A tribute to two great dogs

I said goodbye to two amazing Labrador retrievers this year. Cody, my yellow Lab, died at home on March 30. She was 13-1/2 and died of natural causes. LuLu, a black Lab and a working diabetic alert dog, died on October 29. She was 4-1/2 and died of cancer, first diagnosed in December of last year.

Words can't describe the loss or the feeling of helplessness when a dog you love dies. Here's how it felt for me: forget the rainbow bridge. I want my dog back. But it doesn't work that way.

So here are some pictures of both of these amazing dogs. The pictures make me smile and they make me cry. But most of all, they let me remember.

I will be forever grateful to all the dogs who have taught me so much.

This is my Cody playing "catch me if you can" with my Murphy. She was 4, he was 1. He never caught her. She ran like the wind.

When I finally got Cody to down/stay, I had to have a picture of it. Being still was not her strong suit.

This was Cody training as a wilderness search and rescue dog. She loved it!

And here she is as an old lady with a white muzzle, hanging out with her pack. 

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This is LuLu when she was a wee puppy with her boy, Christian.

Always together.

No matter the weather.

As the boy became a young man, LuLu was there.

To the very end, they were together. To the Hall family: I am so very sorry for your loss. LuLu was a wonderful dog. 

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