R.I.P. Lilly

I recently found out that the family dog was put to sleep. It was a bit of a surprise to me because everyone forgot to tell me about it, and I didn't find out until about a week later, but I don't really blame my family. They've been super busy and so have I. Communication just kind of fell through the cracks. Any ways, I thought I would post about our beloved dog, Lilly.


Lilly was not a perfect dog. In fact, she had quite a few negative traits. She was territorial, cranky, and lazy, but she loved her family and she protected them ferociously from everything from shadows and leaves in the backyard, to the occasional deer, raccoon or squirrel. She was also great to sit in your lap while you were reading or watching a movie. In a lot of ways, she was kind of like a cat.

Lilly was also a fantastic mother. She was a purebred Maltese and so we decided to breed her a few times. She had some adorable puff-ball puppies that were a joy to play with, but they soon left to other homes which was always hard. Lilly was protective of her little babies and took good care of them. Shortly after giving birth to her last litter several years ago, she developed an infection and had to be spayed. Immediately after she woke up from the anesthesia she climbed into the box with her puppies and continued to nurse them despite the pain she must have been in. That is true dedication.

Lilly was also a great companion and friend to my mother. All of the five children have moved in and out over the last decade which is always hard on parents when they realize they are quickly becoming empty-nesters, but Lilly was a constant companion for my mother. She would excitedly greet her when she came home and impatiently wait for her by the front door until she came home. She was indeed loyal.

Recently Lilly started developing cataracts and was going blind in addition to going deaf. She was also becoming incontinent and her intolerance to children was only growing worse with age, which was a great concern now that there are a couple of small grandchildren. Her quality of life was deteriorating and we were worried that she might bite one of the babies, so the decision was made to put her to sleep. She was indeed a flawed dog, but aren't we all flawed people? She had her negative traits but she also had traits that we loved. Despite Lilly's bad habits, I will miss her because she loved me and was always happy to see me whenever I came home. It was hard to come home for Thanksgiving this week and not have her excited bark greet me as I walked in the door. There was also no living vacuum to clean up any accidentally dropped bit of turkey. Indeed, it was very sad to realize she was gone, but I believe she has gone to a better place where she can run around and protect people from the big, bad invisible boogie men that only she could see to her heart's content.

R.I.P., Lilly. I will miss you.