In Memoriam May 13, 2011 – June 21, 2017

I saw Mali’s picture and knew instantly she was my dog.

I got her when she was 16 months old – a rambunctious, irrepressible Bouvier who ran into walls and bounced off furniture when she played. She had no idea that she only had three legs. At our summer country house where the large property was enclosed, she ran, ran, ran. In the fall and winter, in the city she loved snowplowing in the snow! And as she aged, the smells on our walks were so enticing, we often went for sniffs instead of walks. But she was not a city dog. She would sit in the middle of our (thankfully) quiet street and survey the scene. And she met friends. Everyone, anyone she met was an instant friend, people or dogs. It didn’t matter. Cats were for chasing, although she never got the chance because she was always on leash in town.

I’m a singing teacher and she sang with me and my students, a beautiful deep soulful howl. As she got older, the meds increased until I was feeding her 5 times a day, 4 of which had meds. And finally, it happened. Her “good” back leg gave out and I had to say goodbye.

But I’m starting to hear her whisper that she had such a good time here, even if it was so short, that perhaps Gerdie has another special needs dog who might like to have some fun too. And perhaps that’s what will happen. But I’ll never forget my beautiful Mali.