I first met Pinky after a night of partying that, I didn’t realize at the time, changed the course of my life. It was the night Loren finally took interest in an invitation from me to go out after work on a Saturday, after three or four weeks of “We’re all going for beer and crawfish. Want to come?”
“I don’t like crawfish.”
That night, our coworker, Tony, told me about a DJ “spinning” downtown and asked if I wanted to go. I immediately stepped over to Loren to see if she was interested. She was.
After a long night of DJs and after-hours clubs, we finally headed home around 7:30 am. When we dropped Loren off at her place, she asked if we wanted to meet Pinky. We of course said yes, and a moment later a giant, three-and-a-half-year-old black lab/greyhound mix was bounding through the open rear door into the backseat, like, “Hey, fellas. Where're we going?”
The next time I saw Pinky, I was sitting in Loren’s living room, chatting with her roommates while she finished getting ready for our first official date. Pinky was very happy to be meeting someone new, a trait that would come to define her.
Pinky never met anyone she didn’t like. Over the years, our friends and family came to know and love her for her social adaptability and almost super-canine intelligence. She greeted all guests with a toy, and would sing on command, if she weren’t already singing out of pure excitement at whatever was going on.
She was Chief Grocery Bag Inspector, insisting upon sticking her nose in every bag we brought in, to which we happily obliged. She was incredibly obedient, and always willing to sit still while we dressed her up in swimming gear or soccer jerseys.
And she loved car rides. Car rides are the best!
And parks! OMG parks! A car ride to the park?
[brain explosion gif]
Pinky was loyal, and loved Loren unconditionally. When Loren was upset, Pinky could sense it and would come close to comfort Loren. When Loren wasn’t home during dinner time, or was out of town, Pinky wouldn’t eat.
I’m not sure who loved who more: Pinky, or Loren. It’s probably a draw.
I’ve had the privilege of knowing and caring for many dogs in my life, and Pinky is head and shoulders above all others. That’s not to say I don’t love the others just as much, but Pinky was one in a million. She was a great role model for her siblings, and they love her dearly. She was my step-dog, and she was awesome.
Over the last year and a half, Pinky slowly started losing her hearing, weight and energy. Her hind legs’ muscles began to atrophy, which made getting up and down, and walks longer than a block or so, increasingly difficult. Lately, she hadn’t seemed to be able to get comfortable, and just hasn’t seemed very joyful.
We said goodbye to Pinky Maria “Big Mama” Villegas today after 14 wonderful years. We will celebrate her memory much, much longer than she was with us, because we’ll never forget her.
She was the best dog ever.
