Good Bye, Sandy

Written by

Sandy, 1999 – 2009

Last Saturday my friend Adam McLaughlin had to say good bye to his sweet girl Sandy. She had finally lost her battle with cancer. He is completely heartbroken. And again there are no words I can offer, but know that by adopting that abandoned, emaciated, and terrified pup 9 years ago, you gave Sandy an incredible love-filled life.

I never met her, but I had the privilege of working with her image when your sister Meredith commissioned me to create a collage for you as a Christmas gift (above). I was so inspired by her beauty and her regal bearing. But I especially loved the photos of you two sitting on the couch together, so happy and at peace. That was three years ago, and I remember Meredith feeling a sense of urgency because Sandy had been diagnosed with cancer already. It is amazing that she was able to thrive for so long. But she had a wonderful life thanks to you, her devoted dad. I am so sorry for your loss, Adam. And I hope that somehow each day gets a little easier.

Here is the video tribute Meredith made for Sandy entitled The World's Greatest Dog:

P.S. Adam has my same last name, but we are not related. Although, his sister Meredith is a longtime friend whom my family calls our faux sister. So I guess that makes Adam my faux brother. And Sandy my faux doggie niece.

(If you like this post, please leave a comment or subscribe to Dog Art Today. This blog is powered by traffic from readers like you. Thank you for visiting!)

art collage dog dog art dog video sandy video world’s greatest dog

Comments

7 responses to “Good Bye, Sandy”

February 25, 2009

the nag

Reading your blog, it seems last week was a tough one for dog owners. We lost Max, our dear flatcoat to cancer last Wednesday.

Reply
February 25, 2009

rachel tyler

My heart goes out to Adam.. I lost my brindle rescue pit puppy last week and she was only with me for a few days. Knowing how strong my bond with her had grown just over those few short days..I can only imagine the bond that Adam had with this precious soul. What a beautiful video.. I couldn’t watch all of it. My tears were streaming down my face before it came to the second photo..

Reply
February 25, 2009

KG Greenstein

Dearest Adam,
My thoughts are with you. This is so hard. Years ago when we had to say goodbye to our great generic yellow dog Emma, my best friend sent me a card with a poem and said she hoped the sentiments would make me feel better … I told her, “Well, they don’t!” Being a best friend, she totally understood.
Time helps and then the rescue of other canines in need will follow, which also helps, but there is always a hole for our loved ones who no longer share the earth with us.
KG

Reply
February 25, 2009

Jane Oriel

What a wonderful tribute. Sandy looks sooo sweet. …and how incredible to be given the opportunity to love and be loved by such a wonderful dad.
Jane

Reply
February 26, 2009

Leesia

What a beautiful tribute…I never know what to say when I hear heartbreaking news like this, but Moira, you have such a wonderful way with words. I hope they were of some comfort to Adam and his family.

Reply
February 27, 2009

Grace

I am so heartbroken for Adam. This is a beautiful tribute – as well as the collage and touching slideshow.

Reply
March 10, 2009

Adam

I would just like to thank everyone for their kind words. I have gotten better with time but it is just amazing the stuff that creeps up on you. The first Monday of the week without her I made too much bacon in the morning cause it had become routine for her and I to eat breakfast together. When I realized my mistake I just fell to my knees and sobbed. Wonderful people at work wanted to talk and it took everything to not punch them. This has been one of the hardest things I have ever dealt with. I really appreciate my sister’s tribute as well as Miora’s and everyone else’s kind words. Thank you so much.

Reply