We had to say good-bye to our Lillee today. She has been a part of our family for almost seven years. We do not know how old she is, just that she was old when she came to us. Many may not know the story of how Lillee came to be... I will share it in honor of her today.It was May the month before Thom and I would be married. My apartment was close to both of our jobs so we would meet there for lunch. One day Thom was late. He called me from his cell phone, and said he just hit a dog. At first I thought lame excuse to stand me up for our lunch date. But then I asked if it was dead. He didn't know. He was turning around to check, but it didn't look good. The dog was on its back with its legs in the air. When he got to the dog she was coming too, a little dazed, trying to get back on all fours again. He looked around for the owner-no one. Asked the near by house if they knew this dog-no one knew. He called the Animal Control to come and pick up the dog. They were having a busy day, so after waiting awhile Thom took the dog to the shelter himself. Thom visited her everyday, I think even more then once. Her family called to see if she was there but never came for her. After the grace period of five days, she was up for adoption. Thom took me to see her. I immediately took her out of the cage and started for the desk to fill out the paper work to adopt her. She was small, but had huge brown eyes. After adopting her I went straight to PetSmart and spent a small fortune to outfit a dog. Morgan was so excited when I picked her up from school and told her it was our dog. Thom wanted to name her "pugsey" because of her big eyes. I wanted her to have a girly name. We kicked around names for all of dinner. Then I said she needs something like "Lilly of the Valley". That was it. And to make it more like us her name was spelled with two "e"s. We had a dog in my "no pets allowed" apartment.
So Lillee was our best road kill prize. She came potty trained, & well mannered. She rarely got on the furniture. She didn't like to be held or picked up. She'd just lay at your feet and keep you company. She would let Thom hold her like a baby and scratch her belly. but only for a moment. She could meow like a cat, chase deer like she was bigger then they are, as well as dogs, cats, birds,& grasshoppers.The grasshoppers, worms, and moths were a tasty treat. She would beg on her hind legs and air scratch with her paws. That made her look like a chipmunk. A really BIG chipmunk. Oh how she hated fireworks, and brushing her teeth. She loved Grandpas hotdogs, and looked forward to them everynight. She liked it when the peas were in season and could eat as much as the kids. She could be found scrounging food off the kitchen floor or in a small space snuggled up- her snoring would give her location away. Her tags made an unmistakable jingle. She would smile when you scratched her good spot. Bark everytime we left her, and watch us go from the livingroom window. She liked a good car ride, but knew when we were getting close to home. Anytime someone would come over she was so excited and thought they were there to see her. She was just like the kids, I call them "the entertainment commitee". She was always protective over the new babies. She would lay right by them and watch over them. Then as they grew they would chase her around. At first she didn't need to go too fast, she would hide until they were old enough to understand "soft" and then she would snuggle next to them again.
It is amazing how attached we can become to someone we love even if it is an animal. Lillee brought joy and comfort to our home. There is a void in our house tonight, she is greatly missed.
Good Bye Lillee Dog, We love you!
