Sugar, R.I.P.

These past weeks have been a season of loss for my friends and family. A third dog, Sugar, a ten year old Rottweiler, passed away about ten days ago. Sugar joined my hairdresser's family when, as a year old, she was abandoned on the streets of Oceanside, California. She hung around the Starbuck's that my hairdresser's husband frequented, surviving on treats she begged from customers. My hairdresser's husband couldn't stand her plight and brought her home to join the canine family they already had: Rocco, a big, serious male Rottweiler, Ginger, a sweet Golden Retriever mix, and Klondike, a Newfoundland-Labrador mix. Sugar managed to let each dog know that she respected them and would not intrude on their territory. Somewhere along the line, two Rat Terriers, Tim and Jim, joined the pack. Rocco, Ginger, and Klondike crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and Sugar was left as the only "adult" with the little rascals, Tim and Jim. She was a quiet presence, wandering in and out of the hair studio, sunning by the pool, graciously greeting guests and then leaving them alone. Now she is gone and my deepest condolences go to her family.