2 years ago, in March (2021), I decided to visit an Amish store to see if they had horseradish. I wanted to make a mustard recipe that required horseradish, and I thought maybe they would have some. So I took Bogie and started what I thought was a 30-minute journey. It turns out it was a 90-minute trip, and they had no horseradish. I could have phoned, but I would not have seen the store. I did ask, but it seems that horseradish is a seasonal item. So I spend $50 on other things I found there, like rye flour and caraway seeds.

Then I went to Farm & Home Supply in Fort Madison to pick up an order I had placed earlier on their website. But they didn't have the item I wanted even though the website said I could pick it up. As Bogie and I were leaving F&HS, I knew I was just up the road from PAW, a no-kill rescue shelter. So on a whim, Bogie and I went to PAW to see if I could get him a companion. When I arrived, I told them I was looking for a companion for Bogie. I learned a long time ago that it is better to have multiple pets. With a companion, they always seem happier.
To my amazement, the lady said they had a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I couldn't wait to meet her. And she brought me, Posey. I have a video that shows a happy puppy walking around me as she is introduced to Bogie and me. They told me that she was a rescue from a puppy mill. If I understood them correctly, she was kept in a cage in a dark basement providing the owners with puppies. But despite that, she seemed happy to be on the grass with Bogie and me. They were satisfied that I would be a good puppy daddy, so I paid the fee and took Posey home.

I renamed her Lauren Bacall because I dreamed of having Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall together again. We had a good two years together. When I took the puppies out for a walk, she was always right behind me, either to the left or right. But when she followed her nose to go off alone, I was happy that she was recovering from whatever her past was. As time passed, she grew older and a little slower but was still the happy puppy I took home that day in March. But this winter, things took a turn for the worse for her. She had a bleeding ulcer that worried me so much that I feared I was losing her. But when I got her to the vet, they knew what to do, and she recovered. But she was never as good as she was. She weighed 22 pounds in January, but in April, she weighed only 14. Working with the vet, I did what I could for her, but she was in renal failure. This past Monday, the vet told me that nothing else could be done for her. I had a decision to make. I took her home one more time and thought about what was good for her. Then I saw the video I made when I first got her and realized how much she was suffering.

With a heavy heart, I made the appointment for this morning. When I got there, I weighed Laurie one more time, and she only weight 13.3 lbs. She was wasting away right before my eyes. When I got to the front desk, I noticed that they had a candle burning which a card that said when this candle is lit, they asked that everyone be a little more respectful because someone is saying goodbye one last time to their beloved pet, my precious Laurie. I followed the tech into one of the exam rooms holding her in my arms. She didn't move a bit. They came in and gave her a sedative, and she relaxed and went to sleep. 10 minutes later, the vet came in and administered the shot that would relieve her of all her pain and suffering. She passed in my arms as I whispered I would look for her at the Rainbow Bridge.