In Memory....

This is Sif. I first met Sif in a pet store in Owings Mills, Maryland. Normally I would never buy a dog from a pet store, but this was a different kind of store. For one thing, instead of those horrible wire floored cages, this one had carpet lined pens. They also let the puppies out to run around the store. Thats how I met Sif. She came running around a corner, totally out of control on the slick tile floor, and slid into my foot. She was about the same size as my shoe. she sat there staring at the shoe like "how dare you get in my way!" and then looked up at me. I walked away, I wasn't there to buy a puppy, I was just killing some time. Sif followed me around the store though, and eventually convinced me to pick her up and even rub her belly. Sif was with me for the next 17 years. She was with me through a couple girlfriends, numerous jobs, times when I wasn't around and times when we couldn't be seperated. At 13 she got breast cancer. They removed 5 benign tumors and one cancerous one. They told me at her age any form of Chemotherapy would probably do more harm then good, and nothing else would really help her. I had a lot of sleepless nights after that surgery, but not only did she recover, but it was like she was a puppy all over again. You can only beat the odds for so long though, and time catches up to us all. Four years later, at the grand age of 17, Sif passed away in her sleep one night. I raise a glass to her, one of the best companions I've ever known. It's her fault I'm so addicted to these wonderful creatures, and it's probably one of her greatest gifts to me also.