I first wrote about Bucket in my divacheck blog, the gift that keeps giving. At the end of that post I mentioned that she was slowing down.
Well, she took her walk along the rainbow highway this past week (a friends term for going to animal heaven).
I am sad for our loss, yet thankful she graced our household for eight years.
Bucket was our alpha dog; a benevolent leader. She never raised her voice when a bearing of teeth could get her message across. She didn't tell the other dogs what to do or when to do it. She even welcomed a puppy into the household last Fall.
Bucket loved water. Her favorite mornings were the ones spent at Chicago's Oak Street Beach. She would fetch and swim as long as you were willing to throw a tennis ball. When she got tired she would lie down at that shallowest point; water would lap over her, but not over her head.
Speaking of fetching, that was definitely Bucket's favorite sport. She was crazy about running after a ball and bringing it back to you to do it all over again. She also shook a rope like it owed her money.
Bucket was known to hang out in the (empty) bathtub during summer days. A couple of times she climbed in when someone was in the shower. She just climbed in and sat down like she'd been invited.
She hated thunderstorms. I couldn't find her in the house one rainy day when I came from work. I kept calling her name and finally heard her tail thumping. She had found refuge in the back of Simon's closet.
She gently offered me comfort in the moments following the news of my fathers passing away. She followed Simon around the house so much, we joked that she was on "guard duty".
We hope she's having fun re-connecting with old friends (and minions) and playing fetch all day.
Thanks for all the laughs Bucket, we miss you.
