This is Lucy. She was my family’s first real dog after Harley didn’t work out. She lived with us for 10 years and was an amazing pooch.

We put her down this spring after she bit and killed our neighbor’s cat, while walking with our son. Over the last year, Lucy became increasingly aggressive and loud as her hearing and eyesight worsened with age (a common trait among aging dogs and grandpas). Before that, she was remarkably chill and never bit or really barked at anything before.

It go so bad, however, that we recently had to limit her walks, and I stopped taking her on backpacking trips, since she became more of a nuisance on those trips compared to the fun she used to be for the first nine years of her life. This saddened me because I started to resent Lucy in her final year. I suspected we might have to put her down soon if her aggression and health worsened. But I never thought it would have ended like this.

It makes me sad just thinking about it. But here we are. Lucy’s gone. I miss her. And I regret not taking one final picture with her, walking with her in the mountains one last time, or giving her a big bowl of ice cream before euthanizing her.

I believe all dogs go to heaven, though. So if I get there too, I look forward to seeing Lucy’s docked, nubby tail wiggle with excitement again and doing all three of those things with her. Until then, here are some of my favorite captioned photos of this one-of-a-kind mutt (50% bulldog, 25% beagle, 25% labrador.)

So long Lucy. We love you. Continue reading…