The heartbreak before Christmas

We got back from our New Mexico Christmas vacation last night to a house that had less to come back to. Our beloved Black Lab, Cowboy, died on December 23rd. At eleven, he was old for a dog of his size (over 100 lbs).

He had an intimidating physical presence but that was quickly overlooked because of his gentle demeanor, even if somewhat excitable when meeting someone new. He was a dog who loved people, especially kids. This is how we will always remember him:

Bailey hugging Cowboy
Bailey hugging Cowboy

I remember having friends over to play games at our table and he would be always find a way to get under it. It was his favorite place to be, surrounded by people.

Bailey loved to climb on him and lead him around by his collar, well, as much as a 20 lb. girl could lead a 100 lb. dog. She also liked to hold his food dish while he ate.

We miss him terribly. As Bailey said so often, “Good boy, Cowboy.”