Goodbye, Old Girl.

Dear Frisky,

I know everyone says their dog is the best dog ever. But I think I win. I had the cutest, smartest, sweetest dog in the whole world.

I will never forget being 10 years old and going to the mall just to get lunch. Thank goodness I was enough of a brat to beg for a puppy we saw at the rescue right next to the door. We all stopped to look at the cute little black and white puppies, and I got to hold your brother for a good half hour. I fell in love with him and begged and begged to bring him home. Little did I know that while I was falling in love with him, my mom was falling in love with you. Even so, we left without a dog. I moped around the entire day, angry at everyone because all I wanted was a dog. Next thing I knew, my dad walked in and told me I had forgotten my jacket in his car....And my entire life was changed when I saw a little puppy paw sticking out of the sleeve.

It took us days to name you. Emily didn't come home from Girl Scout camp until Monday, and none of us could agree. We finally decided on Frisky, the name of our dad's first dog. We didn't think it was too appropriate because you seemed so demure and sweet. Either you rose to the occasion and grew into your name, or we predicted the future because you were the rowdiest puppy in the world. You bit everything you could get your mouth on, including all of us. You ran faster than any dog we had ever seen, and jumped over anything as if you were trained in running obstacle courses.

The day I fell head over heels in love was when I was sitting out by the pool and all of a sudden, my 3-month-old puppy jumped onto the pool cover. I thought for sure you would fall in the pool and be in for a shock of cold water, but you ran right across that pool cover and never fell in. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. You figured out what a fun game that was and ran until you got too big. Then the pool days began.

You LOVED that pool. The minute you smelled sun block, your tail would start wagging and you would get so excited, like days at the pool were the best days you could have ever asked for. You would jump in with all of us, swimming laps and staying in the water to keep cool in the California heat. Pretty soon "Frisky, in the pool!" was a common command, and you would come flying into the water. You would jump so far we almost thought you could make it to the other side. We loved sending you off the diving board and seeing how far you could make it. We should have let you compete in that...you would have loved it.

You also protected us from anything you thought could put us in danger. I will never forget when Uncle Bri was wrestling me in the kitchen, pretending to tackle me, but you wouldn't even let him come near me! You love Uncle Bri but right when he started playing rough, you came right in to the rescue. I always felt safe when you were around. We loved having a sheep dog, because we became your sheep and your job was to protect us. I also loved when we would bike around our back yard, and you would nip at our heels to try and herd us into one spot to be safe. We hated having scratches on our heels but we loved being your sheep.

Not only did I get to be a little kid with you - I got to be a teenager with you. You were there so many nights when all I could do was cry. It may have been silly, but you were the one who had to listen to all my secrets and teenage drama. You weren't the cuddliest dog - you were a working dog - but you knew the nights when you just had to lie with me and lick my face. You were my confidante and my friend, and I will never forget those nights.

Then, on my 17th birthday, Cookie came into our lives. You hated that little puppy. She was the new center of attention and she was breaking all the rules you knew so well...biting and chewing on everything, never sleeping, always wanting to play. You were such a grumpy girl for a while, and I hated Cookie for it. I loved you so much that I hated this little puppy that annoyed you so immensely. (We all know we fell in love with her after a while.) You were a great big sister to her and she misses you more than anyone else.

It has been almost a month, and I still miss your kisses and rubbing your belly. I am really glad that even though we weren't allowed to have you sleep in our beds, I had a sleepover with you once. I slept in the den one 4th of July to keep you feeling safe from fireworks and you got right onto the air mattress with me and slept with your head resting on my hip. That was one of my favorite nights ever. You were never the most affectionate dog, but that night you snuggled up to me because you were so afraid. I soaked up every moment.

The thing we girls will miss the most is jacuzzi nights. Every time we had a girls night and put on our bathing suits for a jacuzzi, you would get so excited and sit with us the entire night, as if you were enjoying listening to all the gossip right along with us. You would lick all the chlorine off our faces and give endless kisses as we laughed hysterically. Jacuzzi nights aren't the same anymore without you, dear friend.

I love you and I miss you, and Wilson World will never be the same without you. I'll see you again someday, my puppy.

Love,
Anna May