Peachie at Christmas 2007. Photo by Joe Kitchens.KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

Everytime I wear a jacket or pair of pants I haven’t worn in awhile, I discover dog treats in the pockets. Our beautiful Peachie was addicted to them and would perform a variety of tricks if we rattled the cookie jar where they were stored. Holding one in my hand for her to see, she would go through her entire repertoire in the hope of reward. This usually ended in her least favorite pose, flopped on the flour (“DOWN”) performed with no commands, just a simple glance from me.

The red collar was her trade mark and of course we have held on to it as a keepsake. On our afternoon walks we miss having her along because it often brought the neighbors or their kids out to pet Peachie. Without her, we likely would never have met most of our neighbors. They also often brought their dogs to the street to say hi to Peachie.

In her 14 years of walks, Peachie never growled or barked at anyone or any of the neighborhood pets. Even the cats made no effort to run away from her-though there was this young rabbit that lived under a clump of Pampas Grass up the street. When bunny took off, Peachie would test my strength to see if she could get free to make chase. Sometimes she won and raced off-always stopping at the edge of the woods. She did not like the woods.