Good-Bye, Sweet Penny

Sweet Penny 2001-2011

Sad day today.  Our sweet ten year old rescued dalmatian, Penny, had a major stroke and never recovered.  We knew that she would not be with us much longer, but the happening of it all was so sad.  You think your heart is prepared for loss, but it never really is.  Yes, death is a part of life, but being able to allow oneself to feel the sadness of the loss is necessary for healing.  And so, today our hearts are heavy and sad.

Penny was a faithful dog to my son-in-law, keeping him company on the long days of rigging parachutes while he was on active duty in Santa Barbara.  She had seen the birth of my granddaughter and grandson, and was Isaac's favorite pillow.  They both loved napping in the sunlight while the snow lay just inches away on the other side of the glass door.  Penny had taken each of us for walks on various occasions - she didn't have a slow speed once that lease was on.  She was sweet and beautiful and a good teacher to the new tree-walking hound dog we rescued from the shelter several months earlier.


There were tears all around today.  We feel this loss, this hole in our family right now.  But the precious memories are also brought to mind.  The knowledge that we had been the family that God had chosen for her.  And she was the companion He had created for us.

I thought now would be a good time to re-read Willie Morris' story of a boy and his dog, My Dog Skip.  I don't deny that this loss hurts.  But I am encouraged as I remember all the fun and silliness we experienced when she was with us.  She taught us how to love faithfully at all times.  Whenever we'd forget how, she'd set her dappled face on our laps, pour those dark, trusting eyes into ours, and remind us.