I first met Princess at a charity car wash given by a local animal shelter. She was a 9 year old Chow Chow with a bad hind leg who was abandoned by her previous parents. Her leg didn't seem to bother her too much to get around, but you could tell that it caused her some discomfort some times... especially when it rained. Regardless, it was love at first sight. She had the sweetest temperament and was very eager to please. Although, it did take some time for her to get used to her new surroundings. She had been living in the shelter for 6 months before I adopted her. I sometimes feel that she would have spent the rest of her life there if I hadn't fallen in love with her.

Princess didn't make friends very easily. She really didn't get along well with other dogs. I slowly introduced her to my friends' dogs... some of which she became fast friends with because they understood "the growl". In other words, the "I've had enough now get your nose out of my butt" growl. The ones who didn't understand it, she had no time for. But she did rule the house no matter where we went! Every house was her domain, no matter if it belonged to another dog or not. They just bowed down to her. Princess was a very good name for her! She was a Princess!

Even though she didn't give kisses, I could still feel the love she had for me. She slept with me every night for the last 4 years... sometimes not leaving me much room to move! It was her bed after all.

The last few months have not been so good for her. Her heart was failing due to her age. Medicines weren't helping any more. It came time when I had to make the toughest decision I've ever had to make in my life. On Monday, April 12, 2010, Princess had to be put to rest... 8 days shy of her 13th birthday. I've been miserable ever since, and probably will be for quite some time to come. The hospital gave me a plaster impression of her paw print with her name stamped in it and I will be receiving her cremains soon. I cry myself to sleep at night, and I'm crying right now as I'm writing this. I know that she is much better off now... no more pain and suffering... and that it would have been selfish of me to prolong the inevitable, but I feel so bad about having to do it. I'm very thankful that a good friend of mine went with me so that I didn't go through it alone. She had been there before, so she knew the right things to say. I've never cried so hard as when she passed away with her head in my lap.

The things I will miss most about Princess are when she was dreaming and she would bark (kind of an internal barking) and twitch her paws, her snoring (you wouldn't believe how LOUD she was), playing hide and seek, and the way she would dance around when she wanted to go outside. She was a beautiful dog with a great personality. I miss her terribly and I hope that I will see her again someday.

Rest in Peace, Princess. I love you.