Depressed...

We got her at the pound. There were four adoptions ahead of us. Everyone wanted her because she was an adorable bundle of red fur. They told us she was a Sheba Inu but not show quality. Someone else told us she might have been part chow. The pound said Sheba Inus were dogs meant to hunt bears in packs. But she was an adorable little puppy.

And, 18 years is a long time for any relationship to last. But when they come to an end it's soooooo sad.

Kit had come home with us when all the other adoptions fell through. It was just meant to be. The kids wanted her so badly that I can't imagine what would have happened if one of those other people had been lucky enough to get her.

Kara used to put her in her doll stroller and take her around the neighborhood - just like a little baby.

We took her on hikes up to the mountains and she was always so excited when winter rolled around and we headed off to go cut down our Christmas Trees.

She loved to be outside with the kids.

If there was a noise outside, she would jump up to go see what it was.

And she would sit and guard the house from the front porch

And Kit loved Kats - she was kind of a Kit Kat herself

She slept at the foot of the bed until she couldn't jump up there any more then she laid down on the floor right at the edge of the bed.

We used to go for runs until she couldn't any more then we went for long walks to Starbucks. We'd sit and have a cup of coffee while she recuperated and then we'd head back.

When she was twelve the vet warned us that she probably wouldn't live much longer - maybe two more years, if we were lucky. So when she hit fourteen we started thinking about getting another dog. We got Sasha. She was a rambunctious Siberian Husky who drove Kit crazy - some of the time. So, we had to have a little sanctuary where Kit could escape from that crazy puppy who was jumping all over her. We never let Sasha go in our bedroom. That was Kit's place to go when she needed a break.

But she loved Sasha too.

Finally, she started having real problems. She couldn't see any more, and she couldn't hear but she could still smell. And, when her arthritis got too bad I took her to the vet to get a steroid shot. She was better for a while. But then she started falling down. And, one day she went out on the deck and almost fell off it.

I started worrying about her falling off and getting hurt. She could lay there in pain. I didn't want her life to end that way. So, finally I called a vet to come to the house.

We were all home with her when she went to sleep. She was calm and peaceful. But it was so horribly sad to have to say goodbye to her. She was such a good dog.