From there it was only a scant few days. Her appetite failing, I convinced Rissa to eat by feeding her "luxury" foods - human goodies normally not on her menu, such as lobster, cookies with chocolate (oh my! The forbidden element dangerous to dogs!) and a couple of entire roast chickens which I hand-fed her strips of until she could hold no more. (The chicken delighted her immensely!) We took her for one last long walk through her favorite park, this time with her riding in my daughters' old bassinet stroller and the now-13-year-old and 9-year-old daughters (and Kiva) walking alongside.

Rissa let us know it was time. The last night of her life, she stopped eating and was in such distress that I gave her both extra pain medication and Valium to help her through the night. She lay in her crate (the topless and doorless "hospital crate" in our bedroom) and looked at me and looked at me. I slept on the floor next to her, with my head by hers and my hand out for her to cradle her chin in, which seemed to calm her.

A very kind and gentle vet made a house call in early afternoon on the 16th of June. I held her head and sang to Rissa as she went to the next world, lying in her usual favorite daytime spot in the office, surrounded by her whole family of loved ones, including our employees.

Everyone's belief systems and experiences tell them various things about the world beyond, so feel free to take this whole section with a grain of salt if your mileage varies.

We believe Rissa is still around, and the veil between this world and the Spirit World is not always so opaque. Occasionally we hear her nails click on the linoleum, her characteristic sigh as she lies down, or catch a fleeting glimpse of her. Kiva will sit for a while and face the crate where Rissa spent her last nights and where her urn currently rests, looking like she's having a conversation with her mom. And now Kiva seems to be taking cues from her late mom as to how to properly behave as the new "office dog".

Last time we were out of town for a week, our friend Kristil says she saw Rissa, taking care of the office as usual. What's more, Rissa has figured out that she doesn't have to wait in front of doors anymore - she can go through them. On the other hand, I would swear she followed me to Japan a month before, because I heard her in the hotel room there.

She always did want to stay near the people she loves. And we will always love her with all our hearts.

No one can ever replace Rissa, of course, and we still adore Kiva too, but Corgwn really ought to be plural. We still hope to someday try "fun-dog" activities with a Corgi such as Agility or Tracking etc. (though perhaps when our children are grown and life is somewhat less busy.)

We would have preferred to add to the household Corgi-pack before Rissa's passing, but many things interfered with logistics, including our stint as temporary foster parents to a human child. However, somewhere out there someday, there shall be more wonderful Corgwn to join our little family and bring their love to brighten our lives.