Madly in {Puppy} Love

Engineer never wanted Diva to grow up not knowing the love of a dog so at 5 months pregnant, we trundled down English back roads to a tiny village outside of Oakhampton where a couple of guys were selling a Yorkie/Westie cross puppy.  When we got to their house, I was in desperate need of the loo (I was pregnant remember) so I asked the owner if I could use his facilities and when I came back out, Engineer had a wiggly matted dirty little ball of fur in his arms. 
He was grinning from ear to ear. 

He was smitten.

As we drove the windy way home, we decided on the name Truffles since it was close to Valentine's Day.  Engineer then spent every morning training Truffles to do all sorts of tricks.  She could sit, stay, lay down, roll over, play dead, beg, and wave.  He also taught her to freeze when a treat was on her nose until he said "okay." 

She was a smart as a whip. 
She was also stubborn as all get out.
She was every bit of a determined terrier.
Engineer said that she and I were peas in a pod; that's probably why she picked me as "her person."

As a puppy, Truffles would come lay across my feet while I was at the stove cooking.  She also liked to lay across my belly while I was pregnant.  She slept with us at night and many times I would wake up to find that she had wriggled her way under the covers and was laying on her back with her head next to mine on the pillow.  If I happened to move my face toward her during the night, I would be awakened by a wet nose touching mine and a lick on the face. 

Truffles loved walks in the English countryside, along the canal, or on the beach.  She especially liked the beach because that walk would end at a tearoom which resulted in a bit of cake for all.

She went with me everywhere, to Diva's school, to work, to the bank, to my parents' house.  She lived with us in two countries and two states, went on quite a few road trips with us, and outlived several of her doggie siblings.

You could always find Truff in a laundry basket or a bag, on a blanket or a pile of dirty clothes - anywhere warm, soft, and/or squishy.

Truffles had gotten a lot slower in her advancing years and walked with what we called the "Truffle Shuffle."  She was not without her problems, she had severe allergies, chronic ear infections, she became blind and deaf, and developed arthritis and mammary tumors.  It was when the tumors changed shape and size and she quit eating that we knew she didn't have much time left with us.

Engineer looked at me one morning last week and said, "You should take Truff and have a good day with her today; it may be her last."  So we did.  She rode with me to Diva's school (one of Truff's favorite things) and we spent a little while outside just letting the breeze caress her face. The dog affectionately known around here as Truffty Puff Dog McGraw and I ate pretzels (the only thing she would eat) and had a "Gilmore Girls" binge watching session.  She laid on my belly and slept like she had done when she was a pup.  I did a fair amount of crying and if a shifted at all, again, like she had done 15 years previously, she licked my face with her velvety tongue.  

On Thursday of last week, we said goodbye to our first "Little Girl" and on Friday Diva woke up to the first day in her life without Truffles in it.  Truffles almost made it to 16.

Engineer says we plant roses and dogs at every house.  We had planted roses months ago and on Thursday evening, we planted a dog.