Lynn and I were devastated last week when we got the news our dog Zula, our friend for 10 years, had cancer that had started in her spleen and already spread to her liver and lungs. The vet sent us home with the "nothing we can do" diagnosis, and we spent a tough week with her, giving her all the good food we could feed her, and searching for alternative methods of treatment or a sort of "cure" to at least suppress the spread of the cancer. We simply ran out of time, and 10 days later she took a quick turn for the worse, and we were with her early in the morning when she died at our bedside. Its so hard to not have her here by our side, at our feet, following us everywhere, going for rides, playing at the park, hiking in the mountains, and giving us a huge doggy smile and kisses when we come home.
Zula was far more than a dog, and we were not pet owners. We were friends to each other.
We miss her more than word can express, and the past few days we've found happiness, sadness, and comfort in looking at LOTS of photographs of her from a decade of friendship. She was my favorite subject (at least before Lynn came along, then they both got top billing :) And we wanted to share some of those images with everyone. Zula had a great life, and we'll look at these pictures for a long time and have her here next to us again in spirit.
Thanks for being Zula.
Just home from the puppy store...already posing for the camera, if she only knew how many more times she'd be asked to model!
I was amazed how comfortable she was in the kiddie swing at Wash Park. This was right around the time her ears started to stand up on their own.
Honing her Squirrel Sense at the park.
One of her early baths. She looked about this thrilled after every bath of her entire life...
Here she is running alongside me trying to grab the camera out of my hand. Not really, but that's what it looks like...
Zula's hunting style was priceless. I've seen coyotes and foxes hunt, and she emulated their style exactly. She'd wait, ears perked, waiting for a varmint to stir, and when it made a break, she'd leap (sometimes straight up) and pounce. There was one time she actually leapt up, FROZE in mid air, changed direction and pounced. It was unbelievable (and I have a witness to back me up, right Craig?) It was a great treat to watch her at her sharpest, and a rarity to be able to catch her in the act. I was sooo psyched to finally nab a couple great shots of her doing what she absolutely lived for...
The greatest smile in the world...
Backpacking in the Indian Peaks Wilderness 4th of July 2006...I still can't figure out why we never had her carry her own stuff!
Of course I had to take her into the studio for a couple posey shots. Too bad America's Next Top Model came long after her prime...
This is one of my favorites of Lynn and Zu...
Once again showing off how she can far outrun her dad...sometimes she'd slow down just to make me feel like I had a chance...
This is on our Honeymoon roadtrip around Colorado last year. I think she's ready to go....
Winter backcountry at Butler Gulch...
Showing off her jumping prowess...
I love this one of Lynn and her up near Buffalo Mountain, South Park Valley, CO...
This was in the Maroon Bells Wilderness this past July 4th, her last time in the mountains she loved so much. She was still on the hunt...which she had plenty of time for with me planted next to some tree or flower shooting pictures!
A couple more from Independence Pass, July 4th week, 2007...
The family portrait....we love you, and we'll miss you Zula.
Zula 1997-2007
