People still ask me about Lady, even after more than 3 years.

"Every once in awhile a dog enters your life and it changes everything"

We have lived here in the same neighborhood (just north of Seattle) for more than eight years. Neighbors within a three mile radius have seen me, many times, walking a Golden (or two). Cosmo, Devo, Lady and now Easton. All the dogs have been friendly, but none have endeared herself to both friends and strangers like Lady. They always remember her. She is like that great teacher or coach you had in school. Even if your interaction was only 30 seconds, you always felt that their attention was completely focused on you for the duration of your meet. You were "special" in the eyes of this lovely, Golden magical being and you loved it.

In the last two week, by chance, I've run into 3 people during Easton's and my short walks who have chatted me up about my Goldens. Each had met 2 or more of my other dogs. Two of them asked about (I'll paraphrase) "the one who nudged my hand and had the white mask". The other neighbor knew her name (surprised me).

It's been over three years since she left for the bridge. I had another encounter with a hummingbird yesterday. Can't say it was a visit from Lady's spirit, but it reminded me to sit down and write a bit about how she changed everything.

A year ago today.....

.... Lady left for the Rainbow Bridge; her assignment - show all the new stars in the sky how to take the place by storm! Our friend Mully left the same day; a shy, sweet Golden girl; we always imagined that Lady took Mully under her wing and showed her the ropes. Lady was a huge part of our life for 3 years. The first senior Golden we ever adopted. She is a tough act to follow, but her job was to lay the foundation for other senior Goldens in need.

I miss her and think of her every day, seeing her perfect portrait in my office and remembering how we fed her hot dog slices to keep her interest during the photo shoot. After the session, we all retired upstairs for lunch and beers, plus a game of "where is Lady's fuzzy bone". A couple hours later, Lady's staff photographer Michael and I went down to the garage to break down our make shift studio (with Lady on our heels of course). As we folded up lights, packed away camera equipment and chatted, we hadn't noticed that Lady assumed her "pose" position on the blanket, all the while thinking "well, here I am, where is my hot dog?". I guess you had to be there, it was pretty funny.

Monday, Easton and I are going up to Sedona to visit Bell Rock. 

Bell Rock, Sedona

It just seems like the right thing to do. A time to reflect and honor my girl Lady.

Easton will know exactly why we are there!
Did I mention that Lady and Easton would have made a GREAT couple?
Oh yea, only a million times....BOL

Lady, within 4 hours of arriving at her new home, May 27th, 2008

Six Months

I don't dwell on it, but it amazes me that it's only been six months since Lady's Lifeforce faded away on that sunny afternoon. I see her picture every day and celebrate in my mind the wonderful times we had, always amazed at how easily we fit together from the day she jumped eagerly into the back of the MDX. Three years went by so fast, but was so fulfilling. As much as I miss her, I never felt cheated by our short time together. It took Lady about three months before she regularly wagged her tail. I don't think she was unhappy, just wary of her circumstance, not wanting to give up everything all at once. Of course, at the time, I had no idea how much Lifeforce she had, ready to explode like a South Pacific volcano. Then again, maybe she didn't either. I am truly blessed that she shared that with me. Andi said from the beginning, "Lady is an old soul". Some day, she'll be back!

May Day 2011 - Lady, A Teacher and a Toughguy

It's been two months to the day. Lady is still sending signs from the bridge, encrypted to appeal to only a few of us. I am not the only one who sees them (which I find very strange). Of course I miss her and think of her every day as I see her pictures, play ball with Easton and smile at the thought of how unique she was and how different Lady and Easton are as Goldens. To my family and friends: thanks for taking the time to tell me about your "Lady sightings". Her LifeForce lingers long after her physical presence has left us. I normally don't believe or even think about those kind of things, but this is just too strong; even for skeptical ME.

Early this year a wonderful book was released, telling the story of two very special people who are the parents of a good friend of ours. When Glenn (the author) needed a publicity picture, he chose a shot taken by our personal photographer and huge Lady fan, Michael O'Dell. Lady now shares Glenn's spotlight on a couple of websites where his book is offered for sale.

Glenn's rookie writer blog - profile

Lady and Mr. Fuzzy Bone - Always her companion in Phoenix

Who ME? - oh sure, I'll pose anytime

Lady Pals - Buddy

Buddy has a history with two of my dogs: Devo and Lady. He belongs to the Greens; Andi's sister and her family. I used to puppy sit Buddy when he was a rambunctious 6 month old. This was the winter of Devo's life and he was not happy about this youngster invading his mellow space (he finally knew how Cosmo felt when he came home with me at 6 weeks old). Of course, he put up with it and tried everything to avoid playful attacks.

Devo sez: Thank god, he's finally asleep

Buddy is a typical goofy Lab mix (he allegedly has a Flat Coat somewhere in his gene pool). Today, he is 4 years old and hasn't changed much from his puppy terror days. Buddy is still very energetic and has matured into a handsome Black Lab. He really is a "good boy". Buddy and Lady became instant friends, sharing toys, playing and barking at Buddy's neighbor's yappy rat dog. It was a lot of fun to watch. When Buddy & Lady were together at our house, he was just one of the pack and was a joy to be around. Lady's calm, confident energy was just what Buddy needed. She fed off Buddy's high energy antics, reverting to occasional bouts of puppy play. It was like being in the their own private dog park every day.

Lady Pals - Rocky

When Lady first came to her furever home with us, we were pretty sure she would make new doggy friends quickly. As it turned out, Lady liked most dogs, but did not tolerate grouchy, dominate dogs that wanted to push her around. My sister has a young Welsh Terrier who had a reputation of running roughshod over visitors, two or four legged. When they first met, Lady (with her confident, even tempered energy) ignored Rocky's antics and they soon became fast friends. For almost 3 years Rocky and Lady spent a lot of time together. Lady and I gladly accepted any request to dog sit Rocky . We became a tight, stable pack and had lots of fun playing "Rocky chases the toy and Lady chases Rocky". The Rock still gets excited when I visit (now without Lady) and it seems like he knows that something is missing. Yes Rocky my boy, I miss her too.

Being a much younger dog, Rocky really infused energy and some puppy playfulness into Lady. They played together, explored together and cuddled on the couch during down time with their pack leader. This was their routine when it was just the three of us. It was a very special time for all of us. Rocky and I could do very well on our own, but Lady glued it together with her calm, confident energy, making it possible for the Three Amigos to always enjoy our time together. Those were some great times.

Touch me, Pet me, Worship me

Hi, nice to meet you - worthy bipeds

Making herself available in Leavenworth, WA

September 2010

We were sitting on a bench across from these nice ladies. They were working the arts fair, tending their booths. I just dropped the leash and let Lady do her thing. She loved making new friends.

Another new friend in Leavenworth