I don’t usually do personal stuff on my blog. However, so many of my colleagues knew my little dog, Shugie; I felt I needed to let them know of her passing. She died last Tuesday (3/12), after a brief battle with pulmonary hypertension. Shugie lived a charmed life and was just shy of 16. She was well loved and loved me and all of her friends. Her smile brought joy to everyone.

Shugie was a remarkable creature. Tiny in size, but huge in spirit. Her absolute favorite thing in the entire world was to go to business meetings, which she did from the time she was a tiny puppy. This picture was taken at a meeting. She understood (sometimes better than I did) how to behave at a meeting. She would greet each person, ask me to pick her up, and then sit in her seat looking at each person as they spoke.

It has been oft stated that dogs make us human. In fact, I think they often represent the best of us – showing us how important it is to be joyful even in adverse circumstances. I know that her unconditional love was showered on me. She lived a wonderful life, but will be sorely missed. To quote a friend of mine: “Remarkable that so gigantic a vacuum can be left by the absence of such a tiny creature.”