Lilo came into my life on 4/24/2006 when I walked into the Connecticut Humane Society originally looking for a cat a few days prior and walked out with her. You can read that story
here. I don't think I had any idea how much giving this girl a second chance at life would change my own. I didn't realize that I would need her as much as she needed me through the ups and downs of life. She was there for me through so many seasons: happy, sad, lonely, confused. She always knew what I needed and always gave me everything she had. I was her person from day one and she never let me forget it.
Lilo is a dog who simply loved life. All.The.Time. She was always happy and smiling and it was contagious. She was the life of the party and she loved every person she met. She touched the lives of so many , some whom never even met her in person. People were always asking about her and following our adventures on social media. I can't tell you how many times we would be stopped at a red light, Lilo with her face out the window, tongue hanging out, and the people in the 
car next to us waving and smiling at her. It always made me so happy to see her bringing smiles to the faces of complete strangers. She craved the attention of people. So much so that when we would regularly visit the dog park near our house when we lived in Connecticut, she was always more interested in greeting all of the humans there rather than their furry friends. She was never one for playing with other dogs, or toys in general. She just loved and wanted a good head or belly rub. Lilo was more of a people dog than a dog dog, but she did have a handful of 4-legged friends that she loved spending time with.
Lilo's favorite place was wherever I was. She was my shadow, following me wherever I went. It didn't matter what we were doing. Next to me was where you were likely to find her. She was almost always under my feet in the kitchen hoping I would drop some food, she would often check on me while I got ready for work in the bathroom each morning, she joined me for early morning garage workouts, and loved to be outside with me whether it was to walk to the end of the driveway to check the mail or to keep me company while I did yard work. One of my favorite things to watch her do was roll around in the grass. It was impossible not to smile when she did that, no matter what kind of day I was having. She reminded me to enjoy the little things in life. I cherish all of the adventures we had together, including: 12+ hour road trips to and from New England, trips to the beach, sunrise walks at the river, hikes up Sleeping Giant, and walks around town. They were all more fun with my sweet girl by my side.
Now don't get me wrong, she definitely had her moments. Like the time she was regularly getting into the trash can while I wasn't home and I walked in one day and she greeted me with a yogurt cup stuck on her nose (I wish I had a picture of that one haha.) Or the time my roommate and I closed her up in a bedroom while we moved some furniture into our apartment and she clawed halfway through the wooden door to try to get out to us. This was after she busted through the screen door on the back porch where we had first put her. Or the times when we would go to the park down the street together to run around and she would completely zone out from obeying me and run off whenever she saw a squirrel. I cherish those imperfect moments just as much. At the end of the day, she was the perfect dog and the best cuddler.
I've always loved this quote from the book Marley and Me:
“A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A water logged stick will do just fine. A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he'll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?”
Lilo encouraged me to be present and to live in the moment. There were many times when she would nudge my arm away from my phone or computer to remind me to pay attention to her. After all, she did wait all day for me to come home to her. I tried to use our daily walks around the neighborhood and trips to the river as a time to appreciate the world around me and the little things like birds flying around and flowers blooming in odd places, and I often used those peaceful moments for times of prayer. I have committed to not let those walks end just because I don't have my favorite walking partner with me anymore. They will now also become a time when I can look back and smile, thinking about our time together.
Patience and perseverance are what Lilo taught me in her last year with me. It was so hard to see my sweet baby girl growing older but I had to remember that this was a season of her life when she needed me and relied on me more than ever. 2017 was plagued with more vet visits than I can count but Lilo was one strong, resilient pup who kept fighting and pushing through those challenges- ear infections, a 
scratched retina, tooth extractions, seizures, arthritis. Nothing stopped her. and nothing broke her spirit. Living with stage 3 kidney disease for the last 4 months caused Lilo to have to be let out about every 4 hours or so, which involved me coming home every day during work and waking up in the middle of the night (in freezing weather,) often more than once. This also resulted in many accidents having to be cleaned up. It would have been easy to become frustrated, and at first I did, but I had to remember that this behavior was not intentional and that she was trying her best. I accepted it and allowed it to just became part of our new normal routine and I'm not going to lie, I still wake up in the middle of the night hoping to hear her pacing around the house waiting to be let out. Finding time to leave work every day was not always convenient or easy but I learned to love and look forward to our mid-day walks and short escapes from busy days. Lilo's hearing also became limited which created a challenge at times. Car rides became increasingly more difficult as her balance was not what it once was, which led to a very anxious dog. I learned that becoming upset and frustrated with her would not change anything so instead I chose to accept and love her where she was at and to give her the love an support that she had always shown me when I wasn't at my best. All it took was looking at her sweet face and it wasn't very hard to do.
I was blessed to have Lilo in my life for 12 amazing years. We moved 6 times and experienced so much together. I chose to spend every free moment that I had with her and included her in everything that I possibly could. Honestly, a lot of what I chose to do revolved around if Lilo could be included or not and I do not regret that one bit. I hated being away from her. She graciously shared the attention when Mark entered our lives and gave him her seal of approval on our wedding day as he gathered our rings from around her neck. She loved him so very much and I'm thankful for a husband who loved her as much as I did. We made a great pack.
Lilo was so good with children and I wanted more than anything for her to be around to meet her baby brother. Although she will not be here physically, I will take her love for life and all that she taught me about unconditional love, patience, and living in the moment and implement those as we welcome Baby Parker into our lives. I was touched by what a friend shared with me when she learned of Lilo's passing, "The world is a little darker with her not in it. Life is filled with sad and devastating events but around the corner is new life and beautiful moments." I believe that is what Lilo would want me to focus on. The beautiful life that we have ahead of us with our precious baby boy.
Lilo will always be my pretty baby and sweet girl and I will never forget a single moment of our time that we spent together. She was loyal, faithful, trusting, selfless, loving - my very best friend for 12 years. So much love and laughter lives in our story. No words will ever be able to sum up the amount of love shared between this girl and her dog. While I may never understand why our beloved pets can't live as long as we do, I trust that God used my time with Lilo to help me grow and to prepare me for even greater things ahead in my life. Although she no longer walks beside me, there is a very large part of my heart that will forever be hers and for that I am thankful.
I love you, my Sweet Girl! Until we meet again. <3
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| Lilo Parker 2003 - 2018 |
