Our Hall-of-Famer

Today we said goodbye to our sweet, hall-of-fame-worthy dog, Kati. She was such a good dog. My family has had her since was a puppy 13 years ago, literally half of my life. Kati didn't do anything halfway. She loved to run and chase things. We were never very successful at taking her on walks because she always wanted to run. Jake used to put her on a leash while he rode on his skateboard and she pulled him. She loved it. Kati was also a champion eater - she loved anything edible, whether it was dog or people food. We were laughing today remembering all the things she ate like butter, a whole pack of Oreos, and even peanut oil that she chewed through the plastic. It seemed like she was always getting into food.

Kati loved being with us. She always wanted us to pet her, especially behind her ears. I remember many days laying on the couch with Kati coming over and wanting me to pet her. She just loved people. She also loved riding in the truck, it was one of her favorite things to do. She figured out how to roll down the truck windows so she could stick her head out. When she was younger and healthier she loved to jump. We used to tap on the barstools and she would jump upon them, and then we would throw food at her and she would catch it.  She used to love shoes - when she was really young she would pick up shoes and take them to Bret's room. At one point, he had a sign that said "Shoe Claim" because whenever we were missing a shoe, we would go find them there.  When she got older, she would just pick up a shoe or a sock that was laying on the floor and bring it to us, so we would pet her. She was such a funny dog.

Kati had been sick for a while. She was really old, her eyes were bad, and her back legs didn't work very well. It had been a long time since she was able to run. Despite her injuries and poor health, she was always so happy. When we would get home, she would bark at us until we petted her. She just loved living.  The last few weeks she had gotten worse - she wasn't eating or moving very much, and my Dad found her in the vegetable garden yesterday morning. In her sweet way, she was telling us that it was time to say goodbye. Even though she loved living, it had become too painful and she was ready to go.

I came home from work a little early yesterday to spend time with her. She was in the kitchen when I got home, so I just sat next to her and petted her for a while. I told her that I loved her and that she was a good dog.  After a while, I could tell she wanted to go outside. The sun was about to set. She sat in the grass next to the trampoline for a while watching the sun go down for the last time. After a while, she moved to the side of the house, so I went and sat by her and petted her some more. Finally, she moved into the garage after the sun went down.

This morning before work I spent some time with her again telling her that I loved her and that she was a good girl. We loved her fiercely. 3:00 came too soon and we put her in the truck and took her to the vet after saying a prayer. I rode in the truck with my parents, Kristin, and Jake with Kati on his lap. Jake rolled the window down so Kati could stick her head out. He carried her to the vet when we got there.

We face-timed Bret so he would be there with us from Philadelphia. We all petted Kati and took turns saying our goodbyes. We shared a lot of stories from when Kati was a puppy up until now. She was so happy with all the attention. It had been a few weeks since we had seen her that happy. The vet had been seeing Kati since she was a puppy and called her a Hall of Fame dog. Kati has had more than one near-death encounter, in part due to her fierce love of life. I loved that he called her that - it was really true. She was such a good dog.

When the time came, she slipped peacefully to sleep with all of us petting her and telling her that we loved her. She was finally free of pain and could run again. My dad mentioned that his Mom loved animals, so I like to think that Kati found her and they are spending time together. I'm so glad that she can run and play again - she always loved running.

Tomorrow we are taking her to Ephraim so she can rest on the farm. It is the perfect place for her to be if she can't be with us. I know that dogs go to heaven and someday we will be able to run and play with her again. Until then, sleep well my sweet girl. I love you so much.

Update: We buried Kati at the farm in a place where she can see the Sanpete Mountains. The cows are in the pasture right next to her. She loved being at the farm and barking at cows.  It is such a perfect place for her.  Run free sweet girl.