In loving memory of Macey dog...

On Monday, June 11th, our precious pup, Macey, met her Creator.

Macey was a graceful, perceptive little lady. In September 2000, Macey was tw0-years-old when she came to us from another Alaskan family. We had just gotten married, and Brandon was about to go on a 4-month TDY (temporary duty away) with the Air Force. I did not want to spend my first "married" winter (no less) in Alaska alone. So, we adopted Macey!

She was a happy, energetic pup, already potty-trained, and with hardly any bad habits except for sneaking a bite now and again of cherry pie cooling on the stove top while I slipped outside to get the mail! She was polite and would "ask" permission if she could join you on the couch - or snuggle up on the bed - and would wait for your invitation before gracefully hopping up! On the long and lanky side - she often tried to curl up her entire lithe body and make it fit as if she were still a baby pup! Silly, girl! I don't think she realized she was 60 pounds!

Macey loved walks, hikes, eating crunchy lettuce, chasing squirrels up trees, snuggling, and especially basking in the warm sun. Many of you who were our neighbors may remember how she would spend like 4 hours outside on our doorstep in the sun with no collar or leash and would not run away! When she was ready to come in, she'd simply "knock" on the door! Macey loved children and eagerly wagged her tail when they surrounded her. When we lived on "Coldfoot Avenue" in Alaska, we were rather known as "Macey's parents" by the kids, instead of by our first or last name!

Macey journeyed with us for seven long years - all the way from Alaska in the car across the United States to Texas - and then again accompanying Brandon in the car from Texas to Montana. She helped us make friends (and a few friends of her own) and she was great with our children - patiently allowing Lance to crawl all over her stomach and back without flinching when he was a toddler - and even recently protecting Sage by sleeping wherever she slept or napped - behind her bouncy seat, under her crib, or near her car seat!

Macey has been a healthy pup almost all her life. But about a month ago, Macey threw up and did not get up for several hours. I simply thought she ate something foreign - but she was still not herself. After taking her in to the vet for a 5-day hospital visit, lab work concluded that she had scarring on her liver. So, we took her home, gave her antibiotics, special liver dog food, and she seemed to make a recovery. But last Sunday, Macey threw up again, this time - she did not recover. What I had not noticed so much was that her breathing had become progressively more laborsome, she lost weight, her skin sagged, she started hiding during the day, stopped greeting us when we returned home from an outing, a small mass had begun to protrude on her belly and she began to stop eating her own dog food. When we took her in to the doctor on Monday, the vet immediately noted that she was a very sick pup and after examination, concluded that Macey had liver cancer. There was nothing to be done.

So, sadly with Sage cooing in her car seat, Lance saying "the doctor can give her medicine and make Macey feel better", and tears in our eyes, we knelt down and prayed with Macey. We snuggled her soft velvet nose and kissed her ears. We said our goodbyes and began to leave the room. With one last effort, Macey got up and came over to burrow her head between Brandon's legs in the doorway. She gave her signature quick few licks to his hands, one lick to my hand, and then went back to the corner of the room to lay back down.

Macey for me marks our Air Force time and I feel grieved that she cannot continue on our journey here in Billings, Montana.

But we are grateful to have been blessed by her company and will miss her immensely! Thank you, God, for creating such pets - for filling our lives with joy in these many small, but enormous ways! We are grateful for Macey dog!