Prissy's Long Goodbye

I remember the day she joined our family as if it was yesterday.  It was Saturday, October 11, 1996 and my husband came home with this energetic fur-ball.  Certainly, this cannot be my birthday gift!  What was my husband thinking?  Wrong color, wrong breed, wrong time of year…really?  You see, we had just had the “dog discussion” about 2 weeks prior and we had jointly decided that we were going to get a Golden Retriever in the spring.  So, why was this Black Labrador Retriever puppy running around my house now?  Worse yet, at the time our bedroom was under construction and anyone who knows me knows when I’m working on a project I’m focused and do not allow for distractions.  No doubt, this little dog was a big distraction!  Oh, that first weekend seemed like it wouldn’t end.  She just wanted constant attention, she was so full of energy, she was so clingy – constantly sleeping on one of us, and although she was cute, REALLY cute, she wasn’t right for us…boy was I so wrong!

“The Hensel’s GWTW Prissy,” her AKC registered name, was like no other dog.  In no time, she had cast her black magic spell on me – and made me fall in love.  She made our house a home.  She was exceptionally smart – she could learn how to do anything.  We developed a special bond when she learned how to high-five whenever someone yelled “Touchdown Washington Redskins” (my favorite football team).  Within a week, she taught herself how to negotiate the stairs alone just to get to us working on the bedroom.  She also learned how to respond accordingly to the query, “Prissy, how old are you?” until her 6^th birthday when the answer became a little obnoxious.  She had a vivacious personality.  We quickly developed a daily routine – when I’d get home from work she’d great me by “speaking” and telling me all about her day (boy, do I wish I understood dog-talk).  She was extremely loving, not just to us, but to any stuffed animal she might find or be given.  She adopted these babies and took great pride gifting them to others when people came to visit her (where she’d talk to them too).  She loved her picture taken and frequently posed for the camera, sometimes even smiling.  She loved kids – she would let them do anything to her and she sat there patiently letting them.  She was patient with me too, no matter what I did.  She lived up to her name, she was a prissy girl – graceful, dainty and girly, although there were limits there too, which I discovered when I crossed the line and painted her nails.  She was clearly embarrassed by that.  She was a comedian, with little antics that
always made us laugh (like climbing into her toy box).  She was so playful, with a bounce in her step that showed how happy she was.  She was athletic, her muscles toned like an Olympic champion and she was a fantastic swimmer, leaping into any pond she could find (with or without permission).  She was extremely well behaved; she never even had a potty training accident - she didn't know how to be bad.  She made friends wherever she went.  She was friendly to everyone and everything, even her cat sister that did not grant her a warm welcome when she joined the family and her chocolate lab sister, Liberty who arrived 5-years later.  (That’s when I realized just HOW smart Prissy was.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Liberty – but comparing the two, well, let’s just say there’s no comparison.)  When her cat brother joined the family 10-years later, she fully adopted him as her own and they developed a close bond.  What an adorable combination – a tiny, white cat cleaning the face of a big, black dog – they clearly cared for each other very much. 

As perfect as she was, she did have her limitations.  Her only mischievous act was destroying every potted plant ever to be in our house, apparently her nemesis.  Baths were another adversary of hers…after she grew out of the kitchen sink and bathing was moved to the basement, she once broke free and tried to force herself through the cat door to escape.  (Talk about funny memory, I still laugh when I picture it.)  Despite her breeding, a hunting dog she would not be.  I remember the first time my dad, husband, and I took her out in the field and she fell asleep on my husband’s boot – when she was awake, she really wasn’t interested in the birds.  She also wasn’t interested in her betrothed, Casey – she wanted nothing to do with him.  We all considered this sad; as their puppies would have been ridiculously adorable with a 50-50 shot for being capable in the woods and being smart… Casey was a proficient hunter, but little short in the brain-department.  She also did not like thunder or fireworks, each time she would hide in her den (the bathroom) and stayed there until it was over.  Later, this became her primary hangout…

For nearly 16-years, Prissy was an amazing dog, unlike any other.  She was caring and compassionate.  She taught us what unconditional love really means.  Prissy didn’t care if we were fat or thin, rich or poor, happy or sad; she just wanted to be with us – right till the end.  After the shimmer in her eyes faded,after the spring in her step was replaced by a limp, after her muscle mass started to diminish, she persevered her pain just to be with us.

For about a year, my worst fear was coming home to find her unresponsive… but for the past few months, I began to pray for that – it was easier than the alternative.  The vet said she wouldn’t let go and endured her pain because she didn’t want to leave us, and she knew we didn’t want her to leave – she held on until we had no choice.  Now she has gone to join her “Gampa” in Heaven.  There will never be another Prissy – we will miss her very much.

To my Baby Girl – thank you for everything – for these wonderful memories and so many more; for being by my side during good times and bad; for being a mentor and mother your siblings; for being a loving and faithful companion for us to the end; for teaching us what love really means – sometimes loving us more than we loved ourselves.  I hope that we reciprocated the gifts you freely gave, but fear we fell short.  I hope that you forgive us our shortcomings and know that we did our best to give you the best life mere mortals could provide. We were so lucky to have you and hope you felt the same.  I hope you know just how much we loved you – and you have left your paw-print on our hearts.  Prissy, you were an extraordinary dog that is mourned by all who knew you, especially Auntie Diana & Uncle James, Auntie Sherri, your "mother-in-law", Mary-Fran, and Margaret, your neighborhood friend, not to mention Mommy and Daddy, all who loved you very much.  Rest in peace, Baby Girl your work here is done and your pain is finally gone.  Take care of your Gampa.  Goodbye, Prissy - Mommy loves you and always will.