RIP Luca

Luca, my Sheltie, passed away today. Just last night, he was sharing my hamburger and fries and I came home from the grocery store this morning after dropping Gracie at school and found him lying in front of my bedroom door, as he always did, waiting for me to return, and he was gone. Just gone. So shocking. My Luca. He had just turned 10, or 70 in doggie years, in March.

Luca was truly the best dog I've ever had. He poddy-trained himself when he was 11 weeks old. When he was little, you could say, "I love you!" and he would bark three times back. He was kind and gentle. I will miss him so much.

This is Luca at about 4 months. He was tiny. I never would have thought he would grow into the giant that he became - more like a Collie than a Sheltie.

This is at PaPa's...I don't know if this is Dodie, Mom's first Yorkie, or Kodie, the Yorkie she has now, but they look like they're having a good time entertaining Pat!

Luca was first a brother to my cocker spaniel, Beau, but Beau was run over by a car about 6 months after I got Luca.

It didn't take him long to grow. My vet at the time had Luca's sister, so she spoiled him a lot., too. Everybody loved Lukie!

It was in this apartment, the apartment I lived in when I met Jack, that he and Bailey, Lukie's new brother, were chasing each other around and Luca banged his hip into the bathroom door. He was never quite the same after that and as he got older, he really had a difficult time walking.

But, he still went wherever I did - this is at the lake with PaPa and Mom. Ewwww, they were dirty!

This was just taken in February. My sweet, sweet Lukie. We will miss you. You will always be in our hearts...we love you!

Lukie is buried beneath a huge pine tree in our back pasture...rest in peace, my dear boy.