Though I gave you all my heart,
The time has come that we must part.
And although I'm gone,
The love I gave will linger on.

I said goodbye to a friend today.  This friend came into my life back in the fall of 2004.  She was a hart pioneer.  Her name was Nooksis.

When we first met, she had lost almost all of her hair, had open, weeping wounds all over from scratching and was underweight.  But despite her weakening physical condition, her will was still strong. 

When dispatched to rescue a family of adult dogs suffering from mange, I never thought that the canine matriarch would teach me so much. 

Nooksis taught me about recovery.  I had never seen a dog suffering from mange before and have never seen a dog suffering as badly again.  Nooksis showed me what a remarkable difference my efforts could make on the quality of a dog in need's life.  Perhaps I was naive, having never treated a dog with mange, but I never doubted that Nooksis would have a full coat again.  I never doubted that despite her rough start, she was approximately 4 years old when she was rescued, that she would wag her way into the heart of everyone who met her.  

When Nooksis came into hart's care she had a special caregiver, her son Rex.  Rex would ensure that Nooksis had food and would lick her wounds as if to try to heal her.  I had never witnessed a canine bond like this and knew that separating them would have devastating consequences.  After an intensive few months of recovery, they chose their adoptive parents...although these unsuspecting humans didn't know it yet. 

Rex and Nooksis moved into their foster home and day by day solidified their future with their crazy antics and unabashed attention-seeking.  In the years that passed, Rex and Nooksis experienced more love than they ever knew possible.  Without fail they went on a walking adventure every day, they adopted an extended family, they helped their humans through difficult times and they got to travel and leave their mark all through Canada.  Rex and Nooksis adopted two of the most genuine, caring and good natured people around. 

Within the last year, Nooksis started experiencing age related health issues.  When she visited us at the PAWTY earlier this summer, she was as feisty as ever but her health struggles were taking their toll.  I didn't want to stop hugging her that day because I feared those days were coming to an end.      

It has been 9 years since the fall day that I met Nooksis learned today that she has crossed the rainbow bridge.  Nooksis was a small dog with a big personality and has left the world a better place.  She will be missed.