Daisy the Wonder Dog

We had to put Daisy down in September. We took her in on a Thursday and found out the mass in her belly had grown and she was starting to vocalize her pain. We knew when we found it in the spring that there really wasn’t much we were going to do…she was already 12+ years old with bad arthritis and hip dysplasia, but we seemed to forget about it as summer stretched on. She had slowed down a lot, I didn’t hunt her last fall for the first time and I’m not sure who was more disappointed. I’d like to say she was my dog, but really she was Lisa’s. Daisy would spend all day in your lap if you let her, and at 80 pounds that was a challenge. But not for Lisa. They had been inseparable since day one. She would go for a walk and if we went 3 miles, Daisy went 11. She loved to ride on the snowmobile with Lisa in the winter, and sat on the front of her paddle board like a hood ornament in the summer. When Lisa’s mom passed away, Daisy absorbed her tears and sadness like a sponge. She made an appearance in every “first day of school” photo with Abby since 1^st grade, and she walked miles and miles with me in the field chasing pheasants all over the Midwest. Loads of people came to see her and say goodbye, because she loved them. I just didn’t realize losing her would wreck me like it did. I mean, it wasn’t like we didn’t know this day was coming. In the end, it taught me to be kinder, tolerant (she wasn’t perfect…ate a lot of shoes as a pup), and most importantly, grateful. Here’s some photos I thought you all might like to see. There’s hundreds, but here’s just a few that might capture her essence. So, I’m sure you’re all wondering, what does this have to do with Water Wars? The answer is….nothing. Everything.  I’m grateful for all of you reading this, whether I’ve had the privilege of knowing you, corresponding with you, or if we’ve never met. Thank you.