Most of the obituaries we publish are for people, but we have occasionally received and published remembrances in memory of pets (including our own last year). This is from Tony:
I don’t think people freely speak enough about the depth of grief we feel we lose a pet. The loss is profound because it’s not only a beloved family member who is with you day in and day out, but it’s a little life that we care for, and tend to, from start to finish. But, they take care of us too.
In 2008, Millie, a Border Collie mix, was found running wild on the side on Interstate 5 in Skagit County. She was rescued by Northwest Organization for Animal Help (NOAH) in Stanwood, after what was likely an exhausting game of chase. Somewhat emaciated but in otherwise good health, the estimated 2 year old pup was quickly adopted by her forever people and brought to live in Seattle.
In her younger years, Millie enjoyed chewing up shoes, running and hiking with her people, chasing balls without bringing them back, barking at every other dog she saw (only wanting a sniff), and running for hours on the beaches in northern Puget Sound.
Throughout her entire life, she had an affinity for eating the droppings of other animals, particularly cats and rabbits, and rolling in the smelliest things she could find (particularly dead fish), embedding the scent deep into her thick double coat. She was also well known for her “I do what I want” attitude and letting everyone know that with her distinctly unique, absolutely shrill bark. In her later years, she enjoyed casual walks with her people, lying at their feet, and taking naps in the Lamb’s Ear in the backyard garden.
Most of all, she was a deeply affectionate dog who showed nothing but selfless devotion and love to her people, serving as their rock from early adulthood to nearly middle age. She was fortunate enough to peacefully pass away with painless intervention, in the comfort of her own home in the embrace of her people, after nearly nine months of progressing degenerative myelopathy.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
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