Goodbye, Kady

It's amazing how a pet can be an extension of a person, almost like one's own child. That was Kady! Kady WAS my grandma and grandpa in every way. She joined them for coffee each morning and snacked on the same foods as they did, which explains her fluctuating weight throughout her life. She lived for her daily walks and loved to be scratched and brushed. If any one being was impacted the most over the past six years, it was undoubtedly her in her own mind. She survived being left to a single parent when grandma had her stroke, and certainly she did not mind the Alzheimer's that impacted grandpa every day he lived from that day forward. She lived for these people, especially my grandfather; she was his right hand lady. How distraught and lonely she must have been when grandpa left her a year and a half ago, but she plugged along; continued to howl and wag her tail anytime she received a visit. She truly was a good dog.

Last night, she joined grandma and grandpa in heaven, and boy was she excited to see them. It's amazing that she kept plugging away; like she was waiting for one of them to walk back through the door and hand her a cookie and sit down for a talk. She must have known that they were both waiting patiently for her, and that it was okay for her to leave this world. What a beloved companion she was (and still is). Thank you, Kady, for being the light in my grandpa's day as the disease took over, and for hanging on till the end. You were a good dog, and a blessing to us all.

And now, because of her departure, we can all move on. She was the last of the crew in the Burke house. Closure; much needed closure.