To our sweet, beautiful, baby girl Reagan. Oh how you will be missed. I’ll never forget. It was July 2013. I was scrolling on FB and there you were, newly rescued by Labrador Friends of the South. The yellow lab I had always wanted. You were stunning. How in the world did you end up with a rescue? I showed you to Scott and told him I neeeeded you. He said ok of course. So I put in an app and hundreds of others did too. I was 4th in line and they said they would call if by some
miracle the other apps fell through.  Well the miracle happened. One by one they fell through, and we got the call that we could adopt you. I drove to Atlanta with Bella to come get you. At the time, Bella was our only dog! Can you even imagine only one dog in this house?  Ha! We got there and while waiting they told us  you had just been pulled from a high-kill shelter where you stayed for 6 months. How you survived there, let alone were never adopted,  we will never know. We loved you from hello. Brought you home, opened the car door, and there you went…started trotting right on down the street without me. I was like…well this is great. I lose you before I can even get you in the house. So Bella and I started following slowly and then you cowered. We saw it. A fear you were never able to completely let go of.  Something happened in your past life that totally traumatized you. Every sudden move, every loud noise, every unfamiliar face terrified you for the rest of your life. But we walked you back to the house where you spent the next 8 years.  No fear within the walls of our home. You could finally be the happy, carefree dog you were born to be.  From then until now, you have brought us nothing but joy. You happily accepted Mr Wiggles and then Hooch into the pack. We started fostering dogs for the next few years, and you were ok with that. All 25 of them, and they were all drawn to you. Perhaps because they shared the same fears and uncertainty you once did. You tolerated them all, playing a role in teaching them how to “dog.” Although yours was to mainly let them crawl all over you. Then your body started to fail you. Arthritis is tough on a big girl like yourself but you pushed through, insisting on walks and rushing across the backyard when the occasional deer or cat or rooster was taking a stroll on the other side of the fence.
But you can barely do that now. You need help with the stairs, your body gives out quickly and the “quality” of life is now behind you. Scott and I know it’s not fair to keep you here with us. Being your stubborn little self, you are making us make the decision to let you go. Sweet girl, goodbye for now. You will be free to run fast and long and without fear. We love you so very, very much.