Monday, September 5, 2016

Lizzy May Avendano - 2004-2016

God gave us Lizzy.

I don't mean to say that we didn't go pick her out. I remember doing that specifically.

But God gave her to us.

I remember we drove down the road and stopped at the house that was selling young Maltese Poodles. 
Climbing out of the car, we eyed the collection of dogs that lay huddled by the front steps.

There were several dogs to choose from, but I remember looking at a dark-colored, flea covered one and tugging on my Mother's sleeve and saying 
"The black one, Mom, the black one."

Little did I know that our choice of "the black one" would alter the course of our lives for forever.





From the moment she crossed over the threshold of our home, and even before she began answering to the the name of "Lizzy" (which was chosen after we had been listening to an Odyssey story that featured Liz Horton in it), she became the Princess of the house.





Blogger would not have enough room on their servers to hold all the memories that I could relate to you about Lizzy, and all that she experienced in her life. So, as I do in most similar instances, I shall choose the most important ones, and you can imagine the rest.





Lizzy was loved.

Yes, we did smuggle her into a no-pet allowing hotel and pray that she wouldn't bark, and get discovered. Yes, during that same trip she had one very tense elevator ride, hidden in the stomach of my dad's jacket, us momentarily alarmed when we discovered she was all hidden, except for her tail protruding out of the bottom of my dad's jacket, wagging for all to see.

Yes. She did do that.

But she was loved.




Yes, she did start in the dining room to catch the light of the eastward rising sun, and eventually working her way, following those warm rays she adored so much until she ended up at the end of the day, sprawled out in the living room as that cozy ball of fire settled in the western sunset.

Yes.

But she was loved.



Yes, she did hate her leash. But she loved walks.

She hated other dogs, but she loved going over to Grandma's house.

She had neighbor dogs that would purposely walk on the other side of the street so they wouldn't have to walk past and see her in the window, barking and defending her territory for all she was worth.

She had a few takedowns to her credit, most of which started from a quick surface to air launch from our front porch to the street. The most notable that comes to mind was the takedown of a little girl on a scooter passing by.

When it was all over, the getaway vehicle had been discarded, the little girl sent running away fearing for her life and the little area in front of our house which Lizzy thought was the whole world, was safe and peaceful again.

She was loved.





She had this thing for soft pillows and blankets.

Many a time we would be looking around the house for Lizzy and would finally find her snuggled up in someones fuzzy jacket, bathrobe, or blanket they had laid out.

She loved to "preview" warm blankets when they came out of the dryer.

You know. Just to make sure they passed the snuggle test.

She was loved.



She was a Pentecostal.

She loved to hear the sounds of revival coming out of the in-ceiling speakers.

From Elder Alvear and Verbal Bean, to Pastor and Bishop Davies, she heard the Word preached day in and day out.

She told me one time that she always wanted to come to church and run the aisles just once.







She had a special and unique relationship with everyone in the family.

Dad would give her the baths so she would bite him harder, then she would fall asleep on his chest and they'd spend the whole night snoring together.

In the last few days of her life, Dad told her that whatever course the doctors and our family chose to take with her declining health, he promised her that he would never have her put down.

He made good on that promise.

Lizzy was loved.



Mom was probably the closest person to Lizzy. 

She spend all day, most everyday, keeping house as Lizzy followed her from room to room. 

Mom would hold Lizzy in a blanket, carrying her wherever she went when Lizzy was feeling sick, cold, or just lonely. 

Mom was her nurse, her companion, her dietitian, her consort, her caregiver, and she provided the Mother's love that Lizzy craved. 

She was loved.






Lizzy in turn had a mother relationship with me and my brothers. 

She never had puppies, and so adopted us as her sons.

We'd take her for car rides, scratch her ears that never seemed to stop itching, and play with her out in the yard. 

We never patented it, but the game Give Me My Grass was her favorite. 

You'd start with a clump of grass that you would pull up from the freshly mowed yard, and extend it out to her. She would cautiously creep up just far enough to snap some green shoots with her mouth and then the chase would began. The phrase "Give me my grass!", would be shouted and we'd run around the yard until she stopped and the action would be repeated. 

She loved it. 

We treated her like a Princess. 

You could not count the kisses given in a day's time, nor the belly rubs, nor the hugs or love shared. 

There is nothing like coming home to an ecstatic dog, jumping, rolling and spinning around, all because you came home just to see her. 

She was loved, and she loved us.




She had this thing for taking selfies. 

She was pretty good at it.




She loved two kinds of toys. 

The first were cat balls with little bells inside. These were some of the first balls she ever had as a puppy and she stuck with them her entire life.

She loved getting called to the laundry room for a new ball, and even if we didn't have any new ones, we could wash some old ones with water, stick them in the cupboard, and she thought they were the greatest things ever. 

She was loved.




The second were stuffed animals that she either swiped from our rooms, or received as gifts from us. 

She had friends in her toy basket ranging from bears, to giraffes, to little dogs named Frank.










Kitty was her sleeping companion. She slept with her every night. 

Kitty understood her, and was always ready for a nap, didn't matter the time of day.

She was loved.




A couple months ago, I sat down with Lizzy, and thinking of such things that might happen someday, I wanted to make sure that she would be able to tell everything that she wanted to say. 

We talked for a bit, and I took notes. 

You see, Lizzy gave us much joy. 

God gave her many years to give to her family, and her family gave her all they had. 

Lizzy enjoyed 100 lifetimes in the years she brightened our home. 

But with everything that God gives, He reserves the right to take it away. 

Lizzy knew about all this.

She said that when it came time for God to take her, she wanted us to remember, though it be painful sometimes, to be thankful for all the times that we shared together, because there are no regrets when you love someone with all your heart. 

She said to make sure and tell everyone that she loved them. All her friends from McMinnville, from California to Mexico.

She said we should be thankful for the people that we have in our lives today,

because you never know who is going to be missing from the dinner table tomorrow.



I saw Lizzy for the last time, in my Mother's arms, sitting in the living room of my house. 

She had been suffering from countless seizures, and was being watched over 24/7 by my Mom and Dad. 

She stirred slightly as I walked over, but remained asleep. 

I gave her one last goodbye, and kissed her on the head. 

"You're a good girl," I told her.



_____________________________________________
- Lizzy -

Is your face like an angel's, my fair child?

Sole daughter of the Avendano home and of my heart?

When last I saw your young brown eyes, they smiled.

And then we parted.

_____________________________________________







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5 comments

  1. Awwww sorry about your doggy Jacob!!! I love the pic of her on your arm!!! Her hair looks like YOURS!!! :)))

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    1. Thanks Mary :) and it does!! They say that Poodle hair is very similar to human hair. Especially mine LOL

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  2. Hi Jacob,

    My condolences to you and your family over the loss of Lizzie. We had our dog Misty for 13 years, and she passed away in April. Our pets really do become a part of our family, but the grief is more bearable when we remember the good, sometimes amusing times we had with them. Please greet your family from all of the California Connells!

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  3. Thank you Jake for such a sweet tribute to our baby!! She was the best dog a human could want. Although I'm sure Lizzy's sweetness developed over time from all the love she received from her precious boys that she loved so much. Every time I read this post I cry, so glad we have pictures and the memories are sweet.


    Mom

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  4. This post had me smiling with tears in my eyes. Pets are precious, aren't they?! And ya'll totally looked alike.-I think it was the hair. haha

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