Tribute To Emma 5B, My Constant Gardening Companion
Our beloved Black Lab Emma lost her battle with Canine Cushing’s disease on February 1, 2012, just one day after her 11th birthday. While all dogs are special, Emma 5B was not your usual dog. For those who may be wondering, Emma 5A (aka Baby Emma) died of an illness that couldn’t be diagnosed and lived only 6 months. We grieved for 6 months longer. Perhaps we really never got over it, because we named the new pup Emma 5B feeling that Baby Emma had not had enough time to use her number up. One of my fondest memories is bringing Emma 5B home, with her “kissing” my cheek the entire way. The same ‘kissie’ she gave me on her last day. She was a faithful companion, pure of heart, generous of spirit, and foster mom to four Seeing Eye puppies: Harriet, Okra, Christine, and Odina. She did most of the heavy lifting with these pups, giving them lots of play time and affection, and going through their paces with them by illustrating each command. I like to say that she was bilingual, since