Madison

Madison, the dog Chris and I adopted in graduate school, passed away yesterday. She was such a sweet dog.

Chris was my first boyfriend and the first person I said “I love you” to. He was also part of the reason I came out – what an interesting time that was in South Carolina.

Here are some highlights from Chris' note to me about Madison:

Brent and I made the decision to put Madison down today. She was 15 1/2 and had a wonderful life full of car rides, treats, and sleeping in her favorite places (up on all the furniture), in addition to all her antics and fun memories living in the Big Easy (including voting). She was fully loved and returned that to us.

We've been in the agonizing decision process for the last four months, and we were with when she died. She was given a sedative first and then the euthanasia, so she went peacefully, fully understanding what joy she brought and how much she was loved. Her ashes will be returned to us (as any outdoor resting place would be totally insulting to her highness, the pretty princess).

Yesterday was a full day, including all her favorites...ham for breakfast, french fries for lunch, and steak for dinner. She got a bath and was full of sweet smelling fluffiness as she passed.