10/14/2026
Im sorry for the lack of a posts over the week, but on Monday at 3:22pm I had to say goodbye to my Sweet Pea Puppy, Dakota.
After she had a great day on her 14th birthday on Friday, she had another great day on Saturday and Sunday, and I thought I would have some more time with her, but after Sunday's adventure things took a sudden turn for the worse and we because of circumstances and her pain levels we had to make a sudden decision and I have been feeling empty and numb since.
This might seem like a bit much, but she was more than just a dog or family, she was my rock.
When I first brought her home in 2012, she always put me and her family and pack first. Always come up to you squeaking away and give you kisses and help get you out of your funk. She might not of had the same strong presence as her big sister, but she had a quiet, yet strong, force to keep her family happy and safe.
Even in the end she put my happiness above hers and gave me a great birthday for her and weekend before she couldnt mask it anymore and her body gave out.
And now that she is gone Im realizing how much of an impact she had on our lives.
She was a quiet rock.
So many memories made over 14 years, There are a lot of things I will miss about her. 2 road trips across the country with 23 states visited with her and thousands of walks with her have given me a lot.
I will miss her toothy grins in the morning as she would use her paws to cover her face.
Her greeting me with ears back and squeaking away when I get home, sometimes with ear-piercing howls and shrieks if it had been a while.
Her little mannerisms with her eyes/eyebrows, a subtle change of her eye could speak volumes.
Her absolute sweetness towards myself or anyone in her pack, if I would ever yell at her sisters she would get in between me and them and try to suck up so that I wouldnt discipline them any more.
Every time we got onto the highway she would come up to the front seat and squeak away and shower me with kisses.
When she would roll and be joyous in the snow.
When she would get a greeny and she would prance around, so happy and proud, before settling down to eat it.
Her guilty face she would show if she did something wrong.
How she would puff & huff before barking and then throwing her head back and howl, and she had some pipes on her.
She was cool as a cucumber, sleeping out on the dock during the fireworks sessions.
Her finding and curling up on any patches of snow/ice on my porch, even as it quickly melted. But then she was in the lake, or any water along walks, multiple times a day.
She always followed me in the house wherever I went, and if I was in the bathroom I would hear her sniffing deeply under the door to see if I was in there. She always kept an eye on her people.
How comfortably she would just look as she slept on every surface, like she would just melt into anything.
She had no agenda, didnt ask for much, always gave.
And that's just to name a few things.
But I think the thing that made her the most special was that she didnt care about getting attention from people and she wasnt very treat motivated, but that didnt matter when training as a puppy because shed just pick it up, easiest dog to train and potty train.
If she loved you, you knew it and you knew that you earned it. She didnt mince her actions.
I could go on, but if you have made it this far in my tale then you will have an idea of who Dakota was and what she meant to me and my family. I'd go on, but Im already in tears recalling all this.
Someday I will see you again my sweet pea puppy, you can bet your sweet little fluffy self that I will be coming for you when it is my turn to cross over.
Until that day comes I hope you are up there and reunited with your Aunt Gracie, Hawkin, and friends Teddy and Rebel and having a blast playing with them all.
But please spare some time to watch over and visit us from time to time because It will be tough for Nala and the rest of us to move on, but we will do our best.
I love you baby girl and I will never forget you.
It may take a while for me to get back in the saddle, it's been a tough year and this came out of nowhere and really ripped my heart out, so please bear with me as I work to get back to some level of normal.
Thank you.
