Remembering Snuggles:

If you know us, you’ve heard about or met Snuggles, a sweet, snuggley Pekinese who was a gift from God that enriched our lives for 14 of her 15 years.  Before Snuggles, we were always big dog people, Airedale people in fact, so a small dog was never even on our radar.  She was 1 year old when she miraculously entered our lives in Colorado Springs.  Donna had a temp job with a new home builder in the middle of nowhere near a very busy road when this little Pekinese came through the door with no tags.  Donna rescued her from becoming a grease spot on the highway where she worked.

I wasn’t thrilled when Donna brought this small dog home.  It took this Pekinese 1 morning of snuggling me to cause me to recognize that I wanted a small dog – this small dog.  When I told Donna what she’d done, Donna simply said, “We’ll name her Snuggles.”

This incredible little dog loved to be with us, travel with us, sleep with us, play with us – she simply loved us and brought tremendous joy to our lives.  She would even join me on the floor in front of the fireplace when I had my early morning devotional times with the Lord.  She just wanted to be near me.  I never dreamed that we would ever have a pet that I would love like I loved Snuggles.

As she got older, she just got sweeter.  In the last year she started to encounter some physical difficulties.  She started having difficulty walking. Her hips and back legs seemed to be disconnected from her brain.  Unfortunately it progressively  got worse.  In recent months I had to use a loop made from the belt of Donna’s bathrobe to help her stay upright as she walked outside in our yard.  It was a blessing to be able to help her.

This past week her condition reached the point where she was in pain continually and medication didn’t help.  Monday morning we came to grips with the fact that her condition had reached a point that required the action to set her free.  Yesterday was a precious day of holding her, being near her, shedding tears and just thanking God for the priceless treasure she’s been.   Late afternoon, we took her to our vet and said goodbye.

Those last minutes together were so painful, yet in the midst of the tears we were so aware of the overwhelming gratitude we have for the Lord’s kindness in giving her to us.  We cried all the way home holding her body wrapped in her blanket.  She is now buried in a precious spot at our home.  We will never forget her.