Lily the autistic wonderdog is dead.

Sad to say and sadder to write this but our youngest dog, Lily, passed away yesterday afternoon, she was 3 years old. Of our two dogs (both Shih-Tzus), she was definitely the most spirited and adventerous. She was always getting into things and generally making a mess. It was not uncommon for her to gain entrance to the bathroom shared by our teenage girls and then see this long haired, sometimes disheveled little sprite proudly exit with a bloody maxi-pad that she had purloined from an unsecured waste bin. It was interesting to say the least to observe my wife and my daughters trying to retreive said item from a fleeing Lily destined to find refuge underneath our extremely heavy couch. It was like watching a mongoose deftly avoid the strikes of a group of cobras. Lily was not above diving head first in the toilet for a drink or round-house kicking the kitchen trash can for the prospect of a tasty treat. Indeed this intrepidacious canine just seemed to have a knack for trouble. I dont think she went looking for trouble, i just think that trouble always just knew where she would be. Some of her antics were so puzzling that it caused our autistic son Shaun to aptly declare, "that dog is autistic".

I can say that i never expected the passing of Lily to have such a profound affect on me as i never really had pets as a kid. I am sad about this as i have rarely felt before. I am sad for my wife, she was the closest to Lily. She would no doubt agree that Lily was her favorite. In personality and spirit, Lily was a match for her, a physical manifestation of my wife's inner self. The kids are doing ok with it, although they will miss her. We had a little funeral for her and buried her by a large rock in our back yard. She is survived by her sister Lizzy, who does seem to notice her absence. When she died, Lizzy laid down next to her and nuzzled her for a bit. When she passed, she had my wife holding her, and my daugter and my mother-in-law with her so she was not alone. Some may view it as just the death of a dog. To us it is the passing of a close family member that we will never forget.

Goodbye Lily