Lucy earns her wings, March 17 1996 - May 19, 2011

I didn't know much about mini-schnauzers when Lucy chose us. There was an add in the local paper for pups and when I confirmed that schnauzers were at the top of Stanley Coren's list of smart dogs and that they didn't shed I went to take a look at the litter. Love at first sight was an understatement and I was having difficulty deciding which pup would join our family, so we lined them all up, and I sat at the other end of the room to see what would happen. Two pups ran towards me, but Lucy batted the other out of competition and attached herself to my arm. And so the dog we affectionately nicknamed the Loose Goose joined our clan for 15 years of fun and joy.

Lucy was a talker and demonstrated a beautiful schnauzer yodel whenever she saw something that excited her. Other than her family, I would have to say that Lucy loved squirrels the best. She's the only dog I've had that actually caught a squirrel and then swung it by the tail until it was exhausted. She had a unique strategy for squirrel catching...she would sit perfectly still in the yard for extended periods of time until the furry rodents decided she was a "dog statue" and therefore harmless. Lucy was a quick study and only needed one conversation with a skunk to know when to run the other way.

Lucy was the only dog to lock me out of my car...twice. I had left the engine running on a cold winter day, and when I returned to the car, Lucy jumped on the automatic door lock effectively trapping her and Tash in a running car with the heat blasting. As the locksmith unlocked the vehicle while snickering about her antics, she pressed the lock again just to make him work for his money.

Many people were converted to schnauzer fans by Lucy's gentle nature. She had big brown soft eyes, fur like silk, and could always be trusted around kids and other dogs. Despite her placid nature she was often game for adventure if the front door was open a crack and I spent many occasions running through the neighbourhood in pursuit of my little escapee.

The goose shared our bed for most of her life and also shared my fear of thunder storms. At the first sign of rumbling she would begin to shake with increasing intensity until the whole bed trembled like one of those crazy vibrating beds on the TV commercials. When Lucy lost her hearing we had to buy a weather alert radio to warn us of approaching severe weather but I always felt safe with Lucy on the alert.

Lucy enjoyed Tasha, Bella and more recently Sophie as companions and pack members. Bella mourns for her today as she searches the house and garden for her friend. Sophie however, grabbed the end of the long scarf I had been using to support Lucy's back legs for the past few weeks and ran down the hall with it sailing behind her as if to say...."life is short and I have a lot of playing to do, so lets go".

Will I miss Lucy forever? Absolutely. Would I have given up 15 years with her to avoid the pain of her passing. Not a chance.

Happy Tails sweet girl. Give Tasha a kiss for us.

Love always, your family.