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Posts Tagged ‘Lady’

In loving memory of our Little Lady Lefkowitz

Posted in At Home on 10/18/2009 01:00 am by Melissa

This entry is a break from the norm, as it’s about an issue at home in Teaneck, NJ. Our family’s dog, Lady, died on Friday, October 16th at 5 PM in our home. She had just been diagnosed with lung cancer the day before. She was 10 years, 4 months, and 12 days old.

My last entry is now grotestque in light of this debilitating news, and I’m inclined to delete it. But I won’t. I think it’s important to recognize the stark juxtaposition between a dog’s role in the States and in certain places in China. But, everyone should know that there are plenty of dog owners in China who would never think about eating dog.

Enough about that. Here’s this: the news of Lady’s death jarred me so much that I could barely leave my room today. It’s been really hard to cope with Lady’s death from out here – I wish I could be home to touch one of her dog hairs or wash her food bowl for the last time. Thankfully, the family will wait for me before we spread her ashes at her favorite park.

In order to commemorate her life, I thought it would be a good idea if the readers of this blog could post a comment about their favorite Lady moment. Lady wasn’t only a part of the Lefkowitz family, she was a part of our extended friends’ and families’ lives as well, and I know that she will be remembered by everyone as a loving, warm, silly, nudgy, attention-seeking, beautiful, playful, energetic, and all around wonderful dog.

I think my favorite memories of Lady are those from this past spring. I didn’t have class until the afternoon, so I was able to sleep in later than the rest of the family. As everyone was getting up and ready to go at around 7:30 am, Lady would come to my room and paw on the door. I’d always get up and let her in, and then we’d sleep a few more hours together before I had to start my day. I was also writing my thesis during this time and I needed a lot of breaks to get through some of the longer chapters. So every day or so, Lady and I would go on an extended walk around the neighborhood. The walks were very therapeutic for me and I would always thank Lady for keeping me company during the super stressful moments.

For Lady though, I’m sure that her favorite moments were those spent at the reservoir, running in front of us - always waiting when we were out of eyeshot – off of the leash, taking a swim, and meeting other dogs.

Beyond all the fun though, Lady was serious about doing her part in the house. In exchange for food and shelter, Lady gave us unremitting love and her guard services. She was always there to accompany us while we engaged in the lonelier activities of the day, aka making a sandwich, watching TV, taking a nap. Moreover, she kept our house “safe,” in her terms, of course: newcomers and mailmen were always given their due welcome from the living room window, and a mouse seems to have kept himself in check for over a year (my mom saw him ages ago and no one believed her – he popped out right after my dad moved Lady out of the house).

So those are some of my memories and comments on Lady. Please write down your favorite memory. I’m sure it’ll help us all fill the void that is left in her wake.