Skylar the Dog
I debated with myself on whether to send you this email
or not. I don't discuss my personal life much online because I
like to keep my private life private. And I certainly don't want
to start your week off with bad news
But I haven't emailed you in several days and you may have
noticed and wondered what was up because I tend to email
every day rain or shine
There is one member of my family you may have heard me talk
about. I've mentioned her in my emails and on my podcast. At
the start of just about every webinar I'm on someone chats and asks,
"How's Skylar?"
On many of my instructional videos you will hear the distinct
"Jingle, Jingle, Jingle" of Skylar's collar as she get up and shakes (which
actually means, "Hey, won't you stop playing with that machine and pay
attention to me for a minute!")
Skylar was with me for 14 years. Before I even started working online
full time there was Skylar.
When I was working my corporate job during the day, doing online
marketing on weekends and living in a small cramped condo with no
back yard, there was Skylar.
When I was still writing code myself until the wee hours of the morning,
there was Skylar.
Even at 14 she was still a very active dog, She just in the last 6 months
stopped chasing and catching the Frisbie — and that's only because we
made the decision that it was probably not a good idea for an old lady
to be jumping up and landing on her fragile hips and legs.
So she switched to chasing a ball which we would kick across the
yard. No big deal. She always won the game. She always got the
ball before any one else.
Last week she stopped chasing the ball.
That was probably the hardest part for me. Because she had stopped
doing the thing she loved to do — the thing she lived to do.
This weekend she stopped eating. She even turned her nose up at her
favorite thing in the world: a fried egg.
The past two days she's been panting heavily like she's having problems
breathing.
At noon today she was barely moving. I called her vet (who has treated
her since she was 6 weeks old) and he came to our house to help her go
gently.
And she did. Her final gift to me.
At 2:30 PM ET Skylar passed peacefully, Surrounded by friends.
She was 14 years, 5 months and 25 days old. Old for a dog.
Ancient for a Boxer.
She had a great life. And she enriched the lives of many. There
was not a human being she did not immediately love. Especially
kids. She had a certain instinct about children. She knew when to
play rough and when to be as gentle as a feather.
My mother used to own a day care center. She would have about 12
or 14 kids at a time in the play room watching TV. Skylar would go
from one to the next to the next giving them kisses, Then she would
start at the first child again and go around over and over again.
One little girl was afraid of dogs. So she would put a blanket over
her head. When Skylar got to her she would pause for a couple of
seconds and wait to see if she would put down the blanket. Then
Skylar would keep with her rotation.
After about the 4th time the little girl finally gave in and took the blanket
off her head. Skylar licked her face like it was a lollipop. The little girl
giggled with glee and kept yelling for Skylar to "give me another
turn."
Ok, I could go on and on with the Skylar stories. (maybe I'll write a
book) but I'll close out now.
Skylar I'm going to miss you girl. You were truly one of a kind.
James
