Radar

I've been pushing off writing this all week. I knew one day we would lose our sweet Radar, but I thought for sure it would be because of old age and we'd have an inclination it was coming. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Last Friday he was tragically hit by a car while we were out for a walk. There are many blessings to living out in the country, but one of the downfalls is that people drive fast on country roads and there are a lot of curves so it's hard to see more than what's right in front of you. I won't relive the details, but I know the vision of the accident and my feelings of desperation to get him to the vet won't soon go away. I didn't know I would cry so much over losing a pet, but he really was a part of our family. Geoff had always wanted an Australian Cattle Dog, but I only wanted to get a dog that we could rescue, so after a few months of searching we found Radar at 5 months of age at an SPCA in Lexington, VA. He joined our family in February 2006 - just 5 months after we were married. Geoff spent countless hours training him, and his efforts were well worth it. Radar developed into a wonderful dog.

We always knew he was a great dog - a protector full of loyalty to Geoff, Mary-Michael and me, but I didn't know the impact he had on so many other people. In the past week we have heard: "He's the only dog I ever liked," "He was a gift," "A caring, gentle soul" and "What a great dog he was." We have received so many messages, calls and cards - thank you.

Thank you, Radar, for taking care of us, for protecting me when I was home by myself, for being patient with Mary-Michael when she climbed on you, for being your Daddy's companion as together you explored our land and worked outside and for serving as a protective big brother to Carla. We will miss you.