Captain ~ Much Too Soon To Say Goodbye

Nov. 1, 2009 – October 5, 2018

It is with the heaviest heart that I share the news that our sweet dog, Captain, has passed away.  We received a phone call from the pet sitter late last Friday night and since then my world has been a much heavier one.  The actual cause of death is still unresolved although we have had a necropsy (pet autopsy) performed.  The information we received from the pet sitter and the results of the necropsy do not agree and not knowing the truth of what really happened to our girl has made her loss much more difficult for us.

However, my family and I are doing everything we can to remain positive and keep only good memories of our very special dog. Captain brought so much joy to us and to everyone she met, that we want to use her memory and love to prevent us from becoming bitter about not knowing what happened.

Please indulge me as I inundate this post with pictures of Captain and as we share some of the life lessons we learned from her…

We weren’t sure she would grow into her ears but she did!

Captain was always game to try anything we asked and as a result, we did nearly everything together. Looking back at pictures from her very short life shows the myriad of places she has been and the variety of experiences she had.

Wanna snorkel? Wanna hike? Wanna take a beach pic?  YES! Anything!

Snow is fun… oh, but the tropics are great too!

Mom, I’ll help you stretch, then give you kisses.

In addition to helping us meet new people, Captain taught us some important lessons that we will remember and try to put into practice:

1. Go to shore every day for a walk, to stroll the beach or just to be on shore.
2. Jump and bark and wag your tail when you see your relatives.
3. Look up in addition to down – there are things in the trees and sky.
4. Stretch when you stand up in the morning and after a nap.
5. When you are happy, bark for joy.
6. Smell the roses, literally.
7. You can’t truly enjoy life without getting dirty once in a while.
8. Ask for hugs when you want them.
9. Try new things.
10. Persistence pays off.
11. Let the people you love know you are happy to see them.
12. Don’t stay sad or mad; live in the present!

Hey, it’s pretty outside.  Wanna play?

See how good I am…. chillin’ at a beach bar.

Resting during a hike. Hitching a ride back from shore.

Protecting mom and dad from wild goats on Antigua.

Please let’s go for another dinghy ride!

Roll in the sand, then dig to the cool sand in the shade of the dinghy.

Getting into the spirit of Christmas.

Reading or helming, Cappy was a big help.

Captain’s blogs were the most popular ones.

It’s really hard to believe that Captain won’t be part of our future on s/v Ticket to Ride. Her loss has left a vacuum in our lives that will become more painful when we are in our usual routine and she isn’t with us.

Cappy smiling for a photo too.

Cap was enthusiastic about everything; and always wanted a front row seat!

We will miss meeting people because of her. We will miss having her bark from shore to alert the person on the boat that we were ready to be picked up after a walk. We will miss her alerting us to dolphins or people or flies or some interesting activity happening around us.  We will miss her joy, her energy, her enthusiasm for any and everything.

I will miss those sweet eyes.

People we don’t know personally but read our blog would ask about Captain if we actually met them in person. We will miss our little ambassador who was the most popular being on the boat.

But we will focus on how lucky we were to love her and be loved by her.

We love you pretty girl. And we always will.

Thanks for reading our blog. To those who loved our Cappy-girl ~ thank you!