Thursday, October 22, 2009

Rest in Peace, Greta

We lost our first mate to complications from a rare autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis on September 9th. She went from perfectly healthy to gone from our lives in a span of two weeks. We have been deeply affected by this. We always considered her to be more than just a pet. She was part of our little team and we miss her every day. We don't think we'll ever get over her death. But we are adjusting to her not being with us as best we can, and we are slowly working our way to the point where memories of her bring smiles instead of tears. It's a long road. We try to take solace in knowing that her 4 1/2 years on this earth were fantastic, for her and us. With Nicole working from home she rarely had to be alone. We took her everywhere. She had no shortage of toys, attention, caring, or love. Ever. She was such a great, sweet, smart dog. She didn't deserve to die. She was in her prime and having too much fun with us. We can't help but ask ourselves the unanswerable "why Greta" questions. Nicole has the only good answer - that there's a squirrel infestation in heaven.
We knew as soon as we met her that this little firecracker was going to have a big impact on our lives. We just couldn't have imagined it would be as big as it was.

She could always be counted on to enjoy the sunshine… ...attack any balloon in sight ...tolerate little outfits ...not accept one stuffed chipmunk when 7 will do
... roll in dead stuff...and pose for an arm shot

She was always happy to get a new toy, especially ones with squeakers. She had plenty to choose from.

She was a pretty smart cookie too; check out a sampling of her tricks.



Here she is on Blake Island fetching and digging. She loved the beach!

We always knew how special Greta was to us, but it wasn't until she passed that we found out just how loved she was by others. We received lots of emails, cards and calls from those who were touched by our precious little wiener dog as well. While it was (and continues to be) a difficult time for us, knowing that everyone who met her (save for the squirrels and the neighbor's Burnese Mountain Dog, Burgundy) thought she was amazing too made the hard times just a little bit better. Thank you, thank you, thank you to our fabulous family and friends.
Rest in peace, baby Greta. We love you always.