Goodbye to Riley, May she Rest in Peace

Well, today was the day. Riley was at a point where it was time. Nate and I took her into the vet for the last time today. Prior to going, the kids, Cathie and I sat around and came up with a list of the awesome things that made Riley, Riley.

• Whenever possible, she would sleep with her head on a pillow
  
• She would never bite a kid even when she was bit or had her hair pulled by a kid - she just licked back
  
• She let Emily dress her up and lock her in her closet
  
• She always looked like she was smiling
  
• She wasn't afraid to climb on the counter or the table to the food
  
• Chased rabbits and squirrels but never knew what to with them when she caught them.
  
• Had one run-in with a skunk that about destroyed our furniture from the smell
  
• Loved to roll in wild animal poop moments after she had been
  
• Possibly the only Gold retriever lab who didn't like to swim
  
• The only chocolate lab mix I've seen who wasn't brown
  
• More scared of Desiree Defelice and Katie Freier than any dog ever
  
• Adopted by Nicki Workman Family as their honorary third dog
  
• Loved everyone (except Katie and Desi)
  
• At the end, was deaf as a rock. She would start barking when Lola would, but had no idea why
  
• She knew not to sleep on our bed, unless we were gone, and would jump off when she heard our car pull in
  
• Riley would wander the yard without a leash, never going further than she was supposed to.
  
• She would get matting behind her ears and tail that looked like dreadlocks
  
• Riley would wrestle with Lola and put her in her place
  
• She was scared of our kitten Rascal
  
• No matter how long you were gone, she would greet you like it had been a week
  
• She was our doorbell for the longest time when it broke. Riley was the only way I would know that someone was at the door from my office.
  
• Everything tasted better to Riley when it came from the trash can.
  
• Riley would steal sandwiches and pizza slices right off your plate if you walked away
  
• She cleaned up the crums and food droppings from three babies
  
• She knew when I was heading up for a nap and would head up to sleep next to me
  
• She has eaten more choclate than me in her entire life and never thrown up, including a box of Godiva chocolates intended for my grandma
  
• She would sit next to me on the deck during my morning quiet time
  
• She would go room to room at night to check on the kids
  
• She shed enough to make 10 fur coats over her life
  

Here are some pictures of Riley over the years.