THANK YOU...

This entry is more personal than anything but I just wanted to say THANK YOU...

Exactly one week ago we had to put our beloved Akita, LEXY, down.

She lived with us for 14 years and each moment has been precious. From the moment we picked her up and brought her to our home, we knew we loved her. She was a fuzzy little bear already full of personality.
Throughout the years we had kids and moved around a few times. She was always faithful, loving and loyal... She was fiercely protective and motherly towards our girls.
We remember all her little quirks... Little things like having to run through our apt entrance after a walk so she wouldn't be tempted to flop down and enjoy the cold marble floor... (once she was down, she was down til she was ready to get back up! - and at 100lbs... she was definitely the one to decide.)
Other things like not knowing her size and wanting to sit on your lap... like scared to go down a small flight of stairs... even though she was up to our waist in height. Can you imagine my poor husband carrying her up and down?
Befriending a kitty cat and always giving her a warm place to snuggle and sleep.
Having to walk her in the middle of the night so she wouldn't scare the neighborhood dogs; by the way, she could hold her business for 20 hours at a time... so we didn't worry much about indoor accidents. (much...)
When we brought each of our girls home for the first time, she would come and sniff and then leave us alone for a week or more. Picking up and leaving a room when we would come in and only returning when called for.
One time I had ordered a pizza for dinner and while waiting for my husband to come home from work... she stole the whole thing right out of the box! Picture our surprise when we opened the box ready to eat and discovered the dinner was missing! She had left the box perfectly in place, closed with no trace she had tampered it.
Waking up every night to her sounds of chasing something in her dreams... her legs running in air and her panting!
There is so much more... more than I can even remember at one time. Memories come flooding back again and again in the quiet moments of the day. and Now our nights are eerily silent.

The overwhelming thought that keeps coming back is her loyalty and her respect for our family. She was the perfect dog for us! She put up with us and called us her family.
We miss her every second.

My friends have been so comforting during this time. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your love and kind thoughts. This really has been one of the hardest weeks of my life. Thank you also for letting me tell you of all the things I remember and for not "turning me off" when I repeat myself.

And THANK YOU LEXY for being our dog for the last 14 years. We love you. Happy Valentine's Day!