Sibling Assignment 2018:6 A Tribute to Peaches...Woman's Best Friend

Christy’s sibling assignment for the month of March was this:  Write a tribute to a friend that is no longer with us.

Christy's tribute will be here, and Bill's tribute will be here.

I admit, I had a bit of trouble trying to figure out who should be the subject of this tribute.  I just didn’t know who to write about. And then it hit me.  I am going to write about a friend who has gone, who was this “woman’s best friend”.  And that is our dog Peaches.

Peaches came into our life very serendipitously.  We had a plan.  We would get a dog once we had a house with a fenced in yard.  Paul had decided he wanted a Keeshond.  He had done research on this type of dog, and thought it would be perfect for our family.  He was correct.

I remember it was a Sunday morning, and Molly wasn’t feeling well, so I stayed home from church with her.  I was online on the computer, and for some reason, I was looking at the Idaho Statesman classifieds.  This paper is located in Boise, Idaho, the place we had recently moved from.  In the ads I found an add for Keeshond puppies, and the owners were located in Meridian. I believe there was one female puppy and two male puppies.  When Paul arrived home from church, I told him about the add, and we put a plan into action.  He called his brother Kevin, who lived in the area, and he (along with his daughters Karlie and Taylor, if I remember correctly), went and visited the puppies, and gave us a good report.  We then told the people we wanted to female.  The female was named Peaches, because they had yarn tied to each of them to tell them apart, and her yarn color was peach colored.

Spring break was coming up in a couple of weeks for Paul and the girls (I was working at the local newspaper at the time, so I did not get a spring break back in those days) made a trip to Meridian to pick up our new puppy. 

When they all arrived home, it was wonderful having this little ball of fluff in our home.  I remember her not liking the crate training at first (the first night was awful, as I remember), but she eventually got used to her crate. 

One vivid memory I have right after she arrived was we had one of those early spring snow falls, and she loved playing in the snow.

When she was young, she was small enough to squeeze through the pickets in the fence in our front yard, and would sometimes escape.  But she would always come back.

As Peaches grew, she became a wonderful family pet.  We loved her and she was gentle, and would only bark when she felt like we needed protection.

A few years after we got her, we added another dog to our family, Molly’s Pomeranian Sadie.  I remember for the first two weeks or so, Peaches would not acknowledge Sadie’s existence.  She would look right through her.  But eventually, Peaches gave in to the little ball of fluff, and they became wonderful friends.

One thing Peaches did not like was thunder.  She would get very upset when there were storms. 

Toward the end, Peaches started slowing down.  Her breathing started getting very labored.  She suffered from arthritis. She couldn’t go on walks anymore.  We then had to make the difficult decision to have the vet put her to sleep.  That is always a tough decision, but when their quality of life suffers, you know it is best.

I remember sitting with her on the floor of the room at Kellogg Pet Medical Center, when Dr. Cook was giving her the medicine to put her to sleep.  She looked at me, and for a moment, I could tell she was at peace.  Then she was gone.

It was hard saying goodbye to Peaches.  She had been a part of our life for about 11 years.  She was born on Christmas Eve, so celebrating her birthday was always part of our holiday celebration.

Our pets do become a part of our family.  They are our friends.  They bring a special meaning into our life.  We love them.  We miss them.  And a part of our heart is taken when they leave this earth.

Peaches spirit lives on in all our lives.  She was a wonderful, sweet soul. 

A special, wonderful friend.

The day Peaches died, Molly wrote this on Facebook.  It sums up Peaches life perfectly…

Today the Roberts' family did a very difficult thing. Our beloved dog of almost 12 years was laid to rest today. For a year she was constantly in pain with arthritis and trouble breathing, and is finally at peace. As corny as this may sound Peaches was not only a dog, but a friend. A friend who helped me get through the move from Meridian, to Kellogg. A friend who helped me through depression, and heartache. A perfect companion. We could use some prayer, and positive thoughts sent our way this next week. I will end with a C.S Lewis quote “We treat our dogs as if they were 'almost human': that is why they really become 'almost human' in the end.”

Peaches Maximillian Holyday Roberts

December 24, 2001-September 16, 2013.