Early this morning I woke up hearing Satin trying to move about. The opportune word being trying. When I flipped on the light at first I thought she was having a seizure. Her eyes were about the same as during a seizure, but her legs weren't paddling. She was trying to move herself but seemed to have limited control over her front legs and little to no control or strength in her hind legs. I laid with her I held her and talked to her and we waited until almost 8am to pull ourselves together to head to the vet. I helped try to get her comfortable by putting her on her pillow. Laying her one way she could/would lay flat, the other way her head turned to the side. All I can figure is that Satin suffered a severe seizure or a stroke. She was still in there though, I could see it. She even wagged her tail when Aunt Beff came in to help us get to the vet.

Without an ability for her to move on her own I was finally forced to decide. We went to the vet, and Satin fell into her final sleep around 9am today.

I've been working on this list since I found out that Satin was gravely ill. I have so many memories of our nine and 1/2 years together. At least the ones I come up with and can jot down here I'll never forget as I can always come back to them.

We celebrated Satin's birthday on August 9 every year, but we didn't get her until she was eight months old in April of 1997. I'm posting this set to the approximate time she passed.

- When we went to pick out our girl she stood there jumping at the fence as though to say "oooh oooh, pick me".
- The night in her laps of the house she sprung onto the couch, placing all four paws in the middle of my chest and springing back off.
- When we first brought her home... the first thing she did? Run upstairs and go to the bathroom in the bedroom. I guess she told us what she thought of us.
- The destroyed couch, shoes, door, you name it.
- Eating the Christmas tree the first year we had her, until she realized this thing bore presents... from then on she'd lay by the tree eagerly awaiting Christmas.
- Her ability to pick out the presents with her name on them.
- Watching her unwrap a gift.
- The proper way to destroy a stuffed toy is to rip its eye out and then pull the stuffing through the resulting hole.
- Climbing in your face with great fervor if she smells Irish Creme in your glass.
- The little girl pet the back of her throat not bothering her for a second.
- Lighting her tail on fire when she jumped up on her chair on Saylor Street.
- Stomping a baby Vixen with her back paw after she nipped her tummy from below.
- The potato incident.
- Playing with her buster cube and bouncing it off of every wall to get the one trapped piece of food out.
- Giving up on the big orange ball and bringing it to her people repeatedly demanding the use of their thumbs to extract the treat.
- The look on her face when soaked wet.
- Watching her play with a grape.
- Watching her leap through the snow.
- Watching her leap through the piles of leaves in NC (since we didn't get enough snow).
- Watching her leap through the piles of leaves and hit a spot deeper than she was tall as she came up like someone tried to drown her and a look of "I meant to do that".
- Her "sneezes" that tell you where to go.
- The way she smacks her lips in her sleep when she shifts her body.
- Teaching herself to roll over and spin around.
- Her favorite two spots in the yard: one under the flowering bush where she'd hide when playing with Vixen and one in the corner by the tree where she would nap or just sit and look out across her yard.
- How in addition to her tricks she'd work with Vixen to spice hers up, rolling over under Vixen while Vixen jumped over her.
- Catching her first bird... mid-flight.
- Catching her first rabbit and promptly bringing it into the house and dropping it in the living room.
- The way she would just settle in the truck resting her head on the arm piece between the two seats.
- The time she jumped up on the bed during a thunderstorm, which was the closest she ever came to admitting fear, despite the look on her face trying to imply that she was there to comfort me.
- How gently she would take a treat from your hand.
- How ladylike she was in eating off of a fork.
- When her crate meant as much to her as a teenager's room and she would go there to hide from Vixen.
- How excited she got to see her Kirkus.
- How she punched one of her Kirkus' girlfriends in the nose.
- How she wasn't overly lovey or kissy... but always knew when I needed some attention and would come to comfort me.
- When she neatly curls into a ball with her tail gently over her nose to nap, even if it is not cold.
- Her face looking slightly upward out the front window bringing a smile to my face the second I pulled up to the front of the house.
- Playing spikey ball on the stairs.
- "Blue-dog".
- Children chanting wolf at her.
- Hiding the Papa John's breadstick.
- Playing tug with a baby Ripley.
- Cheesing for the camera.
- Attacking the flowering bushes in front of the house when they were in full bloom.
- Getting my ass kicked and drug down an alley on my knees by a 40lb dog.
- Her completely obeying the obedience trainer after ignoring me for weeks.
- Her learning to weave her head from hand to hand combat techniques.
- Her ability to scale a 6 foot fence.
- How happy she was to go to camp, or to grams, anything involving the car.
- The puppy chow incident where after eating way too much of a foster dog's food she could only lay on the floor moaning, farting, and burping. The smell is definitely the most memorable.
- How she would just sit her head on your knee or the coffee table to beg.
- How much Percy, the cat in Sinfest, reminds me of your personality.
- Spilling all too much Saturday morning coffee in the pursuit of cartoon petting.
- Being the one that everyone asked if she was up for adoption at rescue outings.
- The Moo noise she makes when forced out of bed when she's comfy.
- Her soft woo that comes at the end of a stretch.
- Her back talk when she's displeased with what she's told to do.
- The way she sleeps rolled on her back and bent in half in the corner.
- How she sways her hips heavily when she's walking and starts to get tired.
- For being my pork chop, pumpkin, big'n, and any other name that came out of my mouth.
- The lollipop incident which had her laying on the ground moaning like a little kid who ate too much candy.
- Sitting neatly at the table eating my mashed potatos and pork chop while I was trapped on the phone with a telemarketer.
- That every vet tech read "Satan" instead of "Satin".
- That she managed to play houdini several times from her crate.
- Her prized 3-foot rawhide bone from one Christmas.
- Our theory that she called all the neighborhood dogs over while we were gone for work and would order a ton of Dominos with "pupparoni".
- Kicking the crap out of spiders, roaches, and any other bug that pissed her off.
- How angry she got at the squirrel that she never could catch that would sit chittering at her from the tree.
- Bobbing for ice cubes.
- How she helped clean up the spilled pumpkin wine by trying to lick the entire dining room floor clean.
- The cold spot on her side where she would lay on the air conditioning vent.
- How she'd scare the crap out of me by staring intently up the stairs when noone else was home.
- Even as recently as Thanksgiving how she would sneak her butt out for a neighborhood stroll.
- Her sweet face wearing her angel wings and halo.
- Running in loops around the yard and running circles around Vixen.
- For being every bit as stubborn and smart-ass as I am.
- Her smile. And if you don't believe dogs can smile, you didn't know Satin.

I pray there _is_ a rainbow bridge and that you'll be waiting on for me Satin. Until then momma and Vixen will miss you so. I'm so sorry I didn't make you a cake for your last birthday or home made dog treats at Christmas like I've done so many other years. I hope you were content with the life we gave you. I couldn't have asked for a more loving, gentle, and special girl.