​An Ode to our Elsa dog

Sitting on the side of a mountain, with crazy Emmett, our one year old spunky Berner puppy, I’m reflecting on the life of one of the best dogs we ever had, Elsa, E’break, Dogbreath, the Queen, Catalog Order Dog....the baby, Ron and I could never have. I wrote this eulogy back in October, never expecting you to make it even to Christmas until the kids got home. But you did, 3 months short of your 11th birthday, until we found you this morning, in your normal spot at the bottom of the stairs, peacefully asleep...forever.

From the moment Dawn Letry, trusted us to adopt you to fill that void, you were the perfect Berner personality. Loving, calm, sweet, cautiously protective, a leaner, goofy and always happy, no matter the circumstances. You never forgot us when we had to leave you behind with our family, while we were temporarily assigned a job in Thailand.

You were the perfect therapy dog to comfort and calm those in need, especially my ailing mother, and isn’t it ironic, that in the end, we were the therapy humans for you. Degenerative Mylenopathy, DM is a spinal cord disease that is pain free, but eventually leads to paralysis. It is such a debilitating insidious disease, without a cure. How can a healthy and happy dog lose mobility so fast? We started noticing a slight dragging of your left leg around May and progressing worse, throughout the summer, hoping always, that it would stop and stabilize.

And now, our beloved companion has crossed the Rainbow Bridge, to join all the other animals before her. She will bark and run without stumbling, falling down or dragging her legs and will live every day from now on, to the fullest. No more ramps, no more slings, no more “magic carpets”, no more pills, no more scary wind monsters, no more sadness. Emmett, "Nummy", will try to fill your emptiness in our hearts, but there will never be another like you. Forgive us for not being able to stop this disease.

Wait for us, girl, as I know we will see you again one beautiful day. Now you are running free with your mom, Cali, and your sister, Boo, who went before you with this same debilitating disease. Thank you for sharing your love and loyalty with all of us and mending the hurt and pain in others through your therapy work. Rest in peace, sweet girl.