said "I can't talk on the phone right now...my heart is breaking."

For me, it isn't even the fact that Lucky isn't alive anymore, but more that another chapter has ended. The final part of my childhood is over.

We are going to miss that girl.