Goodbye, Sweet Pup

Yesterday, we said goodbye to our sweet Sasha. While I have been waiting for this day and knew that it was time, it didn't make the decision to let her go any easier. I had tried to prepare for this day {she was really old and starting to show her age}, but you're never really ready for it. I have felt out of sorts all day, realizing how much a part of my daily routine she has been for the past 13.5 years. There's a huge hole in my heart right now, and I am really missing my sweet pup. I know it will get easier. Dogs are not meant to live forever. But gosh, she sure got ahold of my heart and has been such a constant in my life.

After college, I got it in my head that I wanted a puppy. We had always had dogs growing up, but never a puppy. And I felt like it was the perfect time to train a puppy, as I was still looking for a job and living at home. After A LOT of convincing {including a masterfully presented PowerPoint presentation}, I was able to convince my parents to let me get one. Our neighbors across the street had just brought home 2 lab/boxer mix puppies, and I went to check out the litter. 

Sasha was the quiet one in the pack {hard to believe, I know!}. While all of the other puppies were running around and playing, she came and laid quietly under my chair and didn't leave my side. She chose me, my heart immediately fell in love, and the rest is history :)

Life with Sasha was certainly fun and exciting. She was a HUGE ball of energy from the start! She really didn't grow out of her puppy stage until she was 7 or 8 years old {which is when they consider large breeds seniors haha}. Which made her an awesome running buddy when she {and I} were younger. But we did have to work really hard on good manners, and she really only learned any when Mike entered the picture.

When Mike and I were dating, Sasha was NOT a fan haha. She did not like him being around {really, she didn't like that he was the Alpha who wasn't going to put up with her antics}, and she would go pout in the other room. But when she realized he wasn't going anywhere, she warmed up to him, and I often wondered if she liked him better. 

Sasha loved our babies from day one. She accepted them into the pack, almost as if they were her own babies, and watched over them constantly. When they were babies, she would be right by their side when they cried. As they grew, she was always ready to go get her babies up every morning. And even when they crawled all over her, she was patient and gentle, never once growling or snapping at them. She really put up with a lot, but deep down, I know she loved it. And I really do believe that our babies kept her younger longer :)

While she could certainly be a handful {at times a complete diva}, she was the absolute sweetest dog. She really was a good girl, and she was hands down the BEST snuggler. It didn't matter that she was 70+ pounds. She would constantly climb into my lap or sit as close as she possibly could. No matter what I was doing, or where I was, she was right there by my side. When babies came, she had to be right where everyone was, right in the action. Although, she did have a knack for snoozing through all of the toddler/preschooler craziness. And that never changed, even until her last day.

Sasha was with me through all of my major life changes. She was with me through job changes, unemployment, multiple moves, ministry changes, dating, getting married, having babies, health issues, and more. She liked to lay in the most inconvenient places. She was a heater hog. She loved peanut butter. She hated thunderstorms. She shed like crazy. Her stomach was on a timer, and she would pester you until you fed her. She never realized how big she was. She was a loud snorer. She had the most awful gas. But she knew the exact right time to nestle her head on your lap. And she was the absolute BEST dog.

Goodbye, my sweet girl. Thank you for always being happy to see me, for loving me unconditionally, for always being by my side. Thank you for being my sounding board who gently reassured and comforted me, offering your snuggles and puppy kisses. Thank you for loving my babies, for being so patient and gentle with them. Thank you for being my faithful companion day after day, year after year.