Stella

We said goodbye to our sweet Stella this weekend. It was very tough, and continues to be. 

I take comfort in knowing she didn't suffer very long though. On Wednesday, she jumped on the counter to eat my lunch I made (pulled pork) while I answered the door. She was her usual mischievous self. On Saturday we knew something was very wrong. She wouldn't move and, for the first time in 9 years, she didn't eat her food. We took her to the animal hospital and found out she had cancer and was bleeding internally. 

*****

When Chris and I got married he immediately wanted a dog. I asked him to wait a year thinking he would forget. He didn't. And, right around our one year anniversary, we went to pick out Stella. Chris found a breeder in Tennessee and we drove to meet all of the pups. We played with all of them but only one stayed by our side the whole time. It was obvious which one was our dog.

We picked her out but didn't get to bring her home for a few more weeks. And y'all. She was the CUTEST puppy that has ever lived. I mean look at her.

She was a total rascal though. Mischievous to her very core. She was playful and silly and kept us on our toes. She ATE everything. We got dog toy after dog toy and she destroyed all of them. 

She loved to dig. She dug up until last week!

Having a dog made Chris so happy.

We took her to the dog park to burn off energy. We also took her to Swim Day at Tom Sawyer Park which she thought was the best day ever. 

Most of our girls friends were scared of her (she was a big gal) but not Maddie and Sydney. They loved their Stella. She was here before they were and loved them so much.

No matter where we were, Stella was right there with us. She loved sitting under the swing set while the girls played or at the trampoline entrance keeping a watchful eye over them. It could sometimes be difficult to play hide and seek with her around. She was a loud breather!

She loved chasing bunnies, eating ANYTHING she could find and car rides.

Before her arthritis set in she loved taking walks.

She loved the snow!

Mainly she just enjoyed being around us.

The house is very quiet right now. With working from home, I talked to Stella a lot. We ate lunch together almost every day. It didn't matter what I was having, she liked it and wanted me to share. There is a space under our kitchen counter that is empty - she laid here every morning while we were all getting ready and out the door. 

Stella, we miss you so much!