The Sweetest Girl in the World

 

Suffice it to say, June 30, 2025, will forever be a shitty day in my memory. Not only did it mark the end of a long--dare I say successful--career in government contracting, it was the day I had to say goodbye to me sweet Cocoa, my Cokie Mokie, my Coca Cola. 

If you've read any of my previous blog posts, you know that dogs play a big part of my world. 

• There was my post on dogs-dogs-dogs that recounted many of the dogs in my life and how each was unique. 
• There was how-do-you-measure-grief that talked about losing my first dog I owned as a grown up - Bailey1. 
• Then, there was dog-park where I listed out my annoyances with dog park visitors. 
• Next was what-i-hate-about-dogs that talked about my grief of losing my second dog, Bailey2, just three months after losing my dad. 
• what-i-hate-about-dogs-part-2 begins the story of my COVID puppy Luna, who turned out to not be a lover but a biter, and definitely did not replace my beloved Bailey2. 
  

Although I always find it creepy that Meta is listening to our conversations (even if they deny it), an article popped up on my Facebook feed on Tuesday, the day after losing Cocoa, that validated my feelings right now. Science has confirmed that losing a dog hurts every bit as much as losing a human. If you haven't seen the article, it's worth a read if you've ever grieved the loss of a pet. 

science-confirms-losing-a-dog-hurts-just-like-losing-a-human-loved-one

I believe dogs grieve the loss of a pack member, too. Here is my spicy COVID puppy Luna, snuggling the blanket we had wrapped Cocoa in when she passed. This breaks my heart. 

This also popped up on my socials this week: 

For me, all my dogs were unique and each brought a quality to my life that I needed at that time. Bailey1 was my rock, so loyal and steadfast. She was there to greet me every time I walked in the door. Bailey2 brought me out of my crushing sadness over the loss of Bailey1. She had a joie de vivre that was unparalleled and always made me laugh at her antics. Cocoa was mentored by Bailey 2; however, she remained a stoic gentle soul. She was easily frightened and loved to be held and cuddled like a baby. Luna, on the other hand, was sent to me for some undetermined reason...perhaps to teach me patience and forgiveness...we're still working on it after five years. 

This is a tribute to my sweet Cocoa, who we will miss immensely. Despite being the shyest girl when I rescued her at age 1 back in 2013 (she had already had 4 failed adoptions), who lived under my bed for the first three months, who did nothing but cower under a chair through six weeks of dog training, who finally started to come out of her shell when she started going to Just Dogs Playcare in Iowa City and continued to flourish at GoodLife Integrative Vets for her physical therapy, she ultimately became the fiercest FedEx/Amazon Delivery alerter along with being the alpha dog to Luna who outweighed her by 60 pounds. Cocoa had a heart of gold. 

Rest easy my sweet girl.