Piper, My Little Sweet Potato: 1997-2011
We adopted Piper from Washington Animal Rescue League back in November of 2002. We went in looking for a compromise between a pug (what I was aiming for) and a lab (what M was aiming for). Then we met the beagles. We decided on a beagle. Due to a mix-up w/ paperwork, we were supposed to adopt Claire, but we got Amy instead. Maybe. It's possible we got Marshmallow instead. It was very confusing. And since no one could actually say for sure what her name was, we had no qualms about changing it. She was a Piper from day one.
Piper and her fluffy tummy, back in the day (actually just a couple of years ago; I was slow to digitize my camera).
I had never had a dog before. I thought I was scared of them. Then I started working for a large international animal protection non-profit and I realized I loved dogs. M, being a dog person, was all "Woo hoo!" So then we found Piper.
There are some things you should know about Piper. She loved her mommies and her brother and maybe her sister. She loved a couple of our friends. Everyone else -- pshaw. They were as nothing to her. Unless they were giving her food. I consider myself lucky that she loved me, as she had a lot of love to give.
Piper used to greet me at the door whenever I came home -- even if I was just running the trash out. She would wait by the window to see me coming up the path. M would tell her, "Mommy Blue should be home soon," and she'd beeline for the window to check. She'd also see us off, peering out the window.
She loved to lick feet, especially mine, and I got to the point where I welcomed it. The cure for the common blister! M hated the noise, totally understandable. Piper loved the outdoors, especially snowstorms. She didn't like snow sitting around. But a storm? Hell yeah. She dragged me out during the middle of the Snowpocalypse several times. And if it was pissing rain, woe to you for thinking she'd want to cut her walk short. Milo would rather hold it for 16 hours than go out in a storm. Not Piper. She was allotted 30 minutes per walk, and don't you forget it!
She loved to eat. She'd eat anything -- dirt, sticks, shit, food, dead worms. Her favorite foods were pretzels, veggies and apples. She'd catch broccoli in her mouth, and would dog my steps if I was cutting up an apple. She loved all treats, and fully expected a treat after her morning walk each day. And she got it!!
Her ears flapped when she walked, or when she was excited about something and bounced on her hind legs, and we called them "airplane ears." She was an awesome break dancer. Whenever she got water up her nose, she did this crazy dance. A bit more stimulating than her beached whale impression, which she also did a lot, as her favorite things were food, walks and naps in that order.
I still can't believe she's gone. I've caught myself calling for her, looking for her in her "special spot" (between the couch and the end table), expecting her to wake me up in the mornings. Every morning for almost nine years she was my alarm clock. Milo sleeps in. We're both a little lost. He and Willow look around sometimes, as if expecting to see their sister, and Willow's been more affectionate to Milo (she always used to tug Piper's ears in the morning as a sign of her affection -- Milo won't put up w/ that, but lately she's kissed his ears in the morning). I miss my baby girl.
Piper's "special spot," and Piper channeling her inner Edmund Hillary after the Snowpocalypse.
Piper doing airplane ears and the beached whale.
Some favorites:
And that's the last pic I took of her, last Saturday, I think.
Thank you, everyone, for all of your kind words and generosity! I got so many messages, and will be responding to them now that I'm not longer a total wreck. Piper was truly a part of my family and is firmly ensconced in my heart. Thank you for letting me share a bit of her w/ you.
Piper and her fluffy tummy, back in the day (actually just a couple of years ago; I was slow to digitize my camera).
I had never had a dog before. I thought I was scared of them. Then I started working for a large international animal protection non-profit and I realized I loved dogs. M, being a dog person, was all "Woo hoo!" So then we found Piper.
There are some things you should know about Piper. She loved her mommies and her brother and maybe her sister. She loved a couple of our friends. Everyone else -- pshaw. They were as nothing to her. Unless they were giving her food. I consider myself lucky that she loved me, as she had a lot of love to give.
Piper used to greet me at the door whenever I came home -- even if I was just running the trash out. She would wait by the window to see me coming up the path. M would tell her, "Mommy Blue should be home soon," and she'd beeline for the window to check. She'd also see us off, peering out the window.
She loved to lick feet, especially mine, and I got to the point where I welcomed it. The cure for the common blister! M hated the noise, totally understandable. Piper loved the outdoors, especially snowstorms. She didn't like snow sitting around. But a storm? Hell yeah. She dragged me out during the middle of the Snowpocalypse several times. And if it was pissing rain, woe to you for thinking she'd want to cut her walk short. Milo would rather hold it for 16 hours than go out in a storm. Not Piper. She was allotted 30 minutes per walk, and don't you forget it!
She loved to eat. She'd eat anything -- dirt, sticks, shit, food, dead worms. Her favorite foods were pretzels, veggies and apples. She'd catch broccoli in her mouth, and would dog my steps if I was cutting up an apple. She loved all treats, and fully expected a treat after her morning walk each day. And she got it!!
Her ears flapped when she walked, or when she was excited about something and bounced on her hind legs, and we called them "airplane ears." She was an awesome break dancer. Whenever she got water up her nose, she did this crazy dance. A bit more stimulating than her beached whale impression, which she also did a lot, as her favorite things were food, walks and naps in that order.
I still can't believe she's gone. I've caught myself calling for her, looking for her in her "special spot" (between the couch and the end table), expecting her to wake me up in the mornings. Every morning for almost nine years she was my alarm clock. Milo sleeps in. We're both a little lost. He and Willow look around sometimes, as if expecting to see their sister, and Willow's been more affectionate to Milo (she always used to tug Piper's ears in the morning as a sign of her affection -- Milo won't put up w/ that, but lately she's kissed his ears in the morning). I miss my baby girl.
Piper's "special spot," and Piper channeling her inner Edmund Hillary after the Snowpocalypse.
Piper doing airplane ears and the beached whale.
Some favorites:
And that's the last pic I took of her, last Saturday, I think.
Thank you, everyone, for all of your kind words and generosity! I got so many messages, and will be responding to them now that I'm not longer a total wreck. Piper was truly a part of my family and is firmly ensconced in my heart. Thank you for letting me share a bit of her w/ you.