Tribute to our beloved Georgia

On August 15, 2006 an important and beloved member of our family passed away.

Georgia came to live with us exactly seven years earlier on August 15, 1999. Her years before we adopted her from Boxer Rescue in Encino are unclear to us. The staff at the Rescue called her "Katja" and were not exactly sure how old she was but estimated her age at that time to be somewhere between 1-2 years old. Over the years, we suspected that Georgia may have been much older than two when we adopted her. We came to believe this because her belly suggests that she may have nursed puppies. It gives us more comfort now to believe that she may have had a distinctive life before our adoption and brought as much joy to another family as she did to ours.

Whatever her actual age, Georgia always had the enthusiasm and spirit of a puppy. She was always welcoming to family members, eager to play, and warmly affectionate. Her favorite past time was to travel, especially to beach destinations where she would run freely and dodge waves. She was also a great athlete and insisted on daily work-outs. Despite being just under fifty pounds during the peak of her life, she once lunged at the driver door of a neighbor's Toyota truck to make her presence known to the dog on the passenger seat. When she did this, she apparently put two large dents on the door, as we were told years later by this forgiving neighbor. Even a courageous bout with cancer in August, 2002 only briefly slowed her down. When she tired, her favorite resting spot was on our laps, as she would climb on the couch at our old house and nuzzle herself as closely as possible next to us. When we added more members to our family with the births of our two sons, she showed great patience and care for both of them, and lived up to the reputation of boxers as a breed that is very child friendly.

The many years of long walks and running off leash started to taper off early last year as Georgia's chronic knee problem worsened. Her ailing right knee contributed to a disc problem in her lower back. By the end of 2005, she lost the operation of her hind legs and dragged them to get around. Nevertheless, she bravely endured this hardship and continued to enthusiastically greet us and our visitors. Just before summer started, she lost her friend Matty, our incorrigible cat, whose life was suddenly cut short, we suspect by a coyote. We adopted Matty from a shelter in Boston on November 18, 1998, and miss him dearly.

Recently, Georgia's quality of life declined sharply and we decided with deep sorrow to have her put to rest. We elected to have Georgia cremated and her ashes returned to us, so that we can always be comforted by her loving presence. At 9:40 am on August 15, 2006 seven years after her adoption, Georgia passed away peacefully at home in our arms.

We are so grateful that the Boxer Rescue made it possible for us to share in the tremendous joy, love, and happiness that defined Georgia's personality and life. We were extremely blessed to have adopted her and could not have asked for a more wonderful and loving companion. She has made a profound and lasting impact on us and words cannot express how much we miss her.

Rest in peace dear sweet friend, and may you again run past cresting waves before they break on the beach.