Tribute to Pikkle

Pikkle was about fourteen years old when we had to make the tough decision to put her to sleep last week. Cancer was ravaging through her body. We knew she had been suffering for a while. She'd started to bark almost non-stop. It was annoying, but what else could she do to let us know she was hurting. Pikkle was a gift for Ginger, our daughter. We'd been living in Paradise only a year. It was a hard move from little podunk Grouse Creek, population 100 to the thriving metropolis of Paradise, population 700 plus! Seriously though it was a big difference considering our kids had only 24 kids in their school K-10 and were now attending schools with hundreds of students. Pikkle helped. Ginger took here trick or treating with her while she was still a pup. Ging wore a jestor outfit and Pikkle had a matching hat and ruffly collar--purple and green. Pikkle and Ging faithfully attended 4-H obedience school. Ging worked with her, but she never got the hang of things and failed the test in the end. They were supposed to leave alone a treat until ordered to eat it, but Pikkle chomped it right down when she wasn't supposed to. She did learn to sit and she usually came when called. She was so nice though that baby chicks could enter her pen and she'd just watch. Baby kittens could share from her water dish and she would lick them. No matter where Ging traveled throughout the world, she'd come home and take Pikkle on walks. They were always friends. I have fond memories of Pikkle on hikes, checking on us, and then running ahead to be with Ginger and then coming back again. She'd do this the entire hike. Back and forth. The last few walks though, she could barely keep up. We'll miss Pikkle.