Ashley

1985-1999

On the morning of Sat. March 13, 1999, we lost a true friend, loving companion, and part of our family. Ashley a Black Lab mix had been in our care for 14 years, and we never considered her just a dog. She was a family member & friend. She was always there to make us laugh, give us a hug, and keep us in line if we needed it.

For a last week or so, I watched silently as her time with us was winding down. She'd been having difficulty walking and has been wearing out earlier and earlier, each day. Last week Ashley wasn't feeling to well, drinking and eating little if any at all. I would sit with her, holding her close as she would put her head on my lap and look up to me with her loving trusting eyes. While I knew her time was coming, I tried to ignore the thought of her no longer with us. Ashley was a part of my family, and I love her so much, I couldn't think what it would be like without her.

Where she never had a litter of her own, she treated our other dogs as her puppies and taught the 3 of them the ways of the neighborhood from where to avoid, to where was the best place to dig. In fact, in her later years, she seemed to look upon the whole family as her children, "lecturing" us with her barks and regally watching over us in our daily lives.

On Sat morning she slipped away with quiet grace, the dignified death she deserved.

I know our beloved Ashley is in a better place now, one where she has no more pain & can run and play like she once did. I know she will look down on us all with the love she always showed us, and I know she is waiting to see us again.

Goodbye my friend, you will be missed by each of us. You leave a void in our hearts that will be hard to fill...

Love,
Lynn Clark & Family