It has been over 24 hours now since our adventures with Quigley came to an end, and our hearts are still heavy. I've never known a more loving or attached creature. Quigs was a very communicative animal and he clearly messaged that he was tired and that trips to drink water and relieve himself were just too much. He was having great difficulty getting up and on his last morning, he refused to eat a piece of apple from Charles. This seemed to be the surest sign that he had had enough. Although he allowed me to place a towel pillow under his head, we knew that there would be no more picking his head up to see where we were going, no more following us in every direction, no more rushing to the door to greet us. He had said his goodbyes to Ben, he enjoyed his final sleepovers positioned snugly between Kimee,Maia, and a favourite dog sitter had come over to say goodbye, staying for an hour to sit and pet him. On his last evening with Charles, they attended a dog-friendly happy hour at a local bottle shop.

There is overwhelming photographic evidence of Quigley's position in our family. He joined us for the middle school and high school years of our children's lives, and thus there are many pictures of the 1st day of school, high school graduations, prom, Quigs photo-bombing the robotics team group shot (after their return from the World Championships), Quigs being shown-off to the school bus driver, Quigs nestled between the music stand and Maia for cello practice, Quigs at a regatta, sitting in on college conversations, joining us for a college tour, and the list goes on. There were all the daily happenings, like breakfast on the floor while petting him, cuddling with him after school, Quigs collecting belly rubs or being a floor cushion, accompanying Maia to the Pokestop and above all, Quigley turning himself inside out with joy when Charles came home! Quigley was there when they needed him the most, after a long day, a rough week, a difficult road trip, and home for the holidays. He was fiercely protective of all three charges when they slept. He closely supervised all of our activities and accompanied Charles for regular walks, becoming quite a celebrity in the neighbourhood - everyone seemed to know who he was! He loved car rides, chewing wooden spoons and ate anything within reach. He also loved walking by the 'cat house' in the event that a real cat-chasing opportunity would be his. He was skunked once, disliked rain intensely, and protested when his people went out without him - by moving fruit or vegetables (without puncturing them) from the kitchen to the living room rug. He was an excellent traveller, driving to Maine, Washington DC and Pittsburgh with us.

At home, he positioned himself in the most inconvenient spots (probably to maximize the petting opportunities) completely blocking doorways and passages, lying directly behind whoever was cooking or washing up or right at the foot of the stairs, waiting outside the bathroom door. I was always saying 'Quigs - you're in the way!' to which my daughter would respond 'The WAY moves AROUND him!' At Charles' insistence, all three kids walked him, picked up poop, and fed him. They made up new names for him, El Doggo, Mr. Dog, Quiggles, and their friends all knew and loved him. They insisted on Quigley coming to pick them up from school and when Quigs showed up at the window of the robotics lab, several members would stop their activities and come to greet him. The novelty of having a dog just never wore off. He was patient and accommodating always. Quigley gave us his best, so much unconditional love and our lives will never be the same. We are grateful and we miss him, but he deserves a good long rest and an eternity of good belly rubs and well scratched ears.