Sadness for Shugy

Our sweet girl, Shugar, came to us 12 years ago...when Kelsey was in 3rd grade. We had been at the pet shop getting food for Kels' turtle, when we saw a sign, "Sweet Border Collie Mix Needs a New Home." Her owners met us on a wintry day in a Home Depot parking lot and Kelsey, afraid that he wouldn't be allowed to have her, kept his coat hood up, shielding his face, until they said we could have her. He quickly whipped off the hood, got a huge smile on his face, and grabbed the leash. Shugy had already been sitting right on my feet and when we got home; she spent all of her time in those early days sitting on our laps. If we left her in the backyard , she'd somehow get out - even with rebar! But, there she'd be, sitting on the front porch when we got home.

Shugy was the first dog I had on my own and Kelsey's first too. When Charlie came along, he tried to take her for walks, but she'd put on the brakes if he tried to go more than a block from the house. She was a loyal one-woman dog.

Everyday, Shugar lived up to her name. The groomers would say "She's just the sweetest," even though we had to carry her in there. After a few times of hauling that 50lb+ girl in there, I decided to buy professional dog clippers and do it myself. It was not a pretty. Shugy was a real trooper though, and thankfully she didn't have a mirror to see my "expertise."

Strangers thought her bark was ferocious - perfect for me as a single mom - but she really just wanted you to endlessly pet her tummy.

Unfortunately, when we relocated to Canada, we couldn't take her with us. After much agonizing and searching, we found an angelic caretaker who gave her a home on her farm - bought her special vitamins and lavished her with TLC, even though Shugy's eyesight and hearing were already failing. As the grande dame, she presided over the menagerie of animals, hung out with her new best friends, a golden retriever named Lori and a husky mix, Elle, and even tolerated the horses.

She died peacefully in her sleep the other day, just a few days after Lori. Shugy - we were so blessed to have you in our lives and we will miss you forever.