Goldie

Sad day for the Riley family. We said goodbye to our dog, Goldie, today. We adopted Goldie in 1998 from a former student of mine. The vet figured she was 3 years old at the time, so she made it 15 years, pretty impressive for a mutt who was severely abused for the first couple years of her life. My former student, Hutch Earl, adopted her from the pound and helped rehabilitate her. She was still skittish when we adopted her from Hutch, but over the years she lost that fear and flourished with our family. Everyone who ever met Goldie fell in love with her, she was the sweetest dog I've ever known.

What really gets me is the relationship Goldie had with the girls. They were a wreck when I told them after school that we had to put Goldie down. They don't know life without her, and that breaks my heart. In their excitement, the girls could be pretty rough with Goldie, but she never got angry, not even a growl. I feel a bit like the guy from Marley and Me. All of our family history includes Goldie, and tomorrow will be the first day of that history without her. Feels like something has come to an end. Rest in peace sweet girl.