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Tribute to Paco - Therapy Dog 2021

Paco, this journey with you has been wonderful.

Nov 2012 – July 2021

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I remember when I responded to an ad for a pappy looking for a new home in 2015. The timing was so perfect. I lost my KC earlier that fall and still in grief, yet I knew the love still available to share at this abode.

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I met you West River at the gas station along I-90 and you weren’t so sure about this exuberant person wanting to meet you. Vona and I exchanged dialog and agreed to the rehoming. Already on the way home I knew Paco was going to be the take charge, watch out for everyone pup. My other pappys were smaller build and needed more cushion during car rides. Paco, on the other hand, looked at the pillow comfort and instead chose to check me out, check out the sights, the whole car interior, even placing his front legs on the arm rest so that he could watch the countryside go by and better assess his new life.

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Amazingly, when home, he knew this was his new back yard. He immediately began scouting out where the rabbits hid. Checked out the fencing for any perimeter breach. Learned to use the double dog door in no time. And the bigger test: meeting my clients as they arrived for sessions, and he was a natural. He instinctively knew which clients needed time with him. He knew when to lie on his blanket and hold space during the session. Halfway through the session, he would leave, usually to check the perimeter to make sure we all were safe and then come around after the session to ground everyone.

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Our walks were always an adventure. Rabbits, birds, squirrels, dogs on the other sides of the fences, and neighbors that you came to know and love. Such a winning personality. So vibrant and full of life, zest for life – he considered every day a new adventure.

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This spring I noted a change was happening in his breathing. We consulted numerous times with our vets and emergency vets, completed a plethora of diagnostics and procedures, to no avail. A CT scan determined a tumor in his nose/sinus area, not into the brain yet. The radiation and subsequent trips for another possible 12 months, without any assurance and the questionable quality of life... we could not put him through that ordeal.

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God was so gracious to give us Paco for these six years. The bond God lets us have with our pets is just so incredibly special. We thank God for this gift; we were truly blessed throughout this chapter. I know each of us has to live with the heartache of living in this fallen world, with its goodbyes. I truly am grateful for the Hope in front of us.

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Paco is back with our Creator. Paco was created by God and had a purpose here and now. God created this beautiful creature to be part of our journey. We surrender him, with thanksgiving to God for these years together, for his joy and zest, and the impact he had on people in his little life.

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Rest well little one.

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Thank you God for this awesome privilege and blessing! Give us the comfort, grace, and mercy needed for today. You have so much in store for those who trust in You. And we do.

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