Someone once said to me that you can tell a lot about a person based on whether or not they have a pet. I would go further and say that you can tell a lot more about a person based on how he or she  treats their pets. Our furry friends are loyal, offer unconditional love, and become such a huge part of our lives that when we suffer their loss, our grief is immeasurable. How lucky, though, we are to have had or still have a pet to grace our lives.

In my family, we have been blessed with several pets whose passing still saddens our hearts and those pets that, today, still brighten our daily lives. Trooper, Junior, Snowie, Tootsie, Gracie, Lily, and Holly each have a story to tell and each were and still are an integral part of our family.   I love them so much.

Here are their stories:

Trooper’s Story
Trooper was our first dog. He was a light brown cocker spaniel. He was found wandering around Chicago’s alleyways. The Rogers Park police department found him and took him back to their police station and kept him as their mascot for close to four weeks. My husband and I were living in Evanston and had just suffered the loss of our newborn baby boy. One of our friends knew one of the police officers and they asked us if we would like to adopt Trooper.

In retrospect, Trooper adopted us. Trooper loved to take walks, especially walks through the alley-ways in Evanston and Chicago. He loved to scrounge for left over food – chicken wings being his favorite. I do believe I know the back facade of every apartment building between South Avenue in Evanston to Touhy Avenue in Chicago. Trooper was seven when he died from Addison’s disease. He is buried at a dog in the Garden of St. Francis as St. Luke’s Church in Chicago.

Junior’s Story
During one of my Evanston walks with Trooper, we were on a street in Skokie, when a youngish man stopped his car, rolled down the window and asked if I wanted another cocker spaniel. He said he found the dog tied to a tree near a lake in Wisconsin. I know this sounds sketchy, but I saw the dog sitting in the back seat and fell in love with him. Of course I wanted him. Junior was a true baby dog. He came into our house soon after our daughter, Emma was born. Junior refused to go on walks and loved sucking on the baby’s pacifiers. Poor Junior. He died a year after Trooper. He had eaten some spaghetti that fell on the floor and died from toxic poisoning. His ashes sit on our fireplace mantel. He was my husband’s favorite. Every time I think of Junior, my eyes tear up. He was such a cutie and such a gem.

Snowie
Snowie was a little maltese without any teeth who loved to dance for people food. An old couple left her in a shopping cart in the back aisle of the local Pet Smart. I just so happened to be there to pick up dog food and an employee asked me if I wanted to take her. How could anyone say no to a cute little white fluff ball! Snowie was old and arthritic, but it didn’t stop her from dancing on her two hind legs in order to beg for people food.  Although she had to gum her food to shreds in order to swallow,  she managed. She was so adorable and brought a ray of sunshine into our lives if only for a short time. She died about a year after we found her from a sudden stroke. We buried her underneath the lilac tree in our backyard. What an adorable, cutie pie!

Tootsie
We got Tootsie from a shih tzu safe house. Some idiot person threw the poor little thing out of a car window. She was found on the side of a road with her eye hanging out, which she eventually lost. Her hind leg was injured, too. It would often take us a good hour to walk around the block because she moved so slowly. How she loved to sit outside and tilt her face up to the sun. She was so loyal and would follow me around everywhere.  She was the sweetest dog ever and probably my favorite. She was close to eight when we got her and she died a few years later of heart failure. She is buried under the St. Francis statue in our backyard.

Gracie
We found Gracie in our backyard over a Labor Day weekend. She was not even a few days old. Her mother, a feral cat, had abandoned her. Gracie was so tiny and I remember my husband  scraping off the multitude of fleas that infested her fur. My husband and I would have to take shifts during the night to feed her a bottle with special kitten milk. Gracie is still with us and has gained at least 30 pounds. She is big and crabby, but we love her. She spends most of her day in the bathroom hissing at anyone who tries to come in.

Lily
After Gracie was a little older, our vet told us to get another cat to keep Gracie company. I took my daughter to the animal shelter and Lily was the first kitten she saw. Lily is striped and she is so very lovable and sweet. She sleeps either pressed close next to my daughter’s face or Lily can be found snoozing on my back. She is a curious little cat and how she loves to purr.  She is so darn cute and all any of us want to do is hold her and squeeze her. Even if you aren’t a cat person, you can’t help but love our little Lily.

Holly
Holly’s original family didn’t want her anymore because they said she was fighting with their other dogs. They bred chihuahuas. Holly is a bit on the neurotic side and is very sensitive to noise and people. She loves to lick me and she loves to bark.She loves hugs and kisses. She is fiercely loyal to me and just tolerates anyone else. She recently survived a serious illness that left her in the ICU of the animal emergency room. She is now home  and recuperating and is almost back to her old self.