4/4/22: I knew from the moment I met Carley at 6 weeks of age, she would become my special girl. Granted, my little Catahoula/Lab mix was mischievous - a chewer as a puppy (as evidenced by the hole we found in the wall, the chewed corners of the deck outside, the chewed corners of furniture) but thankfully grew out of that stage rather quickly. Carley went through three rounds of puppy obedience training but insisted on doing things her own way and we quickly learned each other's boundaries.

At a young age, I discovered her love of frisbee. She would play frisbee as long as I would stay outside and play with her. Then along came the pool and life became wet - very wet! She knew exactly when I was going in the water and no matter how hard a nap she was engaged in, up and out she came. She danced with me in the kitchen, spinning in circles while I clapped my hands. A couple road trips from Florida to Texas turned her into a real travel lover. There wasn't a dog or cat she ever met that she didn't love. So yes, she was my frisbee partner, my swim pal and my travel buddy.

She loved her first brother, Roger (dog) and sister, Ashes (cat) and missed them when they journeyed to the Rainbow Bridge. But I was becoming more and more involved in rescue, spending several years at our local shelter and eventually moving to the board of a non-profit rescue here in Florida. Not surprisingly, our then-one-dog-pack evolved into our pack of four, a/k/a the "Roake Pack". Carley was the "mama" dog over all and she made sure the other three knew that at all times. One of our pack members, Missy, left us in March, 2021, and our pack was now three.

Carley was somewhat confused following our loss of Missy. She was getting older and her hips succumbed to arthritis. Though we were able to manage that with the help of meds and acupuncture, we could not stop the lymphoma that she was officially diagnosed with in March of 2022. We just did not see it. On April 4, 2022, we made that painful decision to help her journey forward to her next life after a very rough night with her. I simply could not allow my Carley to deteriorate any further and tolerate her pain any longer though I know she would have for me - she loved me that much - and I am certain we could read each other's thoughts and see into each other's soul.

At this point, I think that perhaps hope truly is my best hope because I keep waiting for my sad thoughts to turn into happy memories. Take care, sweet Carley-girl, you are so loved and missed and will forever be my heart girl! ❤️

Please also visit Missy and Shana.