Kathryn the Great

Kathryn the Great passed away at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday. She was number one dog, and has been for ten years. Only one other of my many pooches surpassed her in holding my love, although there isn't a dog that hasn't been well loved by me. Frankie, a collie, was my sympatico dog, and I swear she could read my mind. Frankie thought she was our daughter's mother, and she was one dog in a lifetime. Kathryn was next, and making her Kathryn the Great was absolutely necessary, because she was great in every way. She was interested in everything from the moment her eyes open each day until they were closed, and woe to anything that woke her at night. She was right there - on the spot - to the the slightest noise or irregularity. Mostly, though she was just the perfect dog. She was pure love most of all. She knew when a kiss was needed, and she knew when doing something silly would have us all in stitches. She had the zoomies at least once a day, and she snuck up and pounced on her ball like a cat. That was because our old male cat raised her, and our other two dogs. She had a pink little tummy she loved to share, and she used her front paws to hold on to everything - me in particular - when she was playing or giving kisses. We had a morning ritual where I lay on the floor with each dog in turn for little morning personal time. Kathryn was always in earnest at this time, as if she knew this start- of - her - day was the most important thing she could be involved in. And, so it was. There was playtime and breakfast that followed, but those were just passing things. She knew what her floppy-poppy ears were, and they flopped about when she bounced or zoomed around. She knew she loved having her chinny scratched, and if she stretched her back paws out, she knew they'd call me from any room in the house to kiss. There was a pink spot on one that made it especially darling. Her pretty-face was so cute and full of expression I could read her mind. She had a particular scent that was hers alone, and it was soft and sweet. She never smelled like a dog, and she loved it when I gave her smooches between her eyes, that was her Kathryn-smell spot. Sometimes, she gave puppy kisses, and even at ten, her kisses smelled and tasted like a puppie's milk breath. She loved a particular ball, and it was her treasure. Now that ball rests with her in her grave by our patio in the back yard she loved. She was the sweetest, smartest, and most fun of dogs, and I will miss her terribly. She developed cancer, and within a week of discovering the first lump, she lost her sight. She was gone two weeks later. I miss her terribly, but it was better that she died quickly rather than suffering. She took two shuttering breaths as she lay beside me, and then she was gone. She, like Frankie will always have a special spot in my heart and memory. She was Kathryn the GREAT!