Tribute to Tahsis

-   our last dog

How do you pronounce her name?

Always the question.

T ..ah  sis I would say.

My husband's best black lab.

Her shiny, soft coat she carefully polished with her pink tongue.

She, our best-looking dog with classic proportions,

Her vet removed one toe Tahsis broke as a puppy while jumping from a garage shelf.

She knew her name but sometimes conveniently forgot it!

And she displayed unusual discernment of our needs.

As a puppy, she only chewed,

 on sticks, not our gloves or shoes.

She had a fine nose for hunting and retrieving,

but not for chasing ducks on our pond.

The only time she chased a deer was when a buck charged us in a campground.

She strategically placed herself between me and a scamming salesman.

She taught herself to carefully retrieve and repeatedly dropped

 the ball right in front of my walker.

As she tilted her head, she followed me with knowing eyes.

Dutifully she hiked for hours until her body was riddled with pain.

Then she searched my eyes for respite, which, sadly, I couldn't give her.