Remembering Daisy

A post on Lifehacker recently suggested writing a list of memories about a pet after his/her passing. I liked the idea and want to share a few things about Daisy. She had a zest for life. She was fearless (except for her fear of thunder) and an accomplished explorer. I actually have at least two photos where she appears to be stopping to smell the flowers.

1. Daisy’s rescue name was Candy. I knew immediately that I wanted to call her Daisy. She had lots of nicknames, including: Daisy-Doodle, Doodle-Bug, Pug-Bug, Puggers, Bug. Lately, I’d begun calling her Queen Daisy because every time she would approach the other two dogs on the dog bed, she would stare them down as if to say, “you are on my throne, you are dismissed.” They would look at her and move.

2. When I decided I wanted another dog, I settled on a pug because my best friend as a child had pugs and they were always such fun dogs. I was often asked if Daisy was a Puggle. I don’t know what she was mixed with but I always thought maybe it was a Jack Russell, which would make her a Jug.

3. I got her from a rescue that was outside of Prague. The crate that I had purchased before going to pick her was two pieces that snapped together. It couldn’t contain her. By the time we’d arrived in Prague she had busted out. I opened the back door of my SUV and she made a run for it. I didn’t think I was going to catch her, but somehow managed to get her back in the car. This was just the first of many jailbreaks she would make in her lifetime. I got her back in the crate and within a few minutes she had busted out again and made her way from the back of the vehicle to the front. She rode the rest of the way home on my lap.

4. She was an explorer (ie escape artist) and loved to be chased. I eventually learned that the best way to catch her was to turn around and let her chase me.

5. Daisy was my wild child; she pretty much lived on her terms. The first weekend at my house, she sat at the window and barked at every squirrel she saw. It was a pretty noisy weekend; there were a lot of squirrels. I immediately began to doubt my decision to get another dog… and decided that she needed to go through some training.

6. At obedience school graduation, she was named “most likely to be a therapy dog.” While she could be incredibly sweet, she was also insanely headstrong which made me question their assessment.

7. She was pretty bossy. When she wanted inside she’d scratch on the backdoor non-stop until you opened it. She loved to tell you exactly what she was thinking. She would bark at me when she was ready to go on our morning walk and I wasn’t. She’d bark if I got on the phone. She’d bark at the other dogs if they were chewing on a bone she wanted. She’d bark at the others if they were on a bed she wanted to lay on. She’d bark anytime she saw a dog she didn’t know. She called it like she saw it.

8. She loved belly rubs and would often flop at my feet with her belly in the air. She would also occasionally sleep on her back.

9. She made the cutest grunting sounds. She’d put her chin on my knees; I’d rub her ears and she’d make her little grunts. That sounds has always been one of my favorite sounds. She made the same sounds when she slept.

10. She’d tilt her head from side to side when something perplexed her.

11. Her tail was curled. When she wagged it, it looked like more like it was spinning than swinging back and forth.

12. Her teeth were crooked and she had an underbite. She was always showing off her pretty smile.

13. She used to have a stuffed bamboo toy with squeaker in it. She carried that thing everywhere. She finally loved it so much the stuffing came out.

14. She was usually cold and hated when the weather was cold. Unfortunately, she was kind of oddly shaped; she had really long legs but was kind of broad-chested, so no sweater ever really fit.

15. Daisy loved to cuddle and was thrilled when she was allowed on the sofa. For the longest time she was only allowed during thunderstorms. When I learned she was sick, she got full-time privileges. We spent a lot of her last month cuddling on the sofa.

I’m not sure how much Paseo liked Daisy but Daisy adored Paseo. She was noticeably sad when he died. The other two didn’t seem to notice, nor do they seem to have noticed Daisy’s passing. She was one of a kind and never failed to entertain. I always called her my hot mess, but she made the last eleven years interesting. She was full of personality and will be missed.