Motley, Our Beloved

 

This past week it seemed we and the dogs were beginning to adjust to Lucky being gone and then earlier this evening, our dog, Motley unexpectedly passed.

 It seems so unbelievable Motley is gone just 10 days after we lost, Lucky. 

Lucky's passing was difficult but we had watched him decline after Lucky was diagnosed in 2020 with a neurological disorder that caused him to degenerate. But Motley was a different story. We adopted Motley in 2014 from a family that could no longer house him due to him being too aggressive. Motley bonded quickly with my husband and was a great watchdog. He guarded his territory well. He would often sit on the sofa and alert us to anyone walking by. Motley traveled frequently with us and our two dogs Buddy and Monroe. 

Motley was just outside earlier tonight and I watched him run up the steps with my husband much like he always did after doing his evening doody. Motley rested on the sofa between us and seemed content to have us pet him as we often do. Motley watched me walk to the kitchen and he got down and came over to the doorway to see what I was doing. He followed my husband to his desk and laid at his feet. I came in to offer Motley some food and my husband reached down to hand it to Motley - Motley did not respond my husband reached down to move him and we could see he was gone. Our heartaches. 

            Motley with Buddy and Monroe playing at Hueston Woods State Park

I searched around for a quote to match Motley's personality and this is the nearest I could find. 

“Dogs die. But dogs live, too. Right up until they die, they live. They live brave, beautiful lives. They protect their families. And love us. And make our lives a little brighter. And they don’t waste time being afraid of tomorrow.” ― Dan Gemeinhart