A Poem for Niki Brown eyes Ears big and soft Her running feet Tail up Baying voice Gone too soon
So I got Niki in 2012. She was a beagle. She was a senior dog. The sweetest dog. She was very calm when I first saw her. She melted my heart. I wanted her and it took three days to adopt her. This is when I lived in Virginia. It took some adjustment for me. I'm sure it took adjustment for her too. She was very loud. And she also had separation anxiety. So when I would leave in the morning to go to work she would how loudly. But she just loved walking in being outside and sniffing everything. I lived in an apartment and out Alexandria. And then moved to a townhouse out in Fairfax. And this Niki loved. There was a wooded area I would let her off leash and she would just go running and sniffing. They were all kinds of animals. Deer rabbits foxes. This dog is living the dream. And when I moved to Maryland we didn't have quite the same set up but he spent lots of time at the park I would walk her over to the park and then walk her in the park and she just love the outdoors. I left that area Virginia Maryland in 2014 and moved down to Atlanta. It took a while to find a place at first I was living out in Dallas. It was hard because I worked with Sandy Springs. With the hours I was working I didn't have tons of time. Then I got over to Stone Mountain and it was a bit better. But things really lit up when I rented a room in this apartment near Marietta Square. I was really close to work it was no more than a 30 minute drive which for me at that point was a dream I'd been doing commuting for over an hour. I'd get up before 5 o'clock and I give a short walk and then when I got back around 1030 or 11 we'd go walk over to the park for a nice long walk. And I have to work in the evening I get home and I'd walk her so she spent tons of time outdoors. And we started hiking. I'd take her over to Kennesaw Stone Mountain all the time, anytime I had a chance. And then pursuing my dreams, I moved to Texas thinking I could get a gym started. That didn't happen, but we did get to explore Austin. The really nice thing about Austin, is it has hiking that allows dogs be off leash so I go in there and we and I had a chance and she would just walk in walk The really nice thing about Austin, is it as hiking that allows dogs to be off leash so I'd go there any week and I had a chance and she would just walk and walk and walk and walk. Lots of outdoor time, lots of fresh air, I'd go to In-N-Out Burger with her. Double Double for me, Puppy Patty for her. And then I decided to come back to Atlanta realizing that I missed it I missed the people missed being in an outdoorsy kind of place. I wound up buying a townhouse and I tried my very best to spend as much time outdoors with her as I could. We hike we got to different places I took her to some waterfalls, I took her to the Lost Forest Preserve in Sandy Springs which she loved. I also took her to Sope Creek which she loved and it is one of our special places from my original time in Atlanta.
In the end I think maybe it was too much for her. She was a shadow of her former self and couldn't walk very long. Didn't get to enjoy the outdoors like I spent so much time with her doing. I just in the end I tried to love her as much as I could. I'd hold her at night snuggle up with her. It was hard seeing her not be able to control her bladder see her lose her functions. The morning of today March 27 when she took her final breath I carried over to her water so she could drink. I would've happily done it every day for years and years if she could continue to live. But now at least now she's in a better place she is running free. She is sniffing every good smell that she can find. She's happy. I'm sure she's fully restored to perfect health and back to her playful self. I just love my Nikki,I will always love her. I just hope that one day we can be reunited again. And then I could be so privileged as to feel your loving presence one more time. She will always be the one that saved my life. Kept me from killing myself. I was not worthy but she loved me. And for that I'm forever thankful, forever grateful. My heart is simply broken. I gave her the birthday February 14. She was born in 2006 from what I was told. I got her in 2012. She took her final breath March 27 2020. I didn't think she'd make it to another birthday but she did. Fighter, warrior, brave soul. I'm forever honored to have known her. The funny thing is I got her from a rescue - Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. In the end, I was the lucky one. Something I am committed to for the rest of my life is to do a hard workout every Friday and hike every Saturday and Sunday, like I did with her. These have been the two hardest days of my life and sweating it out is the best way I can think of to honor her. Work hard Friday, then get up Saturday and Sunday and walk and think happy thoughts of her. -------- Single star in the sky Walk in the door, your scent comes through Still have your fur all over my clothes Close my eyes and I hear you bark and bay I saw a star tonight, thought it was you I could cry because I can't see your face --- I lie awake Soft at first Then I go back Whether little patch of grass The dog parks you'd play in In between adventures I miss that wagging tail I have all those moments --- Love at first sight Walking for miles You'd eat everything you see Sniffy sniff smells Rabbit, fox, deer Back in the house Now you're gone from me Until that day 7-27-2020 Do you remember me
You and I But I hold hope Forever and forever |
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