Our Sweet Potato Lucy Pants

by Alessandra D'Atri
(Brooklyn, NY, USA)

Lucy joined our lives one afternoon in May of 2010, after living her first few years under upsetting, abusive conditions, whoever had her choosing to throw her away, leaving her in a Staten Island park.

How she arrived at the vet's office, I don't believe we'll ever know, but she did. Chippy had left us one month earlier and my heart was broken, but here was Lucy, a beautiful, big, smiling pitbull, just waiting for someone to claim her heart.

The next six years and seven months, were filled with everything happy as far as Lucy was concerned. She helped me out of an awful place in my life, became part of an amazing self-made family, and just went with the flow through it all.

The best snuggler ever, the most delicious velvet kisses baited with what I think is the best doggie breath ever. Chippy had a fantastic sweet smell to his little body but nothing could beat Lucy's 88 pound doggie breath kisses and ear nibbling when allowed.

So here we are, completely heartbroken again. Lucy left us yesterday, January 2, 2017. She left us tail wagging and as patient and compliant as ever. She left this world knowing love, feeling loved. She had every comfort we could afford her during our time together.

She touched so many lives within ours, was a fantastic nanny dog, attacking a swing to "save" Mallory. Lucy became our sweet potato head, our Lucy pants. She won her papa over too, and even allowed Trouble, our ten pound cat, to swat at her when she passed her chair.

Lucy snuggled her way into our hearts, had not a loyal bone in her body but knew how to show love, even after her awful beginnings. She was and will always be, a one of a kind find.

To say that she was lucky to have found us is incredibly inept. We were and are the lucky ones, to have had her, beyond blessed to have had the grace of her presence in our lives. And because of such, we will forever be changed.

Lucy, I can only hope that you know just how much we love you. There will never be another big girl like you. You are irreplaceable. My wish is that you left us knowing this.