Lucy

I remember why we got Lucy. We were living in Ohio, away from family, Travis was in dental school. I had 2 young kids and found myself at home alone with the kids more often than not. I have always been a worrier- but I up until that point- I had had Travis with me most of the time. We were rarely apart. But dental school was tough. There was traveling to Cincinnati to help in free dental clinics, there were many nights of studying until 1am and waking up at 3 or 4 am and heading out again. Travis had to travel to other dental offices to study with dentists. He was traveling to find a practice to buy. Traveling to take tests.  I knew that if anyone was watching our home, they would see that I was basically home alone with 2 babies 90% of the time. So, I decided that we needed a dog... something that everyone else in the home had been wanting for a LONG time. But I was never sure if I could handle a dog and kids. Plus, I have an allergy to dog hair. So, it seemed that we would probably never have a dog. But, after I started to feel unsafe in my home, I decided that a dog would be a great addition to our family. But we had limited options, as I needed something that was large, good with kids, protective and DID NOT SHED. That was a tall order, but my husband started searching for me. He did a lot of research and eventually concluded that we should get a golden-doodle. After looking for a long time, we found that first generation golden-doodle's were very pricey. Travis kept looking for something that would fit into our super tight student budget. We were almost afraid of what it would end up costing us. After months of searching, Travis found a blessing! He found a lady that said she would sell us her last golden doodle for $300 (Travis is a champion negotiator) ! No one wanted Lucy because she was black! The rest of her dogs were sold, but the black dogs were not as popular, she said. It was a long drive (I don't remember how long, a couple hours) to get to Lucy, but it was well worth it. Lucy and our family immediately fit together. Lucy was the sweetest, most well behaved dog I had ever seen. She was so gentle and sweet and just devoted to us and the kids. I knew how lucky I was to have this dog. She was wonderful (although the puppy years were a bit rough). She grew with our family. She was very protective, but also very loving. Lucy never ever bit or nipped a person in her nearly 10 years of life. She never got upset with a child, but I had several grown men so scared of her that they would not enter our yard until I came out and introduced Lucy to them. She let them know that we were her top priority and she would protect us! 

Two weeks ago we woke up to a very sick dog. She was laying down unable to get up and her stomach was bloated. She could not move. We immediately picked her up and drove her straight to the vet. Within the hour, Lucy had passed away. Her intestines had twisted and her body was filled with gases. It's been hard. Lucy is a member of our family. A loved and doted on member of this family. She has been with us through good times and bad. She loved water so much... whenever we would swim she would bark until we let her in. She loved going to the lake where she could swim to her hearts content. She loved camping for this reason, also. She loved snow... she would jump and hop and roll around in it. She loved to cuddle with the kids. She would give the kids anything they wanted... even her food if the kids wanted to grab it out of her mouth while she was eating (which they did often when they were babies). She was the true meaning of mans best friend. She was selfless and just the best dog in the world. She is sorely missed. So many of our family memories include her. She was lost too soon. We thought she had 5-8 more years with her. It is a heart breaking time for us. We still shed tears and hear the kids crying periodically about her. Jack has been absolutely depressed. He doesn't want to eat, or go outside, or do anything but lay on Lucy's bed and miss her. He has never been without Lucy. They went everywhere together and did everything together. He is lost without her. 

Lucy you were the best dog in the world. You are missed. You will be missed forever. I know that you will be there in heaven waiting for us. You are loved.