It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce the untimely passing of our second dog, Bandit. Like our first dog, Cookie, Bandit was a pure bred Pomeranian that ran the roost, so-to-speak, tugging at my heart the moment I first laid eyes on her as a pup some nine years ago. While some might disagree with the way I let dogs take over our lives, I also like to remind them that their only requirement is to love and be loved.

We got Bandit roughly nine months after the passing of Cookie, largely as a way of dealing with Cookie’s passing and the hole she left in our hearts. My youngest daughter, April, accompanied me after first seeing her photo online and wondering if she would be a good fit for our family. When we arrived at the puppy store, we noticed that they had all of the puppies in a see-through enclosure located in the middle of the store, where potential buyers could see them interact with other breeds. “Happy”, as she was known by her online photo, was sitting atop a scrum of other puppies, proclaiming, in dog-speak that she was king of the hill. We decided to bring her home and, as is our family tradition, let April rename her Bandit, since she was stealing everyone’s socks and hiding them under the bed.

Unlike Cookie, Bandit passed away at only 9 years of age, succumbing, according to the the vet, from fluid in one of her lungs and quite possibly suffering a stroke. She passed away on Friday afternoon and its taken me this long to find the composure and wherewithal to actually comment on her death. Like Cookie, we hope you had a good life with us and hope we can see and play with one another once again in the hereafter. Rest in Peace baby