On December 30, 2007 the lovely white Teddie Bear, fostered by Kitty and Arnie Hilk, crossed to the Rainbow Bridge. Teddie started out with us on 3 August 2003. Our goal in adopting Teddie was to provide companionship for Bandit, our sable "rescue" collie who was about 11 at the time, and who had been mopey since losing his buddy Rado in April 2001.

At home in Greene, Teddie settled into a routine of walks around the block, then the neighborhood, then into town; regular meals; grooming at least once a week, lots of naps and playtime whenever. Early on we found that Teddie was not as much a "dog" dog, as a "people" dog. Bandit, pretty senior at the time but very social with both people and dogs, would present her a tug toy to play with him, which she sniffed and politely declined. But Bruce or I could lean forwards and initiate eye contact with Teddie, clap our hands and get her to do the "Teddie Dance", a circling bound and flouncing movement, followed by wags, and a sideways collapse on the ground to get a belly rub, usually accompanied with a case of "kicky feet". Early on, and while her rear legs were still sound, she regularly ambushed any seated person by climbing half-way onto their lap, hugging them with her front legs, and licking the face and neck enthusiastically: rubbing the spot about six inches above her tail brought on dancing rear legs and thrashing tail - "the collie stomp", the dance of a REALLY happy collie!

Until her arthritis made it too painful, she walked with Bandit and us into town to wait patiently by the post office and the variety store while we stopped on quick errands, greeting neighbors as they passed. After meals, Teddie quietly cruised though the kitchen on a different flight pattern than Bandit, checking the floor for treasure. She and Bandit shared an old armchair by the front window to curl up in and watch the outside world, and took over the chair when Bandit got too creaky to get up in it himself, and likewise the window watch.

Teddie liked a good car ride. She often went with me to Spokane, WA, while I helped my Mom after surgeries or over winter, while Bandit stayed home with Bruce; sometimes the other way around. In short, Teddie traveled much, got lots of love, plenty of naps and good food, gradually got Bandit to forgive her for making him NOT the only dog in the house. Only in the last 15 months, when it became apparent that her arthritis necessitated that she be lifted up and down all stairs, that we realized she was getting "old". Teddie seemed to be well enough to make a short trip to Spokane with us in September/October 2007, but began to fail, showing a swollen and lame front right foot within a couple of weeks of returning. After an X-ray, our local vet said it was probably bone cancer. Although lame and dealing with discomfort that pain medications did not entirely address, Teddie still did a bit of her "Teddie dance" before the snow got too deep in late November, and still did a (quieter) bark and (gentler) flounce at the UPS truck and any squirrels that caught her attention.

On December 28th, late in the day, she ceased eating, and pretty much stopped drinking water. The next morning, she had had multiple accidents in the house. That afternoon, Teddie just wanted to spend time outside, sitting in the snow and watching the birds and squirrels. The continuing refusal of food, and, now, water, both of us had a pretty good idea that Teddie was on her way out and that we might be calling the vet the following Sunday morning. About 8 A.M., we checked to see if she was interested in going out to relieve herself, but she simply raised her head to look around, and then laid back. She was being the stoic, letting what was probably cancer, advancing into her digestive track, end her life.

To say that Teddie will be sorely missed is understatement. Her remains, cremated, will remain with us, though little portions of her ashes will be scattered or placed at the locations where she played or lived in joy, including a small jar going to Kitty and Arnie Hilk. We can only hope this suits Teddie's wishes. She will let us know when she greets us, and for her it will only be a short time before we all meet again, and we will understand her perfectly when she tells us, in that next and perfect place, what she could not tell us on this earth.: so we all hope....br>