Leana

4/4/2000 - 11/3/2005

How do you describe the perfect dog?

Words cannot truly be written to give this one justice.

Time just flew by with Leana. It only seemed like yesterday that I was lucky enough to get her. Hold your loved ones tight, both human and non-human, because you never know how much time you have with them. I thought that because Leana was only five years old that I had all the time in the world. I thought the camera could wait - there would be another day. Take it from me - don't wait. There may not be another day, and you will always regret having not taken that picture. I wish I had taken more pictures of Leana.

Some of you may not know how I lost my three dogs just two years ago - Gigi, Molly and Mike. They all died within six months of each other. After the heartache that caused, I didn't want another dog. We continued to foster, though - one energetic boy, and then Releana, also known as Leana. Her previous owners said she had behavior problems. The only behavior problem she had was she didn't like being in a cage, and who can blame her? Nobody wants to be locked up in a cage.

We adopted Leana officially when she was four years old. Something in her simply captured my heart. She was so playful, yet well-mannered, not to mention happy and dependable. My three year old son, Kevin, would lay on her bed and put covers on her- and she would lie there patiently, waiting for him to lift the blanket off. I asked him, "Why do you do that?"

"She's cold," he would reply, "I don't want her to get cold."

Leana was the perfect dog, and I will miss her greatly. It's hard to believe how much she meant to us - we only had her for such a short time, but she was my baby.

Tamie Connors, 2005