More on my Liz

A few days ago, I wrote about the passing of my beloved first dog, Lizzie. At that time, I said that would probably not be my last post, and indeed, it's not. In fact, it's almost impossible to say when "the last" time i'll reminisce on here about her will be, because anyone who spends 14 years with you is going to leave a lot of memories, and a lasting impression.

This is a lot less sad post than the last one was, in no small part because time has passed. At the time of this posting, it will be a week on the dot since she passed, and I've had to function as a person a few times since then. My other two dogs are coping- they still seem confused a little bit about why she's not around, but they are eating and playing and generally going about their routine. Normalcy is settling back in, and at least there are two of them around to keep each other company. Everyone's coping good with the loss of a family member, all things considered.

So, some random things about Lizzie:

• Her favorite holiday was Christmas. She loved wearing her bells and getting presents, which I guess is understandable. When she was younger, her presents would be things like chew toys. As she got older, she got the good stuff- beds, blankets, and other things that made her feel good. She also liked that we'd eat breakfast most years, often salmon, and that she could beg away some food.
• This is not to say that she didn't love Thanksgiving, which was always at my family's. She would spend most of her time under the table begging, and my great-aunt Mary was caught a few years ago giving them sweets and stuff. That was a tough Thanksgiving.
• When Lizzie was a baby, my family had a pool, so I took her in and she loved swimming. We got rid of the pool though, and for many years she really didn't swim much. Last Summer, we took all three of them down to the sandy beach in Lower Mount Bethel Township for a party, and sure enough, even with her old, arthritic legs, she still loved being in the water (though I did hold her up as she swam).
• Liz never had puppies (I thought she should have), but young Nugget sort of became her kid. She would yell at him, get in his face, and yet leave him a little bit of food in her bowl at the end of breakfast, knowing he'd come and eat it. She was quite good to him.
• Sleeping in a bed with Liz was amusing. Though she never reached 25 pounds, she would literally push against you and move you throughout the night so she could have the space she wanted. She eventually wanted a pillow. That was a bit much for a dog.
• Liz got along very well with other dogs, especially as she aged. She was just so chill that they would sniff each other and just hang out then.
• If you wanted to know when dinner was ready, you just listened to the tapping of her feet. As she aged, Liz would literally tap the feet to let the people around know that she wanted some food. We generally obliged.
• She really liked to pose for pictures. She was quite the diva.

As I said, a week ago at this moment, Liz passed on to the next life. Hopefully she's running and playing by the Rainbow Bridge, and someday we'll meet again.