Remembered...

From: beth freeman
Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 2:08 PM

She was on the run and she was only 8 weeks old.  She found her way to the TWU campus in Denton, Texas where she saw a group of high school girls practicing their dances for drill team camp.  My closest friend, Linda the dance team director, picked her up and called me, "Beth I've found a puppy and I think she might be part golden."  So that night "Woofer" (my 12 year old Golden who was dieing of Lymphoma) and I met Linda half way between Denton and Carrollton to meet this puppy.  The moment I saw her I knew the little blond baby should become part of our family.  Covered in dirt and fleas it took 3 long baths before you could see her beautiful blond puppy fur.  This is how Sierra came into my life.  As I look back on that night I realize she was in fact my first adopted rescue dog.  I named her Sierra after one of my favorite places on earth, the Sierra Nevada Mountains that surround Lake Tahoe.

My vet and I decided Sierra was part Golden, part Chow and part Spitz; for lack of a better term we dubbed her a "Gochowspi."  She was special and she was truly a one person dog.  She was MY dog, she liked Clark and she tolerated others but she LOVED me.  She had special talents too: she sang to "What's Love Got To Do With It," she chased squirrels, and she showed every other dog who came to our home that she was the boss.  She loved Caesar my Main Coon cat, she helped me get over sending "Woofer" to The Bridge, and she was always by my side.

She also loved people food.  I remember one night sitting on the floor in my house in Carrollton eating pizza with my friend Carley when Sierra came running around the end of the sofa, made a big leap and took the pizza right out of Carley's hand.  Sierra never looked back; she just kept running to the kitchen where she enjoyed her big slice of pepperoni pizza.  Another time I left a pot roast on the kitchen stove when I ran to see a friend for a few minutes.  When I returned the glass pot containing the pot roast was in pieces on the floor along with the carrots and potatoes.  The pot roast was no where in sight.  I found what was left of it on the floor in the living room right next to Sierra.  As I started to fuss are her for stealing my dinner she rolled her eyes up at me and gave a big moan.  I'm not sure if she was moaning because of the delicious meal she has just enjoyed or if she was moaning because she was miserably full.  Needless to say I learned to never leave a pot roast unattended in her presence.

When Dillon was born we wondered how she would act around a baby.  As it turned out she was the perfect helper when he was little.  She would run to me and tap me with her paws when he cried then she would run back to his crib or bassinette and sit until I came to take care of him.  As Dillon got older and learned to walk she was not so sure of him.  But all things considered my old girl did very well with our little boy.

Sierra has not been well for some time.  She has been suffering from cardiomyopathy (congestive heart failure) as well as doggie dementia.  After a great deal of sole searching I knew it was time to let her go.  Today Dillon and I took her to see Marcie at Century and we helped her over The Bridge.  I will miss her but I was so blessed to have this silly, grumpy, loyal and lovable dog in my life for 13.5 years.  My little Sierra puppy is now with "Woofer" and "Caesar" and all the other wonderful dogs that have gone before her.  I know they are making her feel welcome and I know she is now healthy and strong. 

At the vet's office I held her and told her I would be fine.  I told her that she had done her job and done it well.  I told her that it was OK to let go.  As I kissed her muzzle she took her last breath.  Sierra died peacefully at 11:20 this morning.  But she will live on in my heart forever.